Asma Afsaruddin (born 1958) is an American Islamic scholar and Professor in the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures at

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. Campuses Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI. *Indiana Universi ...

in Bloomington.

Biography

She was an associate

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an academic rank at universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who professes". Professo ...

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...

and

Islamic studies Islamic studies refers to the academic study of Islam, and generally to academic multidisciplinary "studies" programs—programs similar to others that focus on the history, texts and theologies of other religious traditions, such as Easter ...

at the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin founded the school in 1842. The main c ...

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th ...

. She has previously taught at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of highe ...

and the

Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hemisphere. It consi ...

, from which she received her

PhD PHD or PhD may refer to: * Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), an academic qualification Entertainment * '' PhD: Phantasy Degree'', a Korean comic series * '' Piled Higher and Deeper'', a web comic * Ph.D. (band), a 1980s British group ** Ph.D. (Ph.D. al ...

in 1993. Her fields of specialization include the religious and political thought of Islam, study of the primary Islamic texts (

Qur'an The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation from God. It is organized in 114 chapters (pl.: , si ...

and

hadith Ḥadīth ( or ; ar, حديث, , , , , , , literally "talk" or "discourse") or Athar ( ar, أثر, , literally "remnant"/"effect") refers to what the majority of Muslims believe to be a record of the words, actions, and the silent approva ...

), as well as gender studies. Afsaruddin has been an editorial board member for the

Middle East Studies Association Middle East Studies Association (often referred to as MESA) is a learned society, and according to its website, "a non-profit association that fosters the study of the Middle East, promotes high standards of scholarship and teaching, and encoura ...

Bulletin, published by Cambridge University Press. She was an editor of the Routledge Encyclopedia of Medieval Islamic Civilization and a consultant for

The Oxford Dictionary of Islam ''The Oxford Dictionary of Islam'' is a dictionary of Islam, published by the Oxford University Press, with John Esposito as editor-in-chief. Overview The dictionary contains over 2,000 entries on a wide range of Islamic related topics. Refere ...

(2002). Afsaruddin chairs the Center for the Study of Islam and Democracy board of directors. She also sits on advisory committees for the Muslim World Initiative of the

United States Institute of Peace The United States Institute of Peace (USIP) is an American federal institution tasked with promoting conflict resolution and prevention worldwide. It provides research, analysis, and training to individuals in diplomacy, mediation, and other pea ...

and the human rights organization Karamah.

Awards and honours

In 2015, she was presented the ''Jayezeh Jahani'' (World Book Prize) for the best new book in Islamic studies by the Iranian president

Hassan Rouhani Hassan Rouhani ( fa, حسن روحانی, Standard Persian pronunciation: ; born Hassan Fereydoun ( fa, حسن فریدون, links=no); 12 November 1948) is an Iranian politician who served as the seventh president of Iran from 2013 to 2021. ...

for her book ''Striving in the Path of God: Jihad and Martyrdom in Islamic Thought''. The book was also a runner-up for the British-Kuwaiti Friendship Society Book Prize in 2014.

Publications

*''Contemporary Issues in Islam'' (Edinburgh University Press, 2015) *''Striving in the Path of God: Jihad and Martyrdom in Islamic Thought'' (Oxford University Press, 2013) *''The First Muslims: History and Memory'' (Oxford: Oneworld Publications, 2008)Reviews of ''The First Muslims: History and Memory'': * * * Berkey, Jonathan (2011). Review of Middle East Studies 45(2):199-201 * * * Donner, F. M. (2009). The First Muslims: History and Memory. Asma Afsaruddin . Speculum, 84(3), 663–665. *''Excellence and Precedence: Medieval Islamic Discourse on Legitimate Leadership'' (Leiden: E.J. Brill, 2002) *''Hermeneutics and Honor: Negotiation of Female "Public" Space in Islamic/ate Societies'' (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University, 1999) *''Culture, and Language in the Near East : Essays in Honor of Georg Krotkoff'' (Eisenbrauns: Winona Lake, Ind., 1997)

References

External links

Faculty, Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures, Indiana University, Bloomington: Asma AfsaruddinReligion Compass Online: Asma Afsaruddin
{{DEFAULTSORT:Afsaruddin, Asma Living people Indiana University faculty American Islamic studies scholars University of Notre Dame faculty Harvard University faculty Johns Hopkins University faculty Johns Hopkins University alumni Women scholars of Islam 1958 births Muslim scholars of Islamic studies