Directory of Policy Experts on Islamic Studies & Muslim Affairs 2009 A Resource Guide for Media, Policymakers, Academics, and Government Since the tragic 9/11 attacks, issues directly relating to Muslims and Islam have been major and urgent topics in American policy and academic discourse. Yet there are few people who have a meaningful familiarity with these subjects; even fewer are actual experts with authentic knowledge of the relevant subjects. Although this inaugural directory is by no means comprehensive, it does provide a strong list of experts with individually deep and collectively broad knowledge of policy issues relating to Islam and Muslims. Many are Muslims and those who are not have demonstrated their contextualized understanding of their areas of expertise. This is invaluable at a time when persons with cursory or de-contextualized knowledge of Islam profess expertise. Imad-ad-Dean Ahmad is a Ph.D. astronomer who has been actively involved in the issue of moonsightings and the Islamic calendar since the 1980’s. Born in 1948 of Palestinian parents, Dr. Ahmad was raised in Pennsylvania. He graduated cum laude from Harvard in 1970 and in 1975 obtained a Ph.D. in astrophysics from the University of Arizona. Dr. Ahmad has done postdoctoral work in astronomy at Harvard, the University of Maryland, and under contract to Goddard Space Flight Center and for private firms. He is currently president of his own research firm, Imad-ad-Dean, Inc. (1998).

Paperback: 978–1–56564-337-6 / Price: $12.00 eBook: 978-1-64205-924-3 / Open Access Size: 6x9 inches Pages: 130 Year of Publication: 2009