Dr. Alan ‘Abd al-Haqq Godlas, Associate Professor, Department of Religion, University of Georgia (UGA)
EDUCATION:
Degrees:
University of California, Berkeley 1983-91 Ph.D. Near East Studies (Islamic Studies: Arabic, Persian, and Turkish Islamic Literature)
University of California, Berkeley 1978-83 M.A. Near East Studies (Arabic & Persian Islamic Literature)
University of California, Davis 1969-72 B.S.(High Honors) Ecological Psychology
Professional Certificates:
Certificate in assessment of Emotional Intelligence using MSCEIT (Mayer, Salovey, & Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test), Multi-Health Systems (MHS), August, 2012.
Additional Studies:
Bosporus University, Istanbul 1984 Summer Study in Advanced Turkish
American University in Cairo 1983-84 Advanced Arabic (CASA)
Imperial Iranian Academy of Philosophy 1977 Islamic Philosophy
University of Tehran 1974-76 Persian Language and Literature
LINGUISTIC COMPETENCE:
English native speaker
Classical Arabic, fluent-proficient
Classical Persian, fluent-proficient
Modern Standard Arabic, fluent-proficient
Modern Iranian Persian, fluent-proficient
Egyptian dialectical Arabic, intermediate
Moroccan dialectical Arabic, intermediate
Ottoman Turkish, intermediate
Modern Turkish, intermediate
French and German, reading knowledge
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:
Co-Director, Arabic Major UGA 2010- present.
Co-Director, UGA-Morocco Maymester Program, 2000-present.
Associate Professor of Religion (Islam and Arabic), UGA 1997-present
(Teaching final semester of 4th year Arabic and classes in Islam, World Religions, and a freshman seminar on Emotions, Emotional Intelligence, and the World’s Religions)
Assistant Professor of Religion (Islam and Arabic), UGA 1993-1997
(Taught the final semester of 3rd year Arabic and classes in Islam and World Religions)
Temporary Assistant Professor of Religion (Islam and Arabic), University of Georgia, 1991-1993.
(Taught Beginning and Intermediate Arabic—1st and 2nd year—and classes in Islam and World Religions)
Graduate Faculty, UGA, 1991-present.
Faculty, Summer Teacher’s Institute, Dar al-Islam, New Mexico, July 2005
US Department of State, Speaker and Specialist Program, 2002-2003
Lecturer, Modern Middle Eastern History, California State University, San Francisco, 1989.
Lecturer, Islamic Mysticism, Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, 1985, 1987.
Instructor, Elementary Turkish, 1988-9, UC Berkeley
Instructor, Elementary Arabic, 1986-7, 1987-8, UC Berkeley
Instructor, Elementary Persian 1985-6, UC Berkeley
Instructor, Freshman Writing Program, English Dept., American University in Cairo, 1984-85.
MEMBERSHIP IN PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS:
American Academy of Religion (AAR)
Middle East Studies Association (MESA)
American Oriental Society (AOS)
South-Eastern Region of Middle East and Islamic Studies Specialists (SERMEISS)
OFFICES HELD:
Member of the Editorial Board: Journal of Alternative Perspectives in Human Sciences, Karamanoğlu Mehmetbey University, Karaman, Turkey, 2010- present.
Member of the Editorial Board: Ilahiyat Studies: A journal on Islamic and Religious Studies, 2009- present.
Member of the Editorial Board: Insights, a quarterly journal published by the International Islamic University, Islamabad, Pakistan 2009- present.
Member of the Editorial Board: Eye of the Heart: Journal of Traditional Wisdom ; La Trobe University, Bendigo, Australia, 2007-2010.
Member of the Editorial Advisory Board, Fons Vitae Press (2002-present)
Member of the Editorial Board, Sophia, an international journal in Philosophy,
based in the Philippines. (1999- present)
American Academy of Religion, Study of Islam Section, Steering Committee
2000- 2003.
Member of the Editorial Board, Sufi Illuminations (1996-2000, 2002-present).
American Academy of Religion, Study of Mysticism Group, Steering Committee
1993-1997.
AWARDS and GRANTS:
Five Fulbright “Foreign Language Teaching Assistance” Grants: for an instructor of Pashto, Urdu, Tajiki, Uzbek, and Arabic” (2016-2017) salaries paid directly to the instructors by the Institute for International Education (New York) on behalf of the Fulbright program.
Writing Intensive Program Grant, UGA Fall, 2016.
Five Fulbright “Foreign Language Teaching Assistance” Grants: for an instructor of Turkish, Pashto, Urdu, Tajiki, and Uzbek; (2015-2016)
Writing Intensive Program Grant, UGA Fall 2015/Spring 2016
Three Fulbright “Foreign Language Teaching Assistance” Grants: for an instructor of Dari, Pashto, and Turkish; (2014-2015)
Writing Intensive Program Grant, UGA Fall 2014/Spring 2015.
Three Fulbright “Foreign Language Teaching Assistance” Grants: for an instructor of Tajiki, Pashto, and Indonesian; (2013-2014)
First Prize Award w/Denis Nair, translation of “Tavern,” from the Persian of Hafez Imani, Fifth Mid-Autumn Poetry Festival, Beijing, September 2013.
Writing Intensive Program Grant, UGA Fall 2013/Spring 2014.
Two Fulbright “Foreign Language Teaching Assistance” Grants: for an instructor of Arabic and Bengali (2012-2013)
Included among the Muslim500, the world’s 500 Most Influential Muslims, 2009-2012
Writing Intensive Program Grant, UGA Spring 2012
Seven Fulbright “Foreign Language Teaching Assistance” Grants for instructors of Arabic, Persian, Indonesian, Bengali, Hausa, Kyrgyz, and Turkish (2011-12);
Seven Fulbright “Foreign Language Teaching Assistance” Grants for instructors of Arabic, Persian (Tajik/Dari), Indonesian, Bengali, Urdu, Pashto, and Turkish (2010-11);
Writing Intensive Program Grant, Fall 2010.
Six Fulbright “Foreign Language Teaching Assistance” Grants for instructors of Persian, Indonesian, Bengali, Urdu, Pashto, and Turkish (2009-10).
Six Fulbright “Foreign Language Teaching Assistance” Grants for instructors of Arabic (2), Persian, Indonesian, Bengali, and Urdu (2008-9).
Four Fulbright “Foreign Language Teaching Assistance” Grants for instructors of Persian, Arabic, Turkish, and Indonesian (2007-8).
One Fulbright “Foreign Language Teaching Assistance” Grant for one instructor of Persian (2006-7).
Writing Intensive Program Grant, Fall 2008.
