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Bios
Three lengths
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 relationships among human dignity, cooperation, governance and civilizational decline. 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, a recurring concern is the relationship among human dignity, cooperation, governance and civilizational change. 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. His recent public writing includes work published by Informed Comment, IslamiCity and Pegasus; dated links appear on the Writing page.
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. Vice President, International Movement for a Just World. |
| Books | Five. Selected works have Turkish, Bosnian and Arabic translated editions. |
| Languages spoken | English, Bengali, Hindi, Urdu, Arabic, French |
| Based in | Greater Chicago, United States |
| Recent public outlets | Informed Comment, IslamiCity and Pegasus; see dated links on the Writing page. |
| Contact | Through the contact form. His email address is not published. |
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What to call him about
Areas of comment
These areas are drawn from his published record. Availability for comment should be confirmed through the contact form.
Huntington, Bernard Lewis, and the case for a dialogue paradigm; see the source-linked Writing page.
Institutional history, conflict resolution, the Cairo Declaration, the Rohingya crisis.
Read as a civilizational question rather than a news cycle. Chapter in a 2025 Clarity Press volume edited by Ahmet Davutoglu and Richard Falk.
State formation, elite formation, the Kashmir dispute, Bengali Muslim identity.
What changes when rights are written by states rather than for persons.
Method, evidence, and the politics of the historical vantage point.
Getting it right in print
Name, spelling and citation
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, which refer to the same person.
On first reference, Professor Abdullah al-Ahsan, a historian of civilizations is accurate and sufficient. If an institutional affiliation is needed, use Fellow of the Caux Round Table for Moral Capitalism. Do not describe him as a current officer of the International Movement for a Just World; that role is former.
Authority identifiers
Wikidata Q24946801
VIAF 33537331
ISNI 0000 0000 8370 7327
GND 170733661
IIUM repository profile
Wikipedia