Asghar Ali Engineer - Revision history

PamKirsch2959552: improved lead for accuracy further and added references

2025-12-31T10:27:07Z

improved lead for accuracy further and added references

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:57, 31 December 2025
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			{{Short description\|Indian activist (1939–2013)}}
	{{EngvarB\|date=August 2014}}		{{EngvarB\|date=August 2014}}
	{{Use dmy dates\|date=October 2021}}		{{Use dmy dates\|date=October 2021}}
	{{Infobox writer		{{Infobox writer
	\| name = Asghar Ali Engineer		\| name = Asghar Ali Engineer
	\| image = Asghar Ali Engineer, 2010 (cropped).jpg		\| image = Asghar Ali Engineer, 2010 (cropped).jpg
	\| caption = Engineer in 2010		\| caption = Engineer in 2010
	\| birth_date = {{Birth date\|df=yes\|1939\|03\|10}}		\| birth_date = {{Birth date\|df=yes\|1939\|03\|10}}
	\| birth_place = [[Salumbar]], Rajasthan		\| birth_place = [[Salumbar]], [[Kingdom of Mewar]], [[British India]]<br/>(now in [[Rajasthan]], [[India]])
	\| death_date = {{Death date and age\|df=yes\|2013\|05\|14\|1939\|03\|10}}		\| death_date = {{Death date and age\|df=yes\|2013\|05\|14\|1939\|03\|10}}
	\| death_place = [[~~Santacruz,~~ Mumbai~~\|Santacruz~~]], [[~~Mumbai~~]], India		\| death_place = [[Mumbai]], [[Maharashtra]], India
	\| occupation = Writer, activist		\| occupation = Writer, activist
	\| children = 2		\| children = 2
	\| awards = [[Right Livelihood Award]] (2004)		\| awards = [[Right Livelihood Award]] (2004)
	}}		}}
	{{Ismailis\|Leaders}}		{{Ismailis\|Leaders}}
	'''Asghar Ali Engineer''' (10 March 1939 – 14 May 2013) was an Indian reformist writer and social activist.<ref>{{cite news\|last=IANS\|title=Scholar Asghar Ali Engineer dies at 74\|url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/mumbai/islamic-scholar-asghar-ali-engineer-dead/story-kLwNoLbSso7FL75ybRS9nK.html\|accessdate=14 May 2013\|newspaper=Hindustan Times\|date=14 May 2013}}</ref>		'''Asghar Ali Engineer''' (10 March 1939 – 14 May 2013) was an academic,<ref name="n589">{{cite web \| last=Modak \| first=Sadaf \| title=Dr Asghar Ali Engineer: Adequate time has to be given to reforms as laws may not necessarily lead to some practices being stopped \| website=The Indian Express \| date=2023-09-11 \| url=https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/mumbai/adequate-time-has-to-be-given-to-reforms-as-laws-may-not-necessarily-lead-to-some-practices-being-stopped-8933963/ \| access-date=2025-12-07}}</ref> Indian reformist writer and social activist.<ref>{{cite news\|last=IANS\|title=Scholar Asghar Ali Engineer dies at 74\|url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/mumbai/islamic-scholar-asghar-ali-engineer-dead/story-kLwNoLbSso7FL75ybRS9nK.html\|accessdate=14 May 2013\|newspaper=Hindustan Times\|date=14 May 2013}}</ref>
	Internationally known for his work on [[liberation theology]] in [[Islam]], he led the [[Progressive Dawoodi Bohra]] movement. The focus of his work was on [[communalism]] and communal and [[ethnic violence]] in India and South Asia. He was a votary of peace and non-violence and lectured all over world on communal harmony.<ref>[http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~rtavakol/engineer/about.htm About Asghar Ali Engineer] {{webarchive\|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070519075550/http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~rtavakol/engineer/about.htm \|date=19 May 2007 }} [[Rutgers University]].</ref>		Internationally known for his work on [[liberation theology]] in [[Islam]], he led the [[Progressive Dawoodi Bohra]] movement. The focus of his work was on [[Communalism (South Asia)\|communalism]] and communal and [[ethnic violence]] in India and South Asia. He was a votary of peace and non-violence and lectured all over world on communal harmony.<ref>[http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~rtavakol/engineer/about.htm About Asghar Ali Engineer] {{webarchive\|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070519075550/http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~rtavakol/engineer/about.htm \|date=19 May 2007 }} [[Rutgers University]].</ref>