Scholarship of Engagement Grant for International project: “Intercultural Engagement and Service Program in Morocco” Office of the Vice President for Public Service and Outreach, UGA; 2007
Foreign Travel Assistance Program, Office of Vice-President for Research, UGA for travel to deliver a paper in Malaysia, 2007
Grant, US Department of State’s Office of International Information Programs (IIP) US Speaker and Specialist grant to participate in a traveling speaker program to Kano, Nigeria, from January 25 through January 31, 2003.
Grant, UGA President Michael Adams’ Venture Fund, for graduate student assistance for Islam and Islamic Studies website projects, 2002-2003.
Grant, US Department of State’s Office of International Information Programs (IIP) US Speaker and Specialist grant for a digital video conference (DVC) with the American Embassy in Dakar, Senegal (November 2002).
Nominee (one of five in the category of Spirituality) for a Webby Award (for website www.uga.edu/islam), the Webbys being the equivalent of the Oscars for websites, Spring 2002.
Grant from the Center for Humanities and Arts to bring Prof. Lois Banner (History Dept., University of Southern California) and Noura Durkee to campus for a week of lectures and teaching on Women and Islam (Spring 2001).
Office of International Education Travel Grant, for arranging for a Summer program in Morocco, Summer, 1999.
Georgia On-line Teaching Initiative Grant (GOTI), awarded in May, 1998.
Fulbright-Hayes Study Grant for Uzbekistan, 1997.
University of Georgia International Travel Grant (to Morocco), April, 1997.
Humanities Center Research Fellow, UGA, 1996-97.
National Endowment to the Humanities (NEH) Summer Seminar Grant 1993
University of Georgia International Travel Grant (Iran), January, 1996
Humanities Center Conference Grant UGA, June, 1994.
Humanities Center Joint Faculty Seminar Grant, UGA 1992-3.
Instructional Improvement Grant, Turkish, UC Berkeley, 1988-89
Chancellor’s Research Grant, UC Berkeley, 1988
American Research Institute in Turkey (ARIT) summer research grant, 1987
Foreign Language Area Studies (FLAS) fellowship in Arabic, 1986-7
Humanities Graduate Research Grant, U.C. Berkeley, 1986
Fellowship for Advanced Turkish, UC Berkeley, 1985-6
ARIT (American Research Institute in Turkish) Summer Fellowship for Advanced Turkish,
Bosporus University, Summer 1984.
CASA (Center for Arabic Study Abroad) full year fellowship, Cairo, 1983-84
Foreign Language Area Studies (FLAS) fellowship in Turkish, 1982-83
Persian Language and Literature Grant, University of Tehran, 1974-76.
PUBLICATIONS:
A. BOOKS
Translator (from Arabic) and annotator. The Brides of Elucidation, The Truths of the Qur’an, by Ruzbihan al-Baqli, first volume of projected seven volumes near completion.
Translation (from Persian) of Shah Ni’matullah Vali, Commentary on Iraqi’s Lama’at (translation done, undergoing revisions)
Translator into Persian, with Arash Aboutorabi of Nasruddin Ravanshenas (Nasreddin the Psychologist) by Tom Greening, Sherman Oaks (CA): Garden Wall Publishers, 2015.
Editor of Remembrance: Proceedings of the First Annual International Milad an-Nabi Conference. Chicago: Naqshbandi Foundation for Islamic Education, 1995.
Divan-i Nurbakhsh: contemporary Persian Sufi poetry. Translated, with additional poems translated by L. Lewisohn and A. Nurbakhsh, New York: Khaniqah-i Nimatullahi Press, 1979.
B. CHAPTERS IN BOOKS
“Addressing Terrorism by Sufi Dhikr: Deconditioning the Nafs” invited presentation at the World Sufi Forum conference, 2016 “Unity in Multiplicity, Unconditional Love, Tolerance and Acceptance.
“Qur’an Interpretation: Sufism” (A survey of the genre), ch. 23 in Blackwell’s Companion to the Qur’an, ed. by Andrew Rippin, 2006, pp. 350-61.
“Surrender: Its Significance for Today and in the Qur’ānic Commentary of Rūzbihān al-Baqlī,” in Mohammed Faghfoory, ed., Beacon of Knowledge, Fons Vitae, 2003, pp. 157-178.
“The Naqshbandi Lineage” of Shaykh Ma’sum, in Remembrance (see above), pp. 17-25. Revised and reprinted in Sufi Illuminations 1(1996) 91-96.
“Hadith and the Qudsiya of Khwaja Parsa,” in Remembrance (see above), pp. 50-73.
“The Celebration of the Birthday of the Prophet,” by Shaykh Ma’sum Naqshbandi, annotated translation from Persian, in Remembrance (see above), pp. 26-34. Revised and reprinted in Sufi Illuminations 1(1996) 119-125.
“Foreword to Daniel Moore, The Ramadan Sonnets.” Bethesda: Kitab and City Lights, 1996, pp. ix-xi.
D. ARTICLES (peer reviewed unless otherwise noted with an asterisk)
“Influences of Qushayrī’s Laṭāʾif al-ishārāt on Sufi Qur’anic commentaries, particularly Rūzbihān al-Baqlī’s ʿArāʾis al-bayān and the Kubrawī al-Taʾwīlāt al-najmiyya,” Journal of Sufi Studies Journal of Sufi Studies, vol 2:1 (March, 2013)
“An Engaged Islamicist: The Internet and Climbing Outside the Tower, in Shafique Virani, ed. Middle East Studies Association (MESA) Bulletin, 45:2 (Winter, 2011), pp. 172-181.
“Molla Fanari and the Misbah al-uns: The Commentator and The Perfect Man,” in Tevfik Yücedoğru (ed), Proceedings of the First International Symposium on Molla Fanari (Bursa: Uludag University Press), 2011. pp. 31-45.
“Building Bridges: Cross disciplinary collaboration between family therapy and Islamic studies”
Kelly S. Kennedy, Alan Godlas, Jerry Gale, and M. L. Parker, Journal of Muslim Mental Health, 5(3), December, 2010, pp. 350-367.
“A Religiological Analysis of Nursi’s View of Sufism Expressed in the ‘Nine Allusions’ (Telvihât-i Tis’a) of the Risale-i Nur,” Journal of Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations, Volume 19, issue 1, January 2008 , pages 39-52.
“Islamic Collection of B. G. Martin,” UGA Library Journal, Winter 2007, pp. 15-17.*
“Psychology and Self-Transformation in the Sufi Qur’an Commentary of Ruzbihan al-Baqli,” Sufi Illuminations 1(1996) 31-62. (an earlier version of an introductory chapter to the Brides of the Qur’an)
“A Commentary on What is Tasawwuf?”-An Anonymous Persian Poem, Sufi Illuminations 1(1996) 63-80.
