Tariq Ramadan appointed to Islamic Studies Chair at Oxford

7564_Ramadan
Professor Tariq Ramadan

(August 1, 2009) A scholar of international standing has been appointed to a new Islamic Studies Chair at Oxford, enabling more research and teaching on core Middle East issues as well as improved links between the university and the Middle East.

Tariq Ramadan, Research Fellow (General) at St Antony’s College, has been appointed the His Highness Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani Chair in Contemporary Islamic Studies beginning on 1 September 2009.

He is currently Visiting Professor (holding the chair: Identity and Citizenship) at Erasmus University in the Netherlands and Senior Research Fellow at Doshisha University in Kyoto, Japan, and the Lokahi Foundation (London).

As the post holder, he will be a member of the Faculty of Oriental Studies. The role is associated with St Antony’s College, where the Middle East Centre is based.

Dr Ramadan’s role is supported by a benefaction from the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development.

The role includes a programme of activities and a secondment at the Qatar Faculty of Islamic Studies.

Dr Ramadan is an internationally recognised scholar and was named by Time magazine as one of a hundred innovators of the 21st Century for his work on creating an independent European Islam. He was a member of a British government task force, which defined policies to root out Islamic extremism in Britain.

Tariq Ramadan said: ‘I am very happy and honoured to have been chosen for this position. During the last four years I have been involved in research and teaching at Oxford and this new chair will be a great means to carry on my work and to address the critical and sensitive issues related to contemporary Islamic studies both in the West and in the Muslim majority countries particularly through the joint programme in Qatar. Such a chair is very much needed today and I am personally committed to making Oxford a centre of excellence on contemporary Islamic issues with worldwide academic connections.’

The Chair of the Faculty of Oriental Studies, Jeremy Johns, said: ‘The Faculty is delighted that the new Chair in Contemporary Islamic Studies is not only a distinguished scholar but also a leading Muslim thinker, who is actively engaged in current debates about the role of Islam in contemporary Europe.’

Source: University of Oxford