	Engineer also served as head of the [[Indian Institute of Islamic Studies]] Mumbai, and the Centre for Study of Society and Secularism (CSSS), both of which he founded in 1980 and 1993 respectively.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/19991007222718/http://ecumene.org/IIS/csss.htm Institute of Islamic Studies and Centre for Study of Society and Secularism].</ref><ref>[http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=101790 Asghar Ali Engineer gets alternative Nobel]{{~~Dead~~ link\|date=~~May 2019~~ \|bot=~~InternetArchiveBot~~ \|~~fix-attempted~~=~~yes~~ }} [[Indian Express]], 2 October 2004.</ref> He also made contributions to ''The God Contention'',<ref>[http://www.godcontention.org The God Contention]</ref> a website comparing and contrasting various worldviews. Engineer's autobiography ''A Living Faith: My Quest for Peace, Harmony and Social Change'' was released in New Delhi on 20 July 2011 by [[Hamid Ansari]], the then ~~Vice~~-~~President~~ of India.<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://www.csss-isla.com/ \|title=Center For Study of Society And Secularism \|publisher=Csss-isla.com \|accessdate=16 May 2013}}</ref>		Engineer also served as head of the [[Indian Institute of Islamic Studies]] Mumbai, and the Centre for Study of Society and Secularism (CSSS), both of which he founded in 1980 and 1993 respectively.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/19991007222718/http://ecumene.org/IIS/csss.htm Institute of Islamic Studies and Centre for Study of Society and Secularism].</ref><ref>[http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=101790 Asghar Ali Engineer gets alternative Nobel]{{dead link\|date=February 2023\|bot=medic}}{{cbignore\|bot=medic}} [[Indian Express]], 2 October 2004.</ref> He also made contributions to ''The God Contention'',<ref>[http://www.godcontention.org The God Contention]</ref> a website comparing and contrasting various worldviews. Engineer's autobiography ''A Living Faith: My Quest for Peace, Harmony and Social Change'' was released in New Delhi on 20 July 2011 by [[Hamid Ansari]], the then vice-president of India.<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://www.csss-isla.com/ \|title=Center For Study of Society And Secularism \|publisher=Csss-isla.com \|accessdate=16 May 2013}}</ref>

	==Biography==		==Biography==
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	Asghar Ali Sheikh Kurban (sometimes rendered as Asghar Ali SK) was born 10 March 1939 in [[Salumbar]], [[Rajasthan]], the son of a [[Dawoodi Bohras\|Bohra]] priest, Shaikh Qurban Hussain. He was trained in [[Qur'an]]ic [[tafsir]] (commentary), [[tawil]] (hidden meaning of Qur'an), [[fiqh]] (jurisprudence) and [[hadith]] (Prophet's sayings), and learned the [[Arabic language]].<ref name=yo>[https://books.google.com/books?id=d3Q7uZ8WpmMC&pg=PA12 Asghar Ali Engineer: the man] ''Muslims in India Since 1947: Islamic Perspectives on Inter-faith Relations'', by [[Yoginder Sikand]]. Routledge, 2004. {{ISBN\|0-415-31486-0}}. ''Page 12–13''.</ref> He graduated with a degree in civil engineering from [[Vikram University]] in [[Ujjain]], Madhya Pradesh,<ref name=ri/> and served for 20 years as an engineer in the [[Bombay Municipal Corporation]]. In 1965, he began publishing newspaper articles under the name of "Asghar Ali Engineer." A reviewer explains that		Asghar Ali Sheikh Kurban (sometimes rendered as Asghar Ali SK) was born 10 March 1939 in [[Salumbar]], [[Rajasthan]], the son of a [[Dawoodi Bohras\|Bohra]] priest, Shaikh Qurban Hussain. He was trained in [[Qur'an]]ic [[tafsir]] (commentary), [[tawil]] (hidden meaning of Qur'an), [[fiqh]] (jurisprudence) and [[hadith]] (Prophet's sayings), and learned the [[Arabic language]].<ref name=yo>[https://books.google.com/books?id=d3Q7uZ8WpmMC&pg=PA12 Asghar Ali Engineer: the man] ''Muslims in India Since 1947: Islamic Perspectives on Inter-faith Relations'', by [[Yoginder Sikand]]. Routledge, 2004. {{ISBN\|0-415-31486-0}}. ''Page 12–13''.</ref> He graduated with a degree in civil engineering from [[Vikram University]] in [[Ujjain]], Madhya Pradesh,<ref name=ri/> and served for 20 years as an engineer in the [[Bombay Municipal Corporation]]. In 1965, he began publishing newspaper articles under the name of "Asghar Ali Engineer." A reviewer explains that