“‘Id of ‘Ids: The Supreme Festival,” by Professor Dr. Muhammad Mas’ud Ahmad, annotated by A. A. Godlas, Sufi Illuminations 1(1996) 81-90 (Revised and reprinted from Remembrance, 1995).
“Guidance for Travelers on the Path to God,” by Shaykh Ma’sum Naqshbandi, translated from Persian and annotated by A. A. Godlas, Sufi Illuminations 1(1996) 108-118.
“Rifa’iya,” in The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Modern Islamic World, ed. by John Esposito (New York: Oxford, 1995) 437-439.*
“Ni’matallahiya,” in The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Modern Islamic World, ed. by John Esposito, (New York: Oxford, 1995)* 252-53.
“Stations of Wisdom and Battlefields of Love,” Aleph: a Journal of Comparative Poetics, 5(1985): 87-98.
3 Dictionary articles, “Shaykh,” “Dhikr,” and “Fakir,” in HarperCollins Dictionary of Religion, Edited by J. Z. Smith and W.S. Green with American Academy of Religion, HarperSan Francisco 1995.*
E. PEER- REVIEWED CREATIVE SCHOLARLY WORK
My “Islam and Islamic Studies Resources” website (begun in 1997-ongoing), nominated for a Webby award in 2002. With this nomination, it was regarded by the judges of the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences as being one of the top five most significant websites in the world in the general area of Religion and Spirituality. Because of my website I am one of the few American university professors included in Esposito and Kalin, The 500 Most Influential Muslims (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012).
Brief description of the website: Internet Publication of Website: “Islam and Islamic Studies.” This meta-website, which is encyclopedic in scope, continues to be the chief scholarly website (by an individual) for the study of Islam on the entire worldwide web, just as a subpage, “Sufism, Sufis, and Sufi Orders,” is the chief scholarly website for the study of Sufism. The website has been favorably reviewed in print and online by peers in Islamic Studies, Religious Studies, and Middle Eastern Studies, by librarians, and in the Chronicle of Higher Education.
F. REVIEWS
Review of Nizam ad-Din Awliya, Morals for the Heart, by Bruce Lawrence, Middle East Studies Association Bulletin, 1995.
Review of The Bezels of Wisdom, by Ralph Austin. In the Middle East Studies Association Bulletin, July, 1994.
Review of Testimonies and Reflections: Essays of Louis Massignon, by Louis Massignon. In The Journal of Religion, July, 1992.
Review of Ibn Abbad of Ronda, by John Renard. In Review for Religious, 46, no.2 (1986): 310.
Review of In the Garden of Myrtles, by Tor Andrae. In Gnosis, 11 (Spring, 1989):50-51.
Review of Islam: The Way of Submission, by Solomon Nigosian. In Gnosis, 8(Summer, 1988).
PAPERS PRESENTED AT INTERNATIONAL, NATIONAL, AND REGIONAL SCHOLARLY CONFERENCES (97)
International (Belgium, UK, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, South Africa, Australia, Singapore, Iran, India, and Morocco):
“Contemplative Practice and Social Justice: An Islamic Approach,” invited presentation at the International Society for Contemplative Studies bi-annual meeting, San Diego, CA, Nov. 10-13, 2016.
“Addressing Terrorism by Sufi Dhikr: Deconditioning the Nafs” invited presentation at the World Sufi Forum conference, 2016 “Unity in Multiplicity, Unconditional Love, Tolerance and Acceptance, New Delhi, March 17-21, 2016
“The Sufi Qur’an Commentary of Ruzbihan al-Baqli between love and gnosis: points of convergence between India and Turkey,” Indo-Turkic Relations: Perspectives and Its Contemporary Relevance, New Delhi, India, Nov. 1-3, 2015 (my paper was on Nov. 3).
“Invoking Blessings upon The Prophet, the Moroccan al-Ṣalāt al-Mashīshīya expanded in its Extended and Intermixed (mamzūja) Version, al-Wazīfa al-Shādhiliya,” Fes, Morocco, May 16, 2015.
Al-Salat ‘ala al-nabi: min wijhat nazar al-mufassirin min ahl al-tasawwuf (in Arabic) (Invocations of Blessings on the Prophet: from the perspectives of the Sufi Qur’anic exegetes), Marrakech, Morocco, May 1-2, 2015.
Keynote Speaker “Technology in Islam and the West: Consume with Caution– Insights from Gadamerian Hermeneutics and Emotional Intelligence,” Technology and Values Conference, Istanbul, June, 1, 2013
“The Role of Al-Takhalluq bi-akhlaq Allah in Sufi Education for Human Rights,” The Sixth World Symposium of Sufism: Sufism and the Preservation of Rights: Education & Behavior, Madagh, Morocco, Feb 2-4, 2012.
“Emotional Intelligence and the Discourses of Baha’uddin Naqshband in the Qudsiya of Muhammad-e Parsa,” Plenary paper, Symposium on Bahaveddin Naqshband and Sufi Literature, Academy of Sciences Turkmenistan, Ashgabat, December 1-2, 2011,
“From Gadamer’s Hermeneutics, through Emotions, toward Objectivity: a bridge between science and religion,” Belief in Dialogue: Science Culture and Moderity, and international conference sponsored by the British Council, American University of Sharjah, June 21-23, 2011.
“A Systematic Present-Centered Approach to Sufi Psycho-Spiritual Transformation,” Sufi Psychology Symposium, Sydney, Australia, December 4, 2010.
“The Rememberer’s Proof (Hujjat al-Dhakirin): a study of a 17th century Yasawi text on Remembering God and Its Relevance for Turkmenistan,” Plenary paper, Symposium on Khodja Akhmet Yasawi and Sufi oriental literature, Academy of Sciences Turkmenistan, Ashgabat, Sept. 22-23, 2010.
“The Emotional Intelligence of the Divan of Mevlana Khalid Baghdadi,” International Mevlana Halid-I Bagdadi Symposium (“Uluslararası Mevlânâ Halid-i Bağdâdî” Sempozyumu) Van, Turkey, June, 2010.
“Islamic Resources for Constructing Emotionally Intelligent Public Educational Systems,” La Quatrième Rencontre Mondiale du Soufisme “Soufism et Société: Réalité et Perspectives,” Madagh, Morocco, February 25-27, 2010.
“Molla Fanari and the Misbah al-uns: The Commentator and The Perfect Man.” Keynote Address, International Molla Fanari Symposium, Uludag University, Bursa, Turkey, December 4-6, 2009.
“Islamic Resources for Emotionally Intelligent Dialogue,” Al-Azhar and the West: The Scope and Governing Principles of Dialogue”, Cairo, Egypt, 28-30 June, 2009.
