Mumtaz Ahmad Model Scholar, Educator, and Public Intellectual

Abstract

Wise, kind, humorous, humble, profoundly honorable and dignified
– these are just some of the words that describe our beloved Mumtaz
Ahmad, whose passing we mourn. A great scholar, mentor, friend,
and family man, he will be missed by the countless people whose
lives he influenced. I feel honored to count myself among them.
With degrees in economics, Islamic studies, and development
administration, and a Ph.D. in political science from the University
of Chicago, Ahmad published eight books. His most recent is Observing
the 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 particularly
prescient in stressing the importance of the responsible
study of Islam in a country whose policies so deeply impact Muslims.
He also published dozens of articles and chapters, and delivered
hundreds of lectures throughout his native Pakistan and North
America, as well as Europe, the Middle East, Africa, South and
Southeast Asia.
He served as president of the Association of Muslim Social Scientists
as well as the South Asian Muslims Studies Association. In
addition, he served on numerous editorial boards, was editor of Studies
in Contemporary Islam, and associate editor of the American
Journal of Islamic Social Sciences and the East-West Review. His
work was supported by grants from the Fulbright Foundation, the
Ford Foundation, the Pew Charitable Trust, the Center for Strategic
and International Studies, the United States Institute of Peace, the
National Bureau of Asian Research, and the Brookings Institution,
among others ...