Understanding Islam

Understanding Islam

by Professor Akbar Ahmed

Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies, American University

This is the thoughtful, comprehensive, extraordinarily well-taught course on Islam you’ve always wanted.  

In these 12 erudite lectures, renowned Islamic scholar Akbar Ahmed introduces you to the Islamic world, an exploration few Westerners have experienced. Through this unique lecture series, you'll explore the life of the Prophet of Islam as well as the Quran's five pillars, which govern the beliefs and behavior of Muslims everywhere. Learn how the incredible legacies of the great Ottoman, Safavid and Mughal empires still influence the Arab world, Iran and South Asia while exploring Islam in other parts of the world. The current Muslim struggle to preserve tradition in an age of globalization and ethnic and religious strife are examined in detail. Professor Ahmed explores all these issues with insight and sympathy, penetrating beyond stereotypes to the realities of Islamic life.

Professor Ahmed offers a message of hope and reconciliation between the Western world and the Islamic world by leveraging the power of dialogue to build bridges across ethnic, religious and cultural divides. With dialogue comes knowledge and understanding. 

This lecture series is essential for anyone hoping to learn more about the Islamic world and its people, and to understand the world in which we live.
Material in this program was adapted from four books by Dr. Ahmed: Islam Under Siege: Living Dangerously in a Post-Honor Word (Polity Press, 2005), Islam Today: A Short Introduction to the Muslim World (I.B. Tauris, 1999), Journey Into Islam: The Crisis of Globalization (Brookings Institution Press, 2007), Discovering Islam (Routledge Press, 2002).

Material in this program was adapted from four books by Dr. Ahmed: Islam Under Siege: Living Dangerously in a Post-Honor Word (Polity Press, 2005), Islam Today: A Short Introduction to the Muslim World (I.B. Tauris, 1999), Journey Into Islam: The Crisis of Globalization (Brookings Institution Press, 2007), Discovering Islam (Routledge Press, 2002).

Ambassador Akbar Ahmed, Ph.D.