“Bridging the West and Islam by Creating Self-Understanding: The Study of Islam, Hermeneutics, and the Necessity of Enhancing Emotional Intelligence,” Al-Azhar and the West: Bridges of Dialogue, Cairo, Egypt, January 3-5, 2009.
“A Discovery Concerning the Authorship of the Qur’an Commentary Ascribed to Najm al-Din Kubra,” International Scientific Conference on Najmuddin Kubra, Dashoguz, Turkmenistan, Sept. 5, 2008.
“Rumi and Unconditional Love,” in “Rethinking Mevlana in Europe Today” Symposium at the European Union Parliament, Brussels, Belgium, Nov. 26, 2007, invited.
“Hadith-based Foundations of Rumi’s Sufism,” International Congress of Maulana Jalaluddin Rumi, Tehran, Iran, Oct 29, 2007 invited
“Gülen and Sources in Islam for Interfaith Dialogue” Muslim World in Transition Conference, London School of Economics, London, Oct 27, 2007
“Towards a Systematic and Coherent Understanding of Mevlana’s Worldview” International Symposium On Mevlânâ Celâleddîn Rûmî, Istanbul, May 8, 2007 invited
“Cultivating Ihsan,” Journey to Ihsan: 2nd International Conference on Islamic Spirituality, Singapore, 2-3 September, 2006 (invited)
“U.S. Foreign Policy and the Need for a Revival of Central Asian Sufi Culture,” Bilateral Conference between Uzbek Academy of Sciences and the University of Georgia, Tashkent, Uzbekistan, July 2006.
“Ruzbihan’s Hermeneutical Worldview in His ‘Ara’is al-Bayan: A Religiological Approach,” Conference on Mystical Exegesis of the Qur’an, European Science Foundation, Cambridge, UK, July 2006.
“Sufi Groups and Politics,” Islamic Groups: Identities, Worldviews, and Issues of Security, The University of Western Australia (Perth), 25-26 February 2006.
“Sufi Understanding of the Prophet Muhammad as a Mercy to the Worlds,” International Conference on The Prophet Muhammad’s Life, Johannesburg, South Africa, April 23, 2005 (invited).
The Influence of the Qur’an Commentary of Ruzbihan on the Commentary of Isma’il Hakki Bursevi. First International Conference on Isma’il Hakki Bursevi, Bursa, Turkey, May 26-28, 2000. (Invited)
“A Comparison of Mulla Sadra’s and Ruzbihan al-Baqli’s Commentaries on Surat al-Hadid,” World Congress on Mulla Sadra, Tehran, May 1999. (Invited)
“The Contemporary and Traditional Understanding of Ma’naviyat and Ma’rifat in Uzbekistan,” Uzbekistan into the 21st Century, Samarkand (Uzbekistan), May 1999. (Invited)
“Ta’thir al-Shari’a ‘ala al-taraqqi al-ma’nawi” (The role of Shari’a in Esoteric Development), presentation delivered in Arabic at the “Sufism and the Spread of Islam” conference in Casablanca, Morocco, April, 1997; (Invited)
“Historical Analysis of Hadith Used in Persian Sufi Literature,” (delivered in Persian), The First International Conference of Professors of Persian Language and Literature, Tehran, Jan. 1996; invited presentation. (Invited)
National: (53)
“Emotion and Cognition in the Sunnah,” Peer-reviewed paper presented at the American Academy of Religion, Annual Meeting, Atlanta, Nov. 24, 2015
“Spiritual Jihad as the Greater Jihad and Lesser Jihad: A theological and psychological approach,” Spiritual Jihad Conference, John Carroll University, Ohio, Nov. 14, 2015
“Constructions of Intelligence and Affect in the Context of Qur’anic Histories,” at the conference: The Qur’an and the Reading of History (Contemplating the Qur’an Conference), Howard Divinity School, April 20-21, 2015.
“Ecological Theory and Resources in Qur’an and Qur’anic Commentary for Facing Climate Change,” Peer-reviewed paper presented at the American Academy of Religion: Annual Meeting, San Diego, Nov. 22-25, 2014
“Qur’anic Emotions, Cognition, and Emotional Intelligence,” paper presented at the American Academy of Religion: Annual Meeting, Baltimore, Nov. 23-26, 2013
“Meditation in Islam and Sufism: Waking up Now to the Real” at the conference titled, “The Language of Meditation Across Religions Traditions,” Mangalam Research Center, Berkeley, April 6, 2013.
” ‘States’ as a Problem in the Study of Sufism,” American Academy of Religion: Annual Meeting, Chicago, Nov. 17-20, 2012
“Resources for Enhancing Emotional Intelligence in the work of Said Nursi, with particular
reference to the Damascus Sermon,” Conference: Challenges to Contemporary Islam: The Muslim World 100 years after Nursi’s Damascus Sermon, John Carroll University, Cleveland (OH), Oct. 24, 2011.
“Influences of al-Qushayri’s Lata’if al-isharat on the Qur’anic Commentaries of Ruzbihan al-Baqli and the Kubrawi School, Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Religion, Atlanta, Oct. 30, 2010.
“Islamic Resources for Teaching an Emotionally Intelligent Islam,” Southeastern Commission for the Study of Religion, Annual Meeting, Atlanta, GA, March 5-7, 2010.
“Understanding Islamic Resources for Enhancing Emotional Intelligence, ” American Association of Muslim Social Scientists, Annual Meeting, Charlottesville, VA, Sept., 2009.
“An Engaged Islamicist: The Internet and Climbing Outside the Tower,” Annual meetings of the American Academy of Religion, Chicago, Nov. 2008; Middle East Studies Association, Washington, D.C., Nov. 2008.
“God’s Love for Humankind in Islam,” at the conference, “Loving God and Neighbor in Word and Deed: Implications for Christians and Muslims,” Yale Divinity School, July 29, 2008. (on video at mms://128.36.128.39/commonword/panel1.wmv second speaker)
“Reconciling the Study of Islam and Modern Psychology” at “Critical Islamic Reflections Conference,” Yale University, April 12, 2008.
“The Question of Authenticity and the Hadiths of Sufism,” American Academy of Religion Annual Conference, San Diego, Nov. 19, 2007
“ Rumi and Sufism,” Sacred Heart University, Fairfield, Connecticut., Nov 13, 2007 invited.
