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Friday, May 17, 2013

Dr. Asghar Ali Engineer, 1939 - 2013: A Muslim scholar and champion of interfaith cooperation

"Known for his passionate espousal of peace and interfaith understanding, Mr. Engineer's life was an example of perseverance towards the realization of a greater good... IAMC commemorates his contribution to democracy and interfaith relations as well as his courage in speaking up for the rights of the oppressed and the dispossessed," -- Asghar Ali Engineer's demise a loss for interfaith relations say Indian Americans, Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC -www.iamc.com )

"Asghar Ali Engineer, the renowned religious reformer and peace activist breathed his last on 14th May 2013 at his residence in Mumbai. Unlike most people he did not leave behind just two children but thousands of heirs to his ideology and legacy in India and other parts of the world who will carry forward his mission for a just, equal and harmonious world." [Celebrating Asghar Ali Engineer: A Tribute by Swami Agnivesh and Mazher Hussain]
Asghar Ali Engineer's Books: Sample list







Media coverage:

  • Celebrating Asghar Ali Engineer, A Tribute by Swami Agnivesh and Mazher Hussain
    A soft spoken, gentle and unassuming person- always clad in a simple white kurta- pajama, Dr. Engineer had become an institution, a legend and the icon of religious reforms and communal harmony even during his life time. His extraordinary contribution to society received widespread acknowledgement and critical acclaim from across the globe and he was conferred many national and international awards including The Rights Livelihood (Alternative Nobel Prize), jointly with Swami Agnivesh (one of the author of this Tribute) in the year 2004 at Stockholm Sweden.

    Acknowledged as a walking encyclopedia on the Holy Quran and related Islamic literature and practices, he emerged as a leading religious reformer in the Muslim community, especially in India. Accepting the centrality and inviolability of the Holy Quran for a Muslim, he was able to revolutionise the understanding and practice of Islam by initiating reformist processes even amongst the most conservative sections of society by developing and propagating the method of Creative Interpretation that took as an operating framework the values of equality, justice and contemporary social issues and dynamics. This novel approach of reading the Holy Quran reclaimed the essence of its original teachings to demonstrate that Islam is indeed a religion of peace that emphasizes the values of equality and justice. With this method, he was also able to establish the egalitarian and progressive teaching of Islam on issues of human rights, women, marriage, respect for all religious, communal harmony etc...

  • The Reformist As Pacifist: Asghar Ali Engineer's Islam, By Farzana Versey CounterCurrents.org
  • Uniting the nation: Asghar Ali Engineer’s struggle for preservation of plural ethos (Dr. Ram Puniyani's tribute): , By Ram Puniyani, TwoCircles.net
  • Asghar Ali Engineer - His life was Gentle; and the Elements… by SYED ALI MUJTABA SYED for The Ground Report India
  • Renowned Islamic scholar Asghar Ali Engineer passes away, Syed Mohammed, Times of India
  • There will never be another Asghar Ali, Jyoti Punwani in Mumbai Bangalore Mirror -- Scholarly, courageous and secular, Asghar Ali Engineer spent his life combating regressive beliefs and practices while presenting a modern, humanistic interpretation of Islam
  • Islamic scholar Asghar Ali Engineer dies, The Asian Age
  • Renowned Islamic scholar, author and reformist Asghar Ali Engineer ... India Today
  • A man of peace, Syed Muthahar Saqaf The Hindu
  • Crusader against communalism, Meena Menon, The Hindu
  • An obituary by ZAHIR JANMOHAMED, Kafila
  • REMEMBERING DR. ASGHAR ALI ENGINEER, Prof (Dr.) Ronki Ram ambedkartimes.com