Nathan C. Funk – författare

Peace and Conflict Resolution in Islam steps beyond the limitations of the traditional scholarly framework used to evaluate the politics of Islamic societies, and assembles a selection from the best available English-language writings on a matter of central importance in Islamic precepts: peace (salam) and conflict resolution. The writings present diverse Muslim views on the nature of peace and the processes of conflict resolution, giving expression to a range of syntheses or "paradigms" of Islamic precept and practice, including power politics, world order, nonviolence, and transformation of consciousness and character (Sufism). Attention is given to both the diversity and the underlying points of unity among Islamic perspectives on peace, which accentuate, variously, an absence of war, a presence of justice, and ecological harmony.

Peace and Conflict Resolution in Islam steps beyond the limitations of the traditional scholarly framework used to evaluate the politics of Islamic societies, and assembles a selection from the best available English-language writings on a matter of central importance in Islamic precepts: peace (salam) and conflict resolution. The writings present diverse Muslim views on the nature of peace and the processes of conflict resolution, giving expression to a range of syntheses or "paradigms" of Islamic precept and practice, including power politics, world order, nonviolence, and transformation of consciousness and character (Sufism). Attention is given to both the diversity and the underlying points of unity among Islamic perspectives on peace, which accentuate, variously, an absence of war, a presence of justice, and ecological harmony.

In the summer of 1888, Ameen Fares Rihani (1876-1940) left the shores of his native Lebanon to begin a new life in the bustling metropolis of New York City. Few could have guessed at the time that the young Rihani would soon become one of the most famous and distinctive Arab writers of the era, transforming tales from his crossings between East and West into a clarion call for understanding and cooperation between a rising world power and an Arab world that was suspended between cultural renaissance and political recolonization.Less than a year after the tragic events of September 11, 2001, the Ameen Rihani Institute and the American University Center for Global Peace convened a distinguished group of Arab, American, and European scholars for an international symposium in Washington, D.C. Inspired by the conviction that Rihani's humane vision still addresses many of the most vitally important issues in global affairs, the participants in this symposium prepared stimulating writings on every facet of Rihani's intellectual journey, literary career, political advocacy, and life as a protagonist of Arab-American understanding. The result is this remarkable book demonstrating the extraordinary nature of Ameen Rihani's work as a cultural ambassador; the depth of his affinities for such writers as Carlyle, Emerson, Thoreau, and Tolstoy; and the enduring relevance of his commitments to tolerance, universalism, reconciliation, and peace.

Known to many as American University’s “peace legend,” Abdul Aziz Said (1930–2021)led an academic career spanning nearly sixty years. Always a forward-looking thinker,Said consistently sought to be among the first to grapple with the leading-edge issues ofhis day, from decolonization and turbulent social change in developing countries to theinfluence of multinational corporations, the normative priority of human rights, culturalaspects of conflict resolution, and the promotion of Islamic-Western understanding.Taken together, his extensive writings, innovative pedagogy, and practical pursuits offera model for engaged scholarship, characterized by dynamic use of the platform providedby a university career to advance international peace, intercultural dialogue, and socialjustice as well as a spiritual ethic emphasizing unity and connectedness among peoplefrom diverse cultural, religious, and racial backgrounds.• Abdul Aziz Said has been an innovator in international relations and peacestudies;• Born in Syria, he completed his higher education in the United States and wenton to teach multiple generations of international affairs students;• He was a leading scholar focusing on global peace as well as Islam and peace;• His writings address salient global issues from the 1950s to the first decades ofthe twenty-first century.