“Psychological & Spiritual Transformation in Rumi’s Mathnawi,” Celebrating Rumi in the 21st Century Conference, Michigan State University, Nov. 3, 2007 invited
“The Concepts of Gratitude (shukr) and the Signs (Ayat) of God,” Islamic Studies and Research Association Conference, George Washington University, Sept. 23, 2007, invited
“The Prophet Muhammad and Interfaith Dialogue,” Interfaith Conference on the Abrahamic Prophets, Fordham University, April 20, 2007 invited
“Understanding An Interfaith Pilgrimage to Turkey: Interfaith Dialogue in Islam and the Vision of Fethullah Gulen.” Muslims and Others in Sacred Space Conference, College of Charleston, March 24, 2007
“Psychological and Spiritual Transformation in Rumi’s Poetry”, George Washington University, “Mawlana Jalaladdin Rumi Conference,” DC March 17, 2007 invited
“Prayer and Worship in the Sufi Tradition,” Dharma Association of North America & American Academy of Religion, Nov. 19, 2006.
“A Religiological Analysis of Nursi’s View of Sufism Expressed in The Nine Allusions (Telvihât-i Tis’a) of the Risale-i Nur” at the conference titled “Islam in Contemporary Turkey: Perspectives of Bediuzzaman Said Nursi, ” John Carroll University, Cleveland, Ohio, Nov. 5-6, 2006.
“Cultivating Dialogue and Understanding of Islam and Sufism in the Classroom and on the Internet” at Dialogue vs. Conflict: 2nd International Conference on Islam, University of Wisconsin (Madison), March 2006.
“Rethinking Sufism and American Foreign Policy in Central Asia,” at the “Understanding Sufism and its Role in US Foreign Policy” conference, Nixon Center, Washington, DC, October 2003. (Invited paper).
“Sufism, Understanding, and Peace” 2003 Sufism Symposium, San Rafael, CA, March, 2003.
“Sufi Degrees of Surrender and Peace” 2003 Sufism Symposium, San Rafael, CA, March, 2003.
“Shah Ni’matullah’s worldview,” Keynote address, First Annual International Symposium on Seyyed Nur al-Din Ni’matullah Vali, Oct, 2002.
“Surrender to God in the Sufi Qur’an Commentary of Ruzbihan al-Baqli and its Significance Today,” Beacon of Knowledge Conference in Honour of Seyyed Hossein Nasr, Nov. 2-4, 2001 (Invited)
“Sufi Orders on the Web: Interconnected or Isolationist”AAR National Conference Presentation, Nov. 18, 2001.
“Sulami’s Treatise on the Meaning of the Letters of the Alphabet”, AAR National Conference Presentation, Nov. 18, 2000.
“The Metaphysical Qur’anic Hermeneutics and Esoteric Epistemology of Ruzbihan al-Baqli “, AAR National Conference Presentation, Nov. 18, 2000.
“A Coherent Approach to Understanding Islam”, Central Asian and the Middle East Conference, Valdosta State University, April 6- 7, 2000. (Invited)
“Educating About Islam,” Second Islamic Peoples Leadership Conference (sponsored by the NOI), Chicago, Feb. 24-27, 2000. (Invited)
“Prophethood in the Sufi Qur’an Commentary of al-Baqli,” AAR Annual Meeting, Orlando, Nov. 1998.
“The Life and Teachings of the Uzbek-Herati Shaykh Sufi Islam: A Window Into the History and Worldviews of Nineteenth Centry Central Asia,” at National Convention of the American Association for the Advancement of Slavic Studies in Boca Raton, Sept. 1998. (Invited)
” ‘The Straight Path’ in the Sufi Qur’an Commentary of al-Baqli,” 5rd Annual International Milad an- Nabi Conference, Chicago, August, 1998. (Invited)
“The Sufi Tradition in Central Asia: The Teachings of a 19th Century Sufi Shaykh.” at the “Conference on Independent Central Asia” at Georgia Southern University, Feb., 1998. (Invited)
“Women in the Sufi Qur’an Commentary of Ruzbihan al-Baqli and the commentary of Amina Wadud-Muhsin,” American Academy of Religion, San Francisco, Nov. 1997.
“Al-Ghazali’s View of the Nafs (ego) as an Obstacle to the Realization of Unity,” at the conference entitled: “Islam in the New Century: An International Islamic Conference,” Chicago, July, 1997; (Invited)
“Qur’an Commentaries of Rumi and Ruzbihan: Surat al-Nasr,” at the conference entitled: “Poet of the Heart, Light of the Mind: an International Conference on the Life and Thought of Rumi,” New York, June 1997; (Invited)
“The Role of Islamic Orthopraxy in Sufi Mystical Transformation,” American Academy of Religion, New Orleans, Nov. 1996.
“Religiology: A Modern Need, the Discipline, and its Application to the Mystical Qur’anic Commentary of Ruzbihan al-Baqli,” American Academy of Religion, Philadelphia, Nov. 1995.
“Transformation of the Self in Baqli’s ‘Ara’is al-bayan” at the 2nd Annual International Milad an-Nabi Conference, Chicago, Sept. 1995; (Invited)
“Coherence, Modernity, and Sufi Qur’anic Exegesis: a Religiological Approach,” Islam in America Conference, DePaul University, Chicago, Oct. 1995.
“The Sources of the Mystical Qur’anic Exegesis, ‘Ara’is al-bayan, and its Influence on Sufi Tafsir,” American Academy of Religion, Chicago, Nov. 1994.
“The Process of Psycho-spiritual Transformation in Islam,” Institute of Global Cultural Studies (IGCS) 13th Annual Conference, Binghamton, NY, Oct. 1994.
“Light from the Shaykh al-Akbar in the Mirror of ‘Iraqi and Shah Ni’matullah Vali,” The Muhyiddin Ibn ‘Arabi Society 7th Annual USA Symposium, Berkeley, Sept. 1993. (Invited)
“Weak Hadith and Sufi texts: The Case of the ‘Ara’is al-bayan,” American Academy of Religion, San Francisco, Nov. 1992.
“The Lost Qur’anic Exegesis of Ruzbihan al-Baqli, the Lata’if al-bayan,” American Oriental Society, Berkeley, March, 1991.
“The Intertextuality of Hadith and Mystical Hermeneutic in Ruzbihan’s Tafsir, the ‘Ara’is al-bayan,” Middle East Studies Association (MESA), and revised at AAR Nov., 1989.
“Mystical and Deconstructive Dimensions of Fasting in Islam,” American Academy of Religion, November, 1988.
“The Qur’anic Exegesis of Ruzbihan al-Baqli,” American Academy of Religion, Dec., 1987; and an earlier version at the MESA meeting, November, 1987.
Regional (14)
“Contemplation in Islam,” Interfaith Contemplative Conference, Columbia Theological Seminary and The Interfaith Community Institute, Atlanta, GA, April 14, 2012.
“Teaching Islamic Studies as Intercultural Dialogue: A Cognitive and Affective Approach,” Southeastern Religion of Middle East and Islamic Studies Specialists, Annual Fall meeting, Valle Crucis, North Carolina, October 15-17, 2010.
