Reflections on Contemporary Islam
VIEW EVENT DETAILSProfessor Akbar Ahmed, Ibn khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies at American University, and author of Journey into America: The Challenge of Islam, will give a recital from his new book of poetry, Suspended Somewhere Between. Following the presentation, there will be a discussion, with a question and answer session with the author.
Islam recurs as a motif throughout Ahmed's poems, which also serve as a commentary on Islam's challenges vis-a-vis modernity. His verse ranges in tone from being instrospective and reflective, to historical, political and religious. His work transverses across the forbidding valleys and mountains of Waziristan in the tribal areas of Pakistan, to the think tanks and congressional hallways of Washington, DC. The Washington Post writes, "The title of the book, Suspended Somewhere Between, reflects... modern dilemmas in an age of globalization where our identities are often in flux. The poetry reflects this suspension."
Akbar Ahmed is the Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies at American University in Washington, DC. He is an internationally renowned academic, and has held positions at Princeton, Harvard, and Cambridge Universities. He is a former ambassador from Pakistan to the UK. He is the author of more than a dozen award winning books, including Discovering Islam, Journey into America: The Challenge of Islam, and Journey into Islam: The Crisis of Globalization.
Suspended Somewhere Between is Professor Akbar Ahmed's poetry debut in the United States.
This event is co-hosted by The Woman's National Democratic Club (WNDC) and American University.
Event Details
Asia Society Washington, The Stevenson Room, Whittemore House, 1st Flr., 1526 New Hampshire Ave, NW