Observing the Observer: The State of Islamic Studies in American Universities The collection of papers in this volume documents the study of Islam in American Universities. Over the last few decades the United States has seen significant growth in the study of Islam and Islamic societies in institutions of higher learning fueled primarily by events including economic relations of the U.S. with Muslim countries, migration of Muslims into the country, conversion of Americans to Islam, U.S. interests in Arab oil resources, involvement of Muslims in the American public square, and the tragic events of 9/11. Although there is increasing recognition that the study of Islam and the role of Muslims is strategically essential in a climate of global integration, multiculturalism, and political turmoil, nevertheless, the state of Islamic Studies in America is far from satisfactory. The issue needs to be addressed, particularly as the need for intelligent debate and understanding is continuously stifled by what some have termed an “Islam industry” run primarily by fly-by journalists, think tank pundits, and cut-and-paste “experts.” Mumtaz Ahmad Dr. Ahmad is Professor of Political Science at Hampton University, Hampton, VA, and Executive Director, Iqbal International Institute for Research & Dialogue, International Islamic University, Islamabad. He has a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Chicago. Before joining Hampton University in 1990, he was a Research Fellow at the Brookings Institution, Washington DC. Ahmad is President of the South Asian Muslim Studies Association, and member of the editorial advisory boards of several professional journals. Dr. Ahmad was a member of the “Islam and Social Change” project of the University of Chicago, a member of “Fundamentalism Project” of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and a Senior Consultant on “Muslims in American Public Square” project of Georgetown University. He was a Senior Fulbright Fellow in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh; the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) Fellow in Sudan, Malaysia and Pakistan; and Senior Fellow of the American Institute of Pakistan Studies and the American Institute of Bangladesh Studies. He has published extensively on Islamic political movements and radical groups, madrasah education in South Asia, and the politics of Islamic resurgence in the Middle East and South Asia. Dr. Ahmad is the author of nine books and numerous journal articles, book chapters, and encyclopedia entries on Islam and politics. Zahid Bukhari Dr. Bukhari serves as Executive Director of the Center for Islam and Public Policy (CIPP). He served as Director, American Muslim Studies Program (AMSP) at the Prince Alwaleed Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding, Georgetown University, Washington, DC. From 1999-2004, he also worked as Director, Project MAPS: Muslims in American Public Square at Georgetown University. Dr. Bukhari was elected national president of the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) for 2009-10. He has been serving as a member of Governor of Maryland Commission on Middle Eastern American Affairs for 2008–2011. Dr. Bukhari’s research interests focused on religion and politics in the United States and South Asia. He has a vast experience in all aspects of survey research. From 1978-1983, he worked as executive director of the Pakistan Institute of Public Opinion (PIPO), Islamabad, a member of Gallup International. He has published and presented papers on Islam in the West, Muslim public opinion in the US, Interfaith Relations in the USA, and other related topics in national and international forums. He is also editor of a research volume, Muslims’ Place in the American Public Square: Fears, Hopes and Aspirations (2004). Sulayman Nyang Professor Nyang serves as President of the Center for Islam and Public Policy (CIPP). He teaches at Howard University in Washington, D.C. where he serves as Professor of African Studies. From 1975 to1978 he served as Deputy Ambassador and Head of Chancery of the Gambia Embassy in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. He also served as co-director of Project MAPS: Muslims in the American Public Square, a research project housed at Georgetown University, Washington, DC and funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts. Professor Nyang has served as consultant to several national and international agencies. He has served on the boards of the African Studies Association, the American Council for the Study of Islamic Societies and the Association of Muslim Social Scientists. He is listed on the editorial boards of several national and international scholarly journals. He has lectured on college campuses in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas. Professor Nyang has written and published extensively on Islam in Africa and Islam in America.

Paperback: 978-1-56564-580-6 / Price $18.95 Hardback: 978-1-56564-581-3 / Price $28.95 eBook: 978-1-64205-830-7 / Open Access Size: 6x9 inches Pages: 292 Year of Publication: 2012