“Interfaith Dialogue as Radical Hospitality: an Islamic Perspective,” First Annual Dialogue Seminar, Vanderbuilt University, April 3, 2010, invited.
“Understanding Islam: A workshop for university professors,” Kennesaw State University, October 30, 2009, invited.
“Resources for Applying Terror Management Theory, Hermeneutics, and Emotional Intelligence Training in Educational Development of Islamic Africa and the Middle East.” UGA Global Educational Forum, March 25, 2009.
“Rumi: From Islam With Love,” Teaching the Middle East Faculty University System of Georgia Faculty Development Workshop, Georgia Perimeter College, October 19, 2007 invited
Keynote speech, “A Brief Overview of Islamic History and Principles,” Understanding Islam Conference, Gainesville State College, April 20, 2007 invited
“Understanding Islam,” Forum on Central Asia, Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, Tifton, GA, February, 2002. (Invited)
“Responses to Islamic Information on the Web after 9/11,” AAR, Southern Regional Conference, Atlanta, March 8, 2002. (Invited)
“Islamic Architecture in Uzbekistan,” slide illustrated lecture, Georgia Museum of Art, April, 1998.
“A Contemporary Muslim Militant in the Light of Traditional Islam,” UGA Humanities and Arts Center Lunch Talks: October, 1997.
“Islam and the Embrace of Powerlessness: A Perennial Psychotherapeutic Approach, Southern Regional meeting of the American Academy of Religion.Atlanta, Spring 1994.
5th Annual Southeastern World History Association Conference. “Teaching and Learning About Islam” UGA, Nov.12,1993. (Invited)
“From the Self to the Whole; a 12th cent. CE Journey in the Arabic Mystical Qur’anic Commentary of Ruzbihan al-Baqli,” Southern Regional meeting of the American Academy of Religion. Charleston, South Carolina, Spring, 1993.
INVITED PUBLIC LECTURES: regional, national, and international
“Islamic Resources for Enhancing Emotional Intelligence,” at the Graduate Theological Union and Zaytuna College, Berkeley, CA, July 10, 2016.
“ISIS and Modernist Western Educational Philosophy as Mirror Images: An Ecological, Hermeneutical and Affective Critique, Valdosta State University, Jan. 26, 2015
“Integrating Bias and Emotion into Learning about Islam in America,” Annual Fall lecture for the “Dialogues in Diversity speaker, UGA Office of Institutional Diversity, October 18, 2013.
“Meditation in Sufism,” at the “Meditation as a Path to Enlightenment: An Interfaith Symposium,” Nassau, Bahamas, March 18, 2012.
“A Point of Commonality between Religion and Science,” at Religion & Science Symposium, sponsored by Interfaith Cultural Organization, University of Georgia, Sept. 12, 2012
“Islamic Resources for Enhancing Emotional Intelligence,” Faculty Colloquium, University of West Georgia, Sept. 7, 2011
“Understanding Islamic Diversity,” Institutional Diversity Lecture, University of West Georgia, Sept. 7, 2011
“Understanding Islam Today,” United States Air Force Air University, Air Command and Staff College, Montgomery (AL), March 22, 2011
“Sufism in the contemporary world: diversity and American policy makers,” at Sufism Seminar, U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, MD, February 11, 2011
“Resources in Islam for Enhancing Emotional Intelligence,” University Putra Malaysia (UPM), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, December, 2010.
“Understanding Islam,” College of Coastal Geogia, Nov. 15, 2010
“Art, Architecture, and Music of the Muslim World,” College of Coastal Georgia, Nov. 15, 2010.
“Rumi on Yearning and Love,” American Islamic Fellowship, Atlanta, GA, October 16, 2008
“Fasting and Rumi’s Unveiling of Islam’s Message of Love and Spiritual Transformation,” Cornell University, Rumi Society, Keynote Speech, Sept. 18, 2008
“Perspectives of Traditional Spiritual Qur’an Commentators on Fasting during Ramadan,” New York Dialogue Foundation, Albany, NY, Sept. 17, 2008.”
“Sufism and Understanding the Film Baba ‘Aziz,” The High Museum, Atlanta, January 22, 2008, invited lecture.
“Comprehending Islam,” Chattanooga State Technical Community College, Chattanooga, March 10, 2008, invited lecture.
“Rumi and Spiritual Transformation,” Middle East Institute, Georgia State University, Sept. . 6, 2007 invited.
“A Constructive Islamic Response to Liberal Thought—The Internet, Sufism, & Muslim Women: The Case of Sufis Without Borders” Institute for the Study of Islamic Thought & Civilization, University of Malaya, Saturday August 18 2007, invited
“Psychology of Ecology: a Deep-level Perspective on Going Green,” Malaysian Nature Society, Kuala Lumpur, August 17, 2007 invited
“A Methodology for Transforming Violence and Creating Understanding in Teaching Islamic Worldviews: Insights from Terror Management Theory, Hermeneutics, & Emotional Intelligence” International Islamic University of Malaysia, August 17, 2007 invited
“Understanding Islam: A Religiological Analysis,” University of Florida, Talahassee, Nov. 2005.
“Understanding Islam as a Religion,” and “Understanding Islam in Asia,” Islam in Asia Conference, Greenville Technical College, South Carolina, October 6-8, 2005.
“Understanding Islam: A framework,” Department of Semitic Languages, University of Johannesburg, South Africa, April, 26, 2005.
Delivered three lectures as the annual De La Motte Lecturer, Shorter College, Rome, GA, Feb. 2-4 2004.
“Understanding Islam: Bridging the Divide,” Georgia Southwestern College, January 22, 2004.
“Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death: Jihad in the Muslim World,” College of Charleston, March 2003.
“Understanding Islam,” Berry College, Rome, GA, April 4, 2002.
“Humanistic Values in a Time of Crisis: A Terrorist’s Grievances and a Rabbi’s Solutions”, Faculty Forum, UGA, Sept. 24, 2002; Faculty Forum, UGA.
“Aftershock: Coming to Grips with Terrorism in America: the view from scholars of Islamic Studies”, Sept. 17, 2002, Faculty Forum, UGA.
“Islamic Art and Architecture,” Athens Public Library, lecture in UGA outreach program, Nov. 28, 2000
“Introduction to Islam,” Athens Public Library, lecture in UGA outreach program, July 25, 2000.
University outreach program: Lecture on “Understanding Islam,” Brunswick (GA), Public Library, Nov. 1998.
In April, 1998, an invited slide-illustrated lecture at the Georgia Museum of Art titled, “Islamic Architecture in Uzbekistan.”
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York: Slide illustrated lecture, “The Islamic context of Andalusian Art and Architecture;” on the occasion of the exhibition, al-Andalus, July, 1992.
