Dr. Mumtaz Ahmad, Executive Director, Iqbal International Institute for Research & Dialogue (IRD), International Islamic Islamabad passed away previous night. He was 76 years, suffering from serious disease. His funeral prayer was offered at his native village Gujar Khan. He was renowned social scientist, scholar and top ranked academician of Pakistan.
Dr. Mumtaz associated with the IIUI since 2007 on key positions and served as Vice President, President IIUI and presently heading IRD as Executive Director. His funeral prayer was attended by Dr. Masoom Yasinzai Rector IIUI, Dr. Anees Ahmed Vice Chancellor Ripha International University, Mr. Sajaad Mir, Raja Khalid Mahmood DG IIUI, large number of renowned scholars, journalists, academicians, social and political circle including officers and top officials of the university.
Dr. Masoom expressed deep grief and sorrow over the sad demise of Dr. Mumtaz and said this is irreparable loss which never be healed up. Rector IIUI further said university has been deprived form great academician and his contributions and directions for the progress will always be source of guidance and lines of progress. Dr. Ahmed Yousif Al-Draiweesh President IIUI also expressed his sadden incident, the death of Dr. Mumtaz .
He said the gulf of Dr. Mumtaz could not be bridged ever as he was a great scholar and man of letters. President IIUI said whole Pakistani academic community are extremely depressed over this loss. Dr. Mumtaz was a Professor of Political Science at Hampton University, VA, USA.
Dr. Mumtaz published nine books and numerous journal articles, chapters in edited volumes, and encyclopedia articles on politics of contemporary Islamic movements, political sociology of religious groups, and political developments in South Asia and the Middle East. He served as: member of “Islam and Social Change Project” of the University of Chicago; Research Fellow at the Brookings Institution, Washington, D.C; Senior Fulbright Fellow in Bangladesh and Pakistan; Fellow of the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) in Sudan, Pakistan and Malaysia; American Institute of Bangladesh Studies Fellow; American Institute of Pakistan Studies Fellow; member of the “Fundamentalism Project” of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences/University of Chicago; and Senior Consultant for the “Muslims in American Public Square” Project of Georgetown University.
He was currently President of the South Asian Muslim Studies Association (SAMSA), an affiliate of the Association of Asian Studies (AAS) and Vice-President of Centre for Islam and Public Policy (CIPP), Washington, D.C. Prior to joining Hampton University in 1990, Dr. Mumtaz Ahmad taught at Columbia College and Chicago State University.