Akbar Ahmed, the Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic studies at AU, was one of five winners of the Purpose Prize, a new initiative to invest in Americans over 60 who are helping to solve long-standing social problems, according to a press release from the think tank that developed the award.
Ahmed, a Pakistani native, shares the Purpose Prize with Judea Pearl, father of
Daniel Pearl, a journalist who was abducted and killed in Pakistan in early 2002. Akbar and Pearl travel and lead dialogues promoting religious tolerance, called the "Daniel Pearl Dialogue for Muslim-Jewish Understanding Featuring Akbar Ahmed and Judea Pearl."
Civic Ventures, the think tank that granted the award, describes Purpose Prize winners as people tackling issues such as intolerance, job opportunities for the disabled and the lives of children with an incarcerated parent, according to the press release. The award includes a $100,000 grant.
Pearl first contacted Ahmed not long after his son's death was confirmed, Ahmed said. Pearl flew to D.C. from California to speak with Ahmed, "and that was that," Ahmed said.
After their meeting, Ahmed said people suggested he and Pearl start a public dialogue highlighting their respective Muslim and Jewish heritages.
"There was so much Muslim bashing going on" at the time that Ahmed felt very uneasy about the idea, Ahmed said. However, he realized that if he did not start this dialogue, no one else would.
The dialogue that debuted in Pittsburgh in 2003 became 12 or 13 talks that took the pair all over the country and to Canada and the United Kingdom. They were welcomed at the House of Lords in London by three lords who were each Jewish, Christian and Muslim, Ahmed said.
The pair try to keep their unscripted talks to current events, but they can talk about anything, Ahmed said. He likened the sessions to "two friends talking on stage."
During a Q-and-A session, the audience can ask Ahmed and Pearl anything as well. A Christian moderator is present so the three major monotheistic religions are represented, Ahmed said.
"There's always a balance," he said.
Ahmed and Pearl will evenly split the $100,000 and use it to support their work, Ahmed said, since both have a shortage of funds for research and aides.
Ahmed said he hopes to engage more young people in his work.
"I'm very aware that it's no longer the next generation," but the generation of grandchildren who will be tackling the world's problems, he said.
Ahmed said he and Pearl don't always agree, but the two have developed a great friendship. Each man has become more sympathetic to the other's point of view, he said.
"We talk with civility; we listen to each other," he said.
Ahmed teaches an honors colloquia titled "Dialogue or Clash of Cultures." He is a professor of comparative and regional studies in the School of International Service. He is also the former High Commissioner of Pakistan to Great Britain, and he has advised Prince Charles and met with President George W. Bush on Islam, according to the SIS faculty Web site.
Civic Ventures is a think tank that works to bring together older Americans who have a passion for service and helps create opportunities for them to aid society, according to its Web site. This is the inaugural year of the Purpose Prize. Five winners will be chosen each year, according to the Web site.