Walters Art Gallery (Museum), Baltimore: Slide illustrated lecture, “The ceramics of the Kuwaiti National Museum in the light of the history of Islamic ceramics;” on the occasion of the exhibition of selected pieces from the collection of the Emir of Kuwait, January, 1991.
OTHER INVITED LECTURES, CONFERENCE PARTICIPATION, and INTERNATIONAL ACTIVITY
Discussant at “Liberty and Justice in the Prophets and Wisdom Books of the Bible,” Liberty Fund Conference, Cleveland, OH, Aug. 18-21, 2016.
Discussant at “Al-Ghazali and the Paths to Knowledge and Liberty” Liberty Fund conference, San Diego, CA Feb. 19-21, 2016
Discussant at “Liberty and Revelation in the Holy Qur’an” Liberty Fund conference, Tucson, AZ, September 24-27, 2015
Presenter/Discussant at UGA-Faculty Presentation and Discussion on ISIS, Sponsored by Center for Global Issues (GLOBIS), Nov. 4, 2014
“Islam and Religious Diversity,” in Jerry Gale’s class “Diversity in Human Development and Family Systems,” College of Consumer and Family Sciences, Oct 3, 2013.
“Muslim and Christian Resources for Enhancing Emotional Intelligence,” First Presbyterian Church of Athens,” Feb. 3, 2013.
“Diversity in Islam,” lecture in Diversity and Human Development and Family Systems, class of Jerry Gale, UGA, October 11, 2012
Invited attendee, “Durus Hasaniya,” Lectures given to King Muhammad VI, Rabat and Tangiers, Morocco, August 9-August 15, 2012.
Invited American representative, Conference of the ‘Ulama of the Ummah, Dakar, Senegal, June 5-7, 2011
“The Relationship of al-Shirk al-Khafi to Dhikrullah,” Baitul Aman Mosque, Kuala Lumpur, Aug 14, 2007 invited.
“The Struggle for Muslim Women’s Rights and Its Relationship to Psycho-spiritual Transformation in Islam,” Sisters in Islam, Kuala Lumpur, August 14, 2007, invited.
“Increasing inter-personal and inter-cultural understanding by both cognitive analysis and culture-specific methods of enhancing emotional intelligence.”, Franklin Residential College, Rutherford Hall, UGA, October 15, 2007, invited.
“Emotional Intelligence, Terror Management Theory, and Understanding,” UGA Psychology Dept. seminar convened by Prof. Lenny Martin, Oct. 18, invited, 2006.
Keynote Speech, “Rumi and Dialogue,” Third Annual Interfaith Dialogue Dinner, Interfaith Cultural Organization of Athens, Oct 23 (invited presentation), 2005.
Invited Attendee at the Royal Lectures given to King of Morocco, Nov. 2003, October 2004, 2006
American Academy of Religion, November 2003, Atlanta, Presided over a panel titled: Reinventing Tradition: Modalities of Modern Islam.
“Understanding Islam,” A three-hour workshop for Social Studies teachers, Augusta, GA, August 2003.
“Globalization and Central Asia: Cultural Connections: A panel discussion,” Moderator, UGA Globalization and Central Asia conference, February, 2003.
“American Views of Islam in the US” and “American Views of Islam in Nigeria,” two lectures sponsored by the US Department of State at the conference entitled, “Engaging Islam: A Political-Economic Dialogue Between the U.S. and Northern Nigerian Leaders.” January 27-28, 2003, Kano, Nigeria.
“Islam in the US,” US Department of State sponsored live digital video lecture with the US embassy in Dakar, Senegal, November, 2002. See http://usembassy.state.gov/dakar/
Invited lectures: “Understanding Islam,” for the Georgia Circuit Court Judges, Insitute of Continual Judicial Education of Georgia, November, 2002.
Invited lectures: “Understanding Islam,” for the Georgia State Court Judges Annual conference, Institute of Continuing Judicial Education of Georgia, May, 2002.
“Invited Discussant,” International Conference titled “Islam and a Future World of Peace” in Jakarta, Indonesia, December 19-22, 2001.
Invited lectures: “The Teaching of Islam,” National Endowment to the Humanities (NEH) Summer Seminar for High School Teachers, Abiquiu, New Mexico, Summer, 1994.
Invited lectures: “Islam and Islamic Law,” for the Superior Court Judges Seminar, Institute of Continuing Judicial Education of Georgia, Jan. 1994.
CONFERENCE ORGANIZATION
Conference Planning Committee, “Islam and Central Asia,” Center for the Arts and Humanities, UGA, 2002-03
Co-organizer, “Islam and the West Conference,” Sponsored by the Humanities Center, UGA, 1995.
Conference Planning Committee, session organizer of two panels on Sufism in America, and chair and moderator of one of these panels, “Islam in America Conference,” De Paul University, Chicago, Oct. 1995.
Organizer of “Muslim Women’s Voices Conference,” Sponsored by the Humanities Center, UGA, June, 1994
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT:
MSCEIT (Mayer, Salovey, Caruso, Emotional Intelligence Test) Certification Workshop, Yale University, August 6-8, 2012
FOREIGN LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY
Persian: fluency
Arabic (Classical/Modern Standard): fluency
Turkish (Istanbul dialect and Ottoman): good;
Uzbek: rudimentary knowledge
French: reading knowledge
German: reading knowledge
OTHER CREATIVE WORK
Organized and produced public concert and workshop of Ghulam Reza Nizami,” UGA, Nov. 2, 2012
Translated Persian poetry of Iranian Poet Hafez Imani for the Mid-Autumn Poetry Festival in Beijing, China (Sept. 27-28).
Commercial video (HBO program “Debates/Debates”: Moderator of two hour-long televised discussions between four prominent scholars of Islam; these were titled “Can Islamic Culture Modernize?” and “What has Islam contributed to the West?” (June 2002).
ADMINISTRATION:
Director and Originator, UGA Virtual Center for Interdisciplinary Studies of the Islamic World (VCISIW), 2002-present.
Undergraduate Coordinator for the Religion Dept., Fall 2000- Summer 2002
Co-originator and co-director of the UGA Morocco Maymester Program: “Islam, Islamic Culture and Arabic in Morocco”. Maymester 2001, 2004-present.
Co-director, UGA Arabic Program; and author of the Arabic major proposal 2008- present.
