Internationally acclaimed scholar Professor Jonathan A. C. Brown recently concluded a five-day visit to Dhaka at the invitation of the Bengal Muslim Research Institute, participating in a series of seminars, workshops and intellectual exchanges with Bangladeshi academics, Islamic scholars and young researchers.
Prof Brown, who holds the prestigious Alwaleed Bin Talal Chair of Islamic Civilization at Georgetown University, is internationally recognized for his scholarship on racism, slavery, hadith studies and Islamic intellectual history. In the Muslim world, he is particularly known for his influential work `The Canonization of al-Bukhari and Muslim', widely regarded as a landmark study on the compilation and authority of hadith literature.
His acclaimed book `Misquoting Muhammad (PBUH)' has also earned global recognition for addressing misconceptions and misinformation about the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in Western discourse. The work has been translated into several languages, including Bengali, and has gained considerable readership among Bangla-speaking audiences.
During the visit, Professor Brown met with Islamic scholars, university faculty members, researchers and students through a range of academic engagements in Dhaka.
On May 2, the Bengal Muslim Research Institute organized a special workshop for young thinkers and researchers at a leading hotel in the capital. The session focused on the interpretation of Islamic tradition in the contemporary world, as well as discussions on Islamic law, Shariah and intellectual challenges facing Muslim societies today.
Later in the day, Professor Brown joined an exchange session with academics, researchers and Islamic scholars, where participants discussed the development, trends and future direction of Islamic Studies in Bangladesh.
Representing the organizers at the event were BMRI co-founder Dr. Kamrul Hasan and UK-based Islamic researcher Sheikh Faizul Islam.
In his remarks, Dr. Kamrul Hasan highlighted the rich intellectual heritage of Muslims in both Bengals and expressed optimism about Dhaka’s potential to emerge as a major Islamic intellectual hub in South Asia.
Sheikh Faizul Islam emphasized the importance of intellectual exchange between Bangladesh, the broader Muslim world and Western academia. He also urged young researchers to rise above group-centric approaches in the pursuit of knowledge and scholarship.
Earlier, on April 29, Professor Brown delivered a lecture at an open seminar held at the Mozaffar Ahmed Chowdhury Auditorium of University of Dhaka. Later that afternoon, he participated in a discussion with faculty members and researchers at BRAC University.
On May 1, Professor Brown performed Friday prayers at the national mosque, Baitul Mukarram National Mosque, where he later met prominent hadith scholar Maulana Abdul Malek. The two scholars held an extensive discussion on hadith sciences and contemporary scholarship in the Arab world before exchanging copies of their published works.
Professor Brown also visited the Dawah and Research Center of As-Sunnah Foundation, where he delivered a lecture to young Islamic scholars and students.
On the final day of his visit, Professor Brown traveled to Narayanganj to visit the shrine of renowned 13th-century Islamic scholar Sharafuddin Abu Tawwama. Later, he visited Bangla Academy and met with its Director General, Professor Mohammad Azam.
According to organizers, nearly one thousand researchers, students and intellectuals directly participated in different sessions with Professor Brown during the visit. His tour also generated significant interest on social media, where many young Bangladeshi researchers and intellectuals welcomed the initiative and described the visit as an important moment for the country’s contemporary Islamic intellectual discourse.
