Date: Monday, September 16, 2019
Time: 6:00 pm Light Refreshments; 6:30 pm Talk
Book: Available for purchase, 25$ (cash or check only)
Where: Conference Hall, Main Bldg, American Islamic College

Muqtedar Khan’s Islam and Good Governance is an original, thoughtful, and fresh approach in political philosophy that will intrigue as well as challenge many Muslim and non-Muslim scholars presuppositions and models for development. — John L. Esposito, Georgetown University

In an age marked by shallow religio-nationalist identities and the cheap instrumentalization of religion, Khan offers a way out of this morass by going back to foundational Islamic values. — Asma Afsaruddin, Indiana University, Bloomington

In this wide-ranging and profound book, Muqtedar Khan reminds us of an entirely different vision and practice of Islam in politics, one premised on the concept of Ihsan. The result is a book that is at once timely, urgently important, and, over its entire course, ethically moving. — Robert Hefner, Boston University

In this audacious, provocative, and deeply hopeful book, Muqtedar Khan tries nothing less than to reconceptualize Muslim politics. — Sohail Hashmi — Mount Holyoke College

“Muqtedar Khan’s Islam and Good Governance offers a political philosophy that is both refreshing and timely. — Tamara Sonn, Georgetown University

Muqtedar Khan’s Islam and Good Governance is a noteworthy contribution to the literature on Islamic political thought. It advances the view that politics must bend the knee to morality. — Mehrzad Boroujerdi, Syracuse University

Muqtedar Khan’s new work bridges the worlds of Islamic spirituality and politics. Khan’s work is recommended for both scholars of Sufism and political science. — Omid Safi, Duke University

Dr. Muqtedar Khan is Professor in the Department of Political Science and International Relations at the University of Delaware. He researches and teaches Islam, Governance and International Relations. He earned his Ph.D. in International Relations, Political Philosophy, and Islamic Political Thought, from Georgetown University in May 2000.

From 2017-2019 he was the Academic Director of the State Department’s National Security Institute and from 2019 onwards he is the Academic Director of the State Department’s American Foreign Policy Institute.

He founded the Islamic Studies Program at the University of Delaware and was its first Director from 2007-2010.

Dr. Khan is a Senior Fellow at the Center for Global Policy since 2016. He was Fellow with the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding from 2001-2016. He was a Senior Nonresident Fellow with the Brookings Institution [2003-2008] and a Fellow of the Al-Waleed Center at Georgetown University [2006-2007]. He has been the President, Vice President and General Secretary of the Association of Muslim Social Scientists.

He is the author of Islam and Good Governance: A Political Philosophy of Ihsan (Palgrave, 2019). He also authored American Muslims: Bridging Faith and Freedom (Amana, 2002), Jihad for Jerusalem: Identity and Strategy in International Relations (Praeger, 2004). He has edited Islamic Democratic Discourse (Lexington Books, 2006) and Debating Moderate Islam: The Geopolitics of Islam and the West (University of Utah Press, 2007).

Dr. Khan frequently comments on BBC, CNN International, FOX and VOA TV, Bridges TV, NPR and other radio and TV networks. His political commentaries appear regularly in newspapers in over 20 countries. He has lectured in North America, East Asia, Middle East and Europe . Dr. Khan is from Hyderabad in India. He is married to Reshma and has a son Rumi, and a daughter Ruhi.

His articles on Islam and American Muslims can be read at www.ijtihad.org and his commentaries on global politics can be read at www.Glocaleye.org.

Bismillah –r-Rahman-r- Rahim.

Being able to apply, be accepted, and attend AIC on a scholarship for the last four years has been equivalent to me hitting the lottery for a million dollars. This has been a blessing and a mercy, not only to be able to attend college but an Islamic college. In my opinion we have the best professors. Dr. Shabana Mir, Dr. Omer Awass and Dr. Jawad Qureshi are top of the line. They know their subject matter and their presentations are impeccable. I really enjoyed studying the Hadith course taught by Dr. Quereshi; he had us map Isnads, the chain of transmissions from three or four hundred years after the Prophet back through the Sahabas and to the Prophet (pbuh). That was a very rewarding exercise to see how the Hadith Sciences developed.

Dr. Shabana Mir, Assoc. Prof. of Anthropology & General Education Coordinator, was invited to speak on “Decolonizing Higher Education” at the University of Leeds.

While there, she was interviewed by Sofia Rehman of the Network ReOrient podcast series of Critical Muslim Studies at the University. ReOrient “forges a space for critical and interdisciplinary discussion across a diverse range of disciplinary debates, interventions, and critiques.”

Click the image below to listen to the podcast.

Dr. Shabana Mir was also interviewed on the well-known podcast, New Books in Islamic Studies, which showcases notable and significant scholarship in Islamic Studies. She has also been interviewed on radio shows such as Radio Islam, Radio Azad, Roundhouse Radio, and Bulland Awaaz.

American Islamic College celebrated another milestone on Friday, May 3, 2019. AIC held its first graduation ceremony in almost 20 years! President Daoud S. Casewit, Vice Presidents Kathleen O’Brien and Randal Muhammad, Members of the Board of Trustees, Faculty, Administrators, and close family and friends proudly observed their 5 undergraduate and 5 graduate students obtain their well-earned degrees and ceremonial hoods in an inspiring and meaningful graduation service. Imam Abdul-Malik Ryan gave a powerfully thought-provoking, profoundly inspiring, and spiritually stimulating keynote address. Qadri Abdullah, shared heartwarming words of gratitude and encouragement in his testimony as an AIC graduate, class of 1988. President Casewit acknowledged the rich contributions of founding President Ismail al-Faruqi, Dr. Ahmed Sakr, Dr. Ghulam-Haider Aasi, and others who paved a legacy of academic excellence, interfaith relations, and spiritual enrichment–one that remains at the core of AIC’s mission. Accompanied by renowned Nigerian musical artists of the Contemporary African Musical Ensemble, the graduates processed to the Reception where delectable Kyrgyz cuisine, cake, and the students’ joyful family and friends awaited them.

