Dialogue and clash
Muslim–Western encounter, Huntington and Bernard Lewis, and civilizational dialogue as a historical problem.
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Press & media
Verified biographical notes, fast facts, name forms and subject areas for accurate introductions, reporting and programming.
Biographical details are drawn from Professor al-Ahsan’s supplied CV and linked institutional or authority records. Time-sensitive details should be checked before publication.
Biographical notes
Three lengths
Use the version appropriate to the context; each can be copied directly.
Short · about 40 words
Abdullah al-Ahsan is a historian of civilizations. He holds a PhD in History from the University of Michigan, held academic teaching and research appointments in Malaysia, Turkey, Pakistan and the United States, and is a Fellow of the Caux Round Table for Moral Capitalism.
Medium · about 100 words
Abdullah al-Ahsan is a historian of civilizations whose work examines governance, human dignity, cooperation and civilizational flourishing. He holds a PhD in History from the University of Michigan and an MA in Islamic Studies from McGill. He taught for nearly thirty years at the International Islamic University Malaysia, where he served as Deputy Dean of ISTAC and edited the journal Intellectual Discourse, and later held a chair in Comparative Civilization at Istanbul Şehir University. He is the author or editor of five books and a Fellow of the Caux Round Table.
Long · about 190 words
Abdullah al-Ahsan is a historian of civilizations. Across five books and more than fifty publications listed in his supplied CV, four concerns recur: governance, human dignity, cooperation across civilizational difference, and what allows a civilization to flourish or decline. He holds a PhD in History from the University of Michigan, an MA in Islamic Studies from McGill, and an MS in History from Quaid-i-Azam University. He taught at the International Islamic University Malaysia from 1990 to 2017, serving as Professor and Deputy Dean at ISTAC, Director of IIUM Press, and editor of the journal Intellectual Discourse, and was Professor of Comparative Civilization at Istanbul Şehir University from 2018 to 2020. His books include Ummah or Nation (1992), translated into Turkish and Bosnian, and Qur'anic Guidance for Good Governance (Palgrave Macmillan, 2017), co-edited with Stephen B. Young. He is a Fellow of the Caux Round Table and a former Vice President of the International Movement for a Just World.
Fast facts
At a glance
| Full name | Abdullah al-Ahsan |
|---|---|
| Also cited as | Abdullah Ahsan, Abdullahil Ahsan |
| Title in copy | Professor Abdullah al-Ahsan, historian of civilizations |
| Doctorate | PhD in History, University of Michigan |
| Current affiliation | Fellow, Caux Round Table for Moral Capitalism |
| Former posts | Professor and Deputy Dean, ISTAC, International Islamic University Malaysia; Professor of Comparative Civilization, Istanbul Şehir University; former Vice President, International Movement for a Just World. |
| Books | Five. Selected works have Turkish, Bosnian and Arabic translated editions. |
| Languages | English, Bengali, Hindi, Urdu, Arabic, French |
| Public CV | Academic record and selected bibliography |
| Contact | Through the contact form. |
Photograph
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Selected areas of expertise
Scholarship and public comment
These subjects recur across his published record; interview and event availability can be requested through the contact form.
Muslim-world institutions
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation, institutional history, conflict resolution and the Cairo Declaration.
Human dignity and governance
Human dignity, rights instruments, Qur’anic guidance and the moral foundations of political order.
Historical method
Eurocentrism, historical vantage point, evidence and civilizational narratives.
South Asia
Pakistan, Bangladesh, Kashmir, state formation, elite formation and Bengali Muslim history.
Palestine and Gaza
Recent writing places Palestine and Gaza within longer questions of dignity, political order and civilizational decline.
Name and authority record
Getting the details right
He publishes and signs as Abdullah al-Ahsan: lower-case al, hyphenated, capital A on Ahsan. Library catalogues and older citations also carry Abdullah Ahsan and Abdullahil Ahsan.
On first reference, Professor Abdullah al-Ahsan, a historian of civilizations is accurate and sufficient. If a current institutional affiliation is required, use Fellow of the Caux Round Table for Moral Capitalism.
Wikidata Q24946801
VIAF 33537331
ISNI 0000 0000 8370 7327
GND 170733661
IIUM repository profile