Akbar Ahmed
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Why Journey into America remains relevant ten years after its release
Journey into America, a documentary film about Islam in America by Akbar Ahmed, the former High Commissioner from Pakistan to the United Kingdom and Ireland and the current Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies at American...October 29, 2019 1504 0 -
Poem – In the sunset of my day
Haiku effects – In the sunset of my day Alone on my way– friendless and foreign in the sunset of my day. Solitude of the fight stretched over years and always—fading light. A...September 14, 2019 752 0 -
A poem exploring the purpose of life
The purpose of life? What is the purpose of life? why are we here? the answers are all around us the Greeks aimed for happiness Aristotle even listed eleven virtues that would help achieve happiness he pointed to...August 26, 2019 2909 0 -
How I questioned the dictator whose atrocious actions still haunt Pakistan
Can you debate with a dictator in public on his home turf? Imagine someone challenging Saddam Hussein or Gaddafi without becoming breakfast for the pet crocodiles the next morning. The debater would have to have their...July 5, 2019 1439 1 -
‘The Dragonfly and Other Poems’ reflects on Mashal Khan, blinded Kashmiris and much more
There is something about the old Frontier Province which lifts the heart when crossing the Attock into the land of the Pukhtun; the poet awakens. That is what Sir Evelyn Howell, the outstanding Pukhtunphile, wrote; or...June 16, 2019 1355 0 -
A poet’s reflections on twilight days and Delhi nights
Leave us here in our women’s chambers leave us here so secure chewing the lotus with lotus maiden amidst the fumes of a suspended past that waft away an uncertain future space so marble-cooled illusions so...April 7, 2019 1096 0 -
A poet’s tribute to NZ PM Jacinda Ardern
A Pakistani poet has beautifully expressed sentiments of many in the Muslim community with a thought-provoking tribute to the brave and honest leadership of New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern in the aftermath of massacres in...March 26, 2019 2016 1 -
‘Let’s put out the fire and build bridges’
Image: Author Akbar signing German Ambassador Emily Haber’s copy of Journey into Europe Just before Thanksgiving, Ambassador Akbar Ahmed, the former High Commissioner from Pakistan to the UK and Ireland and the Ibn Khaldun Chair of...November 30, 2018 1983 0 -
Why states fail to understand the tribes
A woman is traveling with her camel in Baluchistan , Pakistan, Image Credit: Tariqsulemani//Wikimedia Commons I have been fascinated by the relationship between Muslim tribal societies living on the peripheries of modern states and central governments....November 10, 2018 1648 1 -
American Muslim hip hop: a cultural conversation
It is not well known in American mainstream culture, but some of the most famous African-American musicians are Muslim. They include numerous hip-hop stars such as Ice Cube, Lupe Fiasco, Mos Def, and T-Pain. The close...October 8, 2018 1913 0
