Introduction:
Asghar Ali Engineer was a founding President of AMAN who led the organization since its inception in 1990 until his demise in 2013. He was a pioneer and source of inspiration in the promotion of liberative, progressive and compassionate Islam aimed at developing societal harmony and peace. Tough his steadfast commitment in combating extremism and communalism has subjected him to attacks and humiliation, he has never been deterred in the continuous struggle to rise awareness and support the liberation of oppressed and discriminated communities.
In memory of his great contribution, AMAN has decided to launch this Fellowship Program to support young scholars to undertake objective research work on issues affecting society in general and the women, religious and ethnic minority communities in particular.
Life and contributions of Asghar Ali Engineer
Asghar Ali Engineer (1939-2013) was a scholar, activist and writer. His activism and writings spanned many years and encompassed a number of issues including, but not confined to, communalism, gender rights, interfaith understanding, structural and social reform. He is remembered as a creative interpreter of Islam and a champion of secular values enshrined in the Indian constitution.
Asghar Ali Engineer upheld the 3D’s Democracy, Diversity and Dialogue essential for any meaningful engagement and cooperation to address common problems and concerns. As a committed and engaged scholar he was concerned with the growing violence and intolerance in society. He made ceaseless efforts to bridge the divide among antagonistic communities towards the development of just and inclusive societies. He also made invaluable contributions to the interpretation of Islamic religious texts and concretized the core humanitarian values of Islam in addressing challenges confronting contemporary with a view to nurturing sustainable development, human rights, justice and peace.
Focus of the Fellowship:
A) Intra, inter-faith, inter-ethnic understanding and peace,
B) Democratic, accountable and just governance,
C) Gender justice and minority rights,
D) Protection of the environment,
E) Application of non-violent approaches for conflict transformation.
Advisers:
Prof. Dr. Amany B. Umar Lubis: Rector of Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University, Jakarta, Indonesia
Assoc. Prof. Noor Aisha Bte Abdul Rahman: National University of Singapore
Prof. Chaiwat Satha-Anand: Thammasat University, Thailand
Prof. Zenab Banu: Mohan Lal Sukhadia University, India
Prof. Kazi Nurul Islam: University of Daka, Bangladesh
Eligibility: Masters and PhD Students
Applications deadline: 30 June 2020
To download the application form click here
