An-Na'im Selected as 2009 Carnegie Scholar

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Abdullahi Ahmed An-Na'im

04/14/09

CSLR Senior Fellow Abdullahi Ahmed An-Na`im has been named a 2009 Carnegie Scholar by the Carnegie Corp. of New York for his “compelling ideas and commitment to enriching the quality of the public dialogue on Islam.”

An-Na'im, Charles Howard Candler Professor of Law at Emory, is one of 21 “well-established and promising young thinkers, analysts and writers” selected by Carnegie to receive two-year grants of up to $100,000. He will use the grant to conduct a project entitled Enhancing Citizenship: American Muslims and American Secularism.

"We are cultivating a diverse scholarly community spanning a range of disciplines with the expectation that their voices will help Americans develop a more complex understanding of Muslim societies here and throughout the world--revealing Islam's rich diversity, “ said Carnegie Corp. President Vartan Gregorian in announcing An-Na`im and other 2009 recipients. “Only through vibrant dialogue, guided by bold and nuanced scholarship, can we move public thinking into new territory."

An-Na'im will investigate the theoretical and practical underpinnings of American secularism as the basis for encouraging American Muslims to participate more actively in civic life.  He will conduct workshops and discussion groups, interviews, and outreach via a project website and blog. The results will be published in a new volume.

Each year, nominations for Carnegie Scholars are invited from more than 500 nominators representing a broad range of disciplines and institutions, including academia, research institutes, non profit organizations, the media and foundations. Nominators are asked to identify original thinkers who have the ability--or promise--to spark academic and public debate, and whose work transcends academic boundaries.

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