Graduation Ceremony and Reception
Date: Friday, May 3, 2019
Time: Doors open 6:00 pm; Students walking must arrive by 5:00 pm
Where: Auditorium, Main Bldg, American Islamic College

Students in the Bachelor of Arts program are required to complete a civic engagement course through an internship at a social service organization of their choosing. They receive hands-on training, gain leadership qualities, learn about the workings of a nonprofit, and give back to the community.

Previous sites include:

Refugee One
Cook County Jail
CAIR-Chicago
Benedictine University’s Office of Ministry

Undergraduate students performed mock Ted Talks as part of their English Communications course, a requirement in the general education curriculum to both develop and enhance students’ public speaking, research performance, and leadership skills.

Topics covered include:
•Black Voices Matter
•The Myth of Organic Foods
•Medical Technology & Imagining
•The Society That We Live In

Talk will be followed by book reading, discussion, and signing

Date: Wednesday, April 24, 2019
Time: 6:00 pm Light Refreshments; 6:15 pm Talk followed by Q&A
Where: Conference Hall, Main Bldg, American Islamic College

Leading While Muslim examines the lived experiences of American Muslim principals to determine whether global events, political discourse, and the media coverage of Islam and Muslims post 9/11 have affected their leadership and spirituality. This book is intended to help readers to gain an understanding of the adversities that American Muslim principals have experienced post-9/11 and how to address these adversities, particularly through decisions about educational policy and district leadership.

Dr. Debbie Almontaser is an internationally recognized, award-winning educator, entrepreneur, speaker and authority on cross-cultural understanding. She is an influential community leader and the Founder and CEO of Bridging Cultures Group Inc., a for-profit business that provides professional development and coaching for companies, universities, firms, and K–12 education personnel. Dr. Almontaser was the founding and former principal of the Khalil Gibran International Academy in Brooklyn, NY. A twenty-five-year veteran of the NYC Public School System, she taught special education, inclusion, trained teachers in literacy, and served as a multicultural specialist and diversity advisor. Currently, she is the Board President of the Muslim Community Network (www.mcnny.org) and sits on the boards of the Yemeni American Merchants Association, Therapy and Learning Center Preschool, eMgage National, and ADC National. She frequently lectures, serves on panels, facilitates teacher and public workshops on cultural diversity, conflict resolution, Arab Culture, Islam, Muslims in America, interfaith coalition building and youth leadership at schools, universities, libraries, museums, faith-based organizations, churches, synagogues, as well as national and international conferences. Dr. Almontaser is also known for her leadership role in organizing the historic Yemeni Bodega Strike Rally and I Am a Muslim Too Rally.

Date: Tuesday, April 9, 2019
Time: 6:00 pm Light Refreshments; 6:15 pm Talk followed by Q&A
Where: Conference Hall, Main Bldg, American Islamic College

Professor Haq’s area of expertise is Islamic Theology and Muslim World Studies. He has been principal of two Muslim day schools in Chicago for 13 years. He taught courses on Islam in various local universities; Benedictine, Loyola, U of I, and Catholic Theological Union. Currently, he teaches at Elmhurst College. Mr.Haq served on Chicago Committee of Human Rights Watch and on Governor Pat Quinn’s Muslim Advisory Council. Professor Haq currently serves on Board of Cardinal Bernardin Center at C.T.U. Mr.Haq is an honorary Imam in various local mosques and serves on Muslim-Catholic and Muslim-Jewish Scholars Committees. Professor Haq studied in various Religious seminaries in Pakistan & holds Ijaza in Tafseer, Hadith Fiqah & Tasawwuf. He also holds a Masters in sharia from International Islamic University Islamabad and a Masters in Humanities from Drew University in New Jersey.

Date: Thursday, March 28, 2019
Time: 6:00 pm
Book: $14 (Cash, Credit, or Check Acccepted)
Where: Conference Hall, Main Bldg, American Islamic College

Sara Bawany is a social worker, a writer, and a poet with a passion for bringing to light some of the most taboo issues in the South Asian and Muslim community. A graduate of The University of Texas at Austin, Sara received her Master’s degree in Social Work and her Bachelor’s degrees in Biology and Islamic Studies. She currently serves as a clinical social worker at the Muslim Community Center for Human Services, providing free mental health counseling and mental health education to the community. She published her first poetry book recently, titled – “(w)holehearted” which you can find on Amazon. The book touches on themes of identity, mental health, domestic violence, femininity, relationships, spirituality, forgiveness, and a variety of social justice issues.

(w)holehearted is a play on words to emphasize the idea of appearing whole and intact as a human being, but with fissures, scars, and brokenness peeking through from behind the tough exterior. it is the facade that many of us peruse our lives carrying, often neglecting our pain, our mental health, and most importantly, the way we are more prone to hurting others when we lack this self-awareness. (w)holehearted seeks to encompass as many stories as possible, touching on several topics, namely, spirituality, feminism, colorism, domestic violence, intersectionality, mental health and more. It aims to depict that anyone with the darkest past and pitfalls can still save themselves from drowning in the difficulties that not only plague our world, but also plague our hearts.