Understanding Islam: An Introduction was developed by an esteemed group of Islamic scholars, led by Ambassador Akbar Ahmed, the Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies at American University in Washington, D.C. The BBC calls Ambassador Ahmed “the world’s leading authority on contemporary Islam.” In 2006, Ambassador Ahmed won the “Purpose Prize Award” with Dr. Judea Pearl for their work on interfaith dialogue. Ambassador Ahmed is the author of Journey into Islam: The Crisis of Globalization published by the Brookings Institution Press in 2007.
Ambassador Akbar Ahmed is the Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies at American University in Washington D.C. According to the BBC, he is considered “the world’s leading authority on contemporary Islam.” He is a former High Commissioner of Pakistan to Great Britain and has advised Prince Charles and met with President George W. Bush on Islam. His numerous books, films and documentaries have won prestigious awards, and his books have been translated into several languages, including Chinese and Indonesian. Dr. Ahmed is regularly interviewed on CNN, CBC, the BBC, ARY TV and has appeared several times on the Oprah Winfrey Show and Nightline. In 2006, Ambassador Ahmed won the Purpose Prize Award with Dr. Judea Pearl for their work on interfaith dialogue. He is the principal investigator for the “Islam in the Age of Globalization” project, sponsored by the Brookings Institution, American University and the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. He is currently a Visiting Fellow at the Brookings Institution, in addition to his tenure appointment at American University and was nominated as the “Most Inspiring Person of the Year 2005.” Ambassador Ahmed is the author of Journey Into Islam: The Crisis of Globalization, published by The Brookings Institution Press, 2007.
Jacqueline Fogg has written and produced more than 155 television programs, film scripts and children’s books. Her work has been broadcast on national television to over 10 million viewers and has won the Consumer Electronics Show for “'Best Original Children's Television.” She was nominated for “Best Original Script” in South Africa for her writing and production of A Day at the Races in South Africa during the early days of new democracy. She was nominated for “Best Original Program” for Henrietta’s House, a program of the culturally diverse citizens of South Africa.
Fogg was invited to the United Nations for her work in Southern Africa and was present at Nelson Mandela’s inauguration reception. She sat on the umbrella body for Montessori in Southern Africa as a way to educate the previously disenfranchised population. She has trained and taught hundreds of workshops in the townships in the “teach the teacher program,” which she initiated. Fogg wrote and produced the Montessori In Your Home series, which was featured in the New York Times and subsequently broadcast in Denver, CO., by Mind Extension University (a subsidiary of Jones Knowledge®). She currently assists U.S. embassies in several African countries to engage with the local economies and governments of the region. She sat on the American Chamber of Commerce committees of HIV/AIDS and Black Economic Empowerment for the Southern African Developing countries. She also assists in training others at the U.S. Department of State with the Family Liaison office for participants from more than 25 countries.
Frankie Martin graduated magna cum laude from American University in 2006, where he studied history and international relations. In 2006, he accompanied Dr. Akbar Ahmed on a research trip to the Muslim world as a part of the “Islam in the Age of Globalization” initiative sponsored by The Brookings Institution, American University and the Pew Forum for Religion and Public Life and contributed to the resulting book, Journey into Islam: The Crisis of Globalization (Brookings, 2007). He has addressed diverse audiences on Islamic-Western relations, including the House of Commons in London, The Council on Foreign Relations in Washington D.C. as well as universities in Jordan, India and Pakistan. He has also been interviewed by media outlets, including the BBC, International Herald Tribune and the Christian Science Monitor. He currently is a research assistant to Dr. Ahmed at American University.
Necdet Yilmaz is an award-winning graphic artist who provided the graphics for the course. Some of his recent awards include: Annual Brain Storming Competition (First Prize 1997, 1995), First London Transport Museum and the Society of Artists Agents Illustration Award (Golden Prize, 2003), Society of Illustrators Award (Golden Medal, 2005). As art director for several major advertising firms, he created ad campaigns for large accounts (Ford, Nestle, Unilever, Fiat). He also illustrates children's books and develops political cartoons.
Hailey Woldt was one of two students to assist Dr. Akbar Ahmed on the project, “Islam in the Age of Globalization” with The Brookings Institution, the Pew Forum and American University. After the eight-country research tour, she went on to work with Dr. Ahmed on his book, Journey into Islam. She is now promoting dialogue and understanding between the Muslim world and the United States through lectures, publications and further efforts with Dr. Ahmed. She was a recipient of the Yitzhak Rabin Memorial Fellowship at the Embassy of Israel in 2006. Woldt is currently a fourth-year student at Georgetown University in the Walsh School of Foreign Service, studying Diplomacy in the Age of Globalization and will earn a certificate from the Prince Alaweed bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding.