Eqbal Ahmad

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Eqbal Ahmad (born probably 1933 or 1934 in Bihar , India ; died 1999 in Islamabad ) was a Pakistani political scientist and writer . He became known for his work in the anti-war movement , as an activist in anti-imperialist movements and for scientific contributions to the Middle East . Ahmad was one of the most prominent left-wing intellectuals in Pakistan and the United States . He was seen as a proponent of democracy and self-determination and campaigned against militarism , nuclear weapons and rigid ideologies .

Childhood and youth

Ahmad witnessed his father being murdered in a land dispute and fled to Pakistan with his older brothers during the partition of India in 1974. There he lost his family.

Education

Ahmad began studying economics at Foreman Christian College in Lahore , graduating in 1951. He was an army officer for a short time and was wounded while serving in the First Kashmir War. In 1953 he completed his studies of modern history at the Punjab University from Lahore. He then attended Occidental College in California in 1957 and studied political science and the history of the Middle East at Princeton . Between 1960 and 1964, Ahmad spent time doing his field studies for his dissertation in North Africa, especially in Tunisia , and campaigned for Algeria's independence in the Algerian War . In 1967, Ahmad received his PhD from Princeton University.

Later career

Teaching

Upon his return from Africa, Ahmad began teaching at the University of Illinois at Carbondale (1964–1965) and the School of Labor Relations at Cornell University (1965–1968). During this time he was also an activist against the Vietnam War . When he campaigned for Palestinian rights in 1967 , he was isolated from the scientific community and from 1968 worked at the Adlai Stevenson Institute in Chicago . There he married Julie Diamond in 1969, with whom he had a daughter in 1971. From 1972 to 1982 Ahmad worked at the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington, DC and was director of the subsidiary in Amsterdam between 1973 and 1975 . During this time he was also a visiting professor at various international universities. In 1982 he went to Hampshire College in Amherst , Massachusetts , where he was Professor of Middle Eastern Politics and Studies until he retired in 1997 . From 1990 onwards, Ahmad began spending more time in Islamabad, writing a weekly column for Pakistan's oldest English-language newspaper, Dawn, and devoting his time to building up Khaldunia University in Pakistan, which, however, never opened its doors to students.

Harrisburg 7

In January 1971, Ahmad and six other Catholic priests and nuns who had banded together as peace activists ( Harrisburg 7 ) were charged with the planned kidnapping of then national security adviser Henry Kissinger . They were also accused of having plans to blow up heating systems in government buildings. During the trial, Priest Philip Berrigan and nun Elizabeth McAlister were found guilty of smuggling letters into and out of Lewisburg Federal Prison, but the main conspiracy charges were dropped.

Death and aftermath

On May 11, 1999, Ahmad died of heart failure following colon cancer surgery .

Since his death, Hampshire College has continued to give lectures in his memory by prominent speakers such as Kofi Annan , Edward Said , Noam Chomsky and Arundhati Roy . Throughout his life he has surrounded himself with various companions such as Noam Chomsky, Howard Zinn , Tariq Ali , Ibrahim Abu-Lughod , Richard Falk , Fred Jameson , Alexander Cockburn or Daniel Berrigan and influenced various revolutionaries, activists and writers who consulted him regularly.

literature

  • Eqbal Ahmad, David Barsamian: Eqbal Ahmad, Confronting Empire: Interviews with David Barsamian . South End Press, 2000, ISBN 978-0-89608-615-9 ( limited preview in Google Book Search).
  • William O'Rourke: Harrisburg 7 and the New Catholic Left. Edition for the 40th anniversary. University of Notre Dame Press, Notre Dame 2011, ISBN 978-0-268-03733-8 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d Eqbal Ahmad, David Barsamian: Eqbal Ahmad, Confronting Empire: Interviews with David Barsamian . South End Press, 2000, pp. XI-XII .
  2. ^ A b Edward W. Said: Eqbal Ahmad. The Guardian, May 14, 1999, accessed February 7, 2019 .
  3. ↑ Kabir Babar: The intellectual's intellectual. The Friday Times, May 22, 2015, accessed February 7, 2019 .
  4. ↑ Pervez Hoodbhoy: Eqbal Ahmad: The Man Who Inspired a Generation. Eqbal Ahmad Center for Public Education, May 10, 2016, accessed February 7, 2019 .
  5. ↑ Stuart Schaar: Eqbal Ahmad: Critical Outsider in a Turbulent Age . Columbia University Press, 2015, ISBN 978-0-231-53992-0 .
  6. ↑ Eqbal Ahmad: Terrorism: Theirs & Ours . Seven Stories Press, 2011, ISBN 978-1-60980-313-1 ( limited preview in Google Book Search).
  7. ↑ a b c Eqbal Ahmad: The Selected Writings of Eqbal Ahmad . Columbia University Press, 2006, ISBN 978-0-231-12711-0 ( limited preview in Google Book Search).
  8. ↑ Suljuk Mustansar Tarar: A dream rudely shattered. The Friday Times, May 27, 2016, accessed February 7, 2019 .
  9. ↑ Joachim Schwelien: Stickluft der conspiracies. Die Zeit, November 22, 2012, accessed on February 7, 2019 .
  10. ↑ Deb Kiner: Harrisburg 7 conspiracy verdict came 45 years ago today. PennLive, accessed February 7, 2019 .
personal data
SURNAME Ahmad, Eqbal
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Pakistani political scientist and writer
DATE OF BIRTH uncertain: 1933 or 1934
PLACE OF BIRTH Ikri , India
DATE OF DEATH 1999
Place of death Islamabad