Mumtaz Ahmad

Abstract

Wise, kind, humorous, humble, profoundly honorable and dignified– these are just some of the words that describe our beloved MumtazAhmad, whose passing we mourn. A great scholar, mentor, friend,and family man, he will be missed by the countless people whoselives he influenced. I feel honored to count myself among them.With degrees in economics, Islamic studies, and developmentadministration, and a Ph.D. in political science from the Universityof Chicago, Ahmad published eight books. His most recent is Observingthe Observer: The State of Islamic Studies in American Universities(Herndon, VA: International Institute of Islamic Thought,2012). Bringing together a stellar array of scholars, this book is particularlyprescient in stressing the importance of the responsiblestudy of Islam in a country whose policies so deeply impact Muslims.He also published dozens of articles and chapters, and deliveredhundreds of lectures throughout his native Pakistan and NorthAmerica, as well as Europe, the Middle East, Africa, South andSoutheast Asia.He served as president of the Association of Muslim Social Scientistsas well as the South Asian Muslims Studies Association. Inaddition, he served on numerous editorial boards, was editor of Studiesin Contemporary Islam, and associate editor of the AmericanJournal of Islamic Social Sciences and the East-West Review. Hiswork was supported by grants from the Fulbright Foundation, theFord Foundation, the Pew Charitable Trust, the Center for Strategicand International Studies, the United States Institute of Peace, theNational Bureau of Asian Research, and the Brookings Institution,among others ...