Supervisor: Instruction of Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistants (FLTAs) in Persian (2006-7), Arabic, Persian, Turkish, and Indonesian: 2007-8; and Arabic, Persian, Indonesian, Bengali, and Urdu, 2008-9; Persian, Indonesian, Bengali, Urdu, Pashto, and Turkish, 2009-2010; Arabic, Persian, Urdu, Turkish, Indonesia, Bengali, 2010-2011; Arabic, Persian, Indonesia, Bengali, Turkish, Hausa, Kyrgyz, 2011-2012. Arabic and Bengali, 2012-2013, Tajiki, Pashto, Indonesian, Nigeria 2013-2014, Turkish, Dari, and Pashtu 2014-2015; Turkish, Urdu, Pashto, Uzbek, Tajiki 2015-6
SERVICE AS AN EXTERNAL REVIEWER
Service as a referee or member of advisory panel for an international, federal, state, or private agency allocating research funds.
Grant Reviewer, NWO Humanities Review Board, Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research, Sept. 2015.
External Reviewer (Eight-year review) of the Religion and Philosophy Department, James Madison University, April, 2015.
Mellon/ACLS Dissertation Completion Fellowship Review 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012.
Grant Reviewer, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, Feb. 2004.
Grant Reviewer, Fulbright-Hayes, Islamic Civilations Grants, National Evaluation Committee Washington, DC, 2003.
Outside reviewer for National Endowment for the Humanities, 1997.
Service on important extra-university, professional committees.
Service as an external reviewer for tenure, Colgate University, February, 2016 (Aisha Musa).
Service as an external reviewer for tenure, University of Oregon, September, 2015 (David Hollenberg).
Service as an external reviewer for tenure, Saint Joseph’s University, Philadelphia, September, 2013 (Umeyye Isra Yazicioglu).
Service as an external reviewer for tenure, Brandeis University, August, 2013 (Joseph Lumbard).
Service as an external reviewer for tenure, The New School for Public Engagement, New York, 2012 (Nargis Virani).
Outside reviewer of four articles, Studies in Religion/Sciences Religieuses, 2012.
Service as an external reviewer for tenure (Walid Salih), Department of Religion, University of Toronto, 2007
Service as an external reviewer for tenure (Kevin Jacques), Department of Religion, University of Indiana (Bloomington), 2006.
Service as an external reviewer for the tenure, Dept. of Religion Boston College, 2003.
Service as an external reviewer for State University of New York Press, 1998-2001
Service as external reviewer for the tenure ( Yusuf Progler), Brooklyn College, City University of New York. 2000
Service as external reviewer for the tenure (Amina Wadud Muhsin), Religion Dept., Virginia Commonwealth University.
Outside reviewer for Oxford University Press, 1997-98.
Outside reviewer for Journal of the Association for the Interdisciplinary Study of the Arts (JAISA), 1996.
Outside reviewer for Paragon Press, 1994.
Outside reviewer for Barron’s Educational Series, 1993.
UNIVERSITY GOVERNANCE:
Fulbright International Research Fellowship Evaluation Committee, 2015.
Fulbright International Teaching Fellowship Evaluation Committee, 2013.
Faculty Research Fellowships Grant Committe: Wilson Center for Humanities and Arts, 2009, (committee chair) 2010, 2012
Committee Coordinator: Post-tenure Reviews of Dr. Sandy Martin and Dr. Will Power, 2009
Search committee: New Testament, Religion Dept, 2007
Search committee: Arabic Instructor, Religion Dept, 2007
Committe Chair, Post-tenure Review of Dr. Sandy Martin, Religion Dept. 2004.
Member, Central Asian Studies Group, 2002-present.
Committee Chair, South Asian Religions Search, Religion Dept, 2000.
Member Steering Committee for Asian Studies Program, ongoing.
Member, African Studies Program, ongoing.
Member, Linguistics Program, ongoing
Member, Medieval Studies Program, ongoing.
Member, University Computing Committee 1999-2002
Search Committee (outside member) German Department (2000).
EXPERIENCE WITH GRADUATE EDUCATION
Ph.D. Dissertation committees
External Examiner and Reader of the Ph.D. thesis of Rohaya Abdul Wahab at the Faculty of Educational Studies, University Putra Malaysia, September, 2012.
P. Dan Silk, Adult Education Dept., Univ. of Georgia, Ph.D. 2010 (Planning Outreach between Muslim Communities and Police in the US and the UK).
MA Theses directed and chair of examining committees:
Karla Evans, MA 2015 (Feeling Muslim: Prolegomena to the Study of American Female Converts to Islam) 2015
Jessica Couch, MA 2015, (Devotional Soundscapes of India)
Arash aboutorabi, 2015, (Schools of sufism in the tenth and eleventh centuriesand their theological backgrounds: evaluation of the report of abū al-ḥasan al-hujwīrī)
Andrea Cluck MA 2012 (“Islamophobia in the Post-9/11 United States: Causes, Manifestations, and Solutions”)
Kameelah Luqman MA 2011 (The Manifestation of Islamic Law in the African American Muslim Community)
Muhammad Abu l-Izz, MA 2011 (A Survey of American Imams: Duties, Qualifications, and Challenges, a quantitative and religious analysis
Omer Tasgetiren, MA 2010 (A Comparative Study of Reformist and Traditionalist Conceptions of the Objectives of Shariah)
Tom Sorlie, MA 2010 (The Development Of Islamic Perspectives In The Modern Era: A Study Of Four Reformers)
Nabil Ali, MA 2009 (To Be is To Love: The Semantic Field of Love in the Works of Hallaj, Rumi, and Miyan Muhammad Bakhsh)
Svend White, MA 2008, (Sociologists and Sufis: A Reassessment of Sainthood in Early Sufis in Light of New Developments in Sociology)
Yunus Wesley Schwein, 2007 (Illuminated Arrival In The Ḥikam Al-ʿaṭāʾiyyah And Three Major Commentaries)
Bryan Gallant, MA 2007 (The Qur’anic view of previous revelations: a conceptual web)
Muhammad Hanafi, 2006 (A Deconstructive Reading Of Nurcholish Madjid’s Thought On Religious Reform)
Suleman Eris, 2006 A Religiological Comparison of the Sufi Thought of Said Nursi and Fethullah Gulen
Bryan Ayers, 2004 Early Muslim Printing: A Study of Early Muslim Experiences with the Printing Press 1700-1900.
Dan Silk, UGA, 2000
Pete Clymer, UGA, 1998
Julia Blue, UGA, 1997
Kenneth Honerkamp, UGA, 1995
Azam Nizamuddin, UGA, 1993
SERVICE
Religion Dept, Ph.D. proposal committee, 2012-current.
Arabic search committee, Chair, spring 2013.
Fulbright selection committee, UGA, 2013-2014, 2015-2016
Procured for the UGA library the collection of books on Islamic history and religion belonging to the recently deceased well-known scholar of Islamic Studies at the University of Indiana, Prof. B. G. Martin, Summer 2007. Also, identified and annotated the 22 Arabic, Persian, and Turkish manuscripts in the collection, in preparation for publication.