	:"He felt that the name Asghar Ali SK, did not sound good. His friend Zoeb Ansari suggested that he could take his professional name. It is common in India especially among Parsis (Zoroastrians) and Bohra Muslims to have a family name based on one’s occupation (Bandukwala or one who deals in guns, Mithaiwala or one who deals in sweets, Vakil or lawyer, Contractor,) or on the village name (Sidpurwala, Partapurwala). Going by this trend, Asghar Ali SK chose his professional name and not his village name which would have been Mandsaurwala. He penned his article in the ''Times of India'' under the name Asghar Ali Engineer –the name stayed."<ref>{{Cite web\|url=https://tmie.hypotheses.org/996\|title=Review: Ashgar Ali Engineer's Autobiography}}</ref>		:"He felt that the name Asghar Ali SK, did not sound good. His friend Zoeb Ansari suggested that he could take his professional name. It is common in India especially among Parsis (Zoroastrians) and Bohra Muslims to have a family name based on one’s occupation (Bandukwala or one who deals in guns, Mithaiwala or one who deals in sweets, Vakil or lawyer, Contractor,) or on the village name (Sidpurwala, Partapurwala). Going by this trend, Asghar Ali SK chose his professional name and not his village name which would have been Mandsaurwala. He penned his article in the ''Times of India'' under the name Asghar Ali Engineer –the name stayed."<ref>{{Cite web\|url=https://tmie.hypotheses.org/996\|title=Review: Ashgar Ali Engineer's Autobiography\|date=2011 \|doi=10.58079/urij \|last1=Roland Lardinois }}</ref>

	In 1972, Engineer took voluntary retirement in order to devote himself to the Bohra reform movement in the wake of a revolt in [[Udaipur]]. He was unanimously elected as General Secretary of The Central Board of [[Dawoodi Bohra]] Community in its first conference in Udaipur in 1977. In 2004 due to criticism of the Dawoodi Bohra religious establishment he was expelled. In 1980, he set up the Institute of Islamic Studies in [[Mumbai]] to create a platform for progressive Muslims in India and elsewhere. Subsequently, through the 1980s, he wrote extensively on Hindu-Muslim relations, and growing [[Religious violence in India\|communal violence in India]]. Asghar Ali Engineer has been instrumental in publicising the [[Progressive Dawoodi Bohra]] movement through his writings and speeches. In 1993, he founded 'Center for Study of Society and Secularism (CSSS)' to promote communal harmony.<ref name=yo/> He did not support the ban on [[Salman Rushdie]]'s "Satanic Verses" though he felt that the novel "is an attack" on religion.<ref>An interview of A.A Engineer where he says clearly that he is not in favor of the ban. Its a YT link with <domain>/watch?v=06V1Du-fZ8o starting at 06:09</ref><ref>A.A. Engineer, interviewed by Sharmila Joshi, Times of India, 16. April 1995.</ref><!--Please provide the whole quotation from the given source, basic search doesn't show anything regarding his support, or provide another source-->{{verify source\|date=April 2015}}		In 1972, Engineer took voluntary retirement in order to devote himself to the Bohra reform movement in the wake of a revolt in [[Udaipur]]. He was unanimously elected as General Secretary of The Central Board of [[Dawoodi Bohra]] Community in its first conference in Udaipur in 1977. In 2004, due to criticism of the Dawoodi Bohra religious establishment, he was expelled. In 1980, he set up the Institute of Islamic Studies in [[Mumbai]] to create a platform for progressive Muslims in India and elsewhere. Subsequently, through the 1980s, he wrote extensively on Hindu-Muslim relations, and growing [[Religious violence in India\|communal violence in India]]. Asghar Ali Engineer has been instrumental in publicising the [[Progressive Dawoodi Bohra]] movement through his writings and speeches. In 1993, he founded 'Center for Study of Society and Secularism (CSSS)' to promote communal harmony.<ref name=yo/> He did not support the ban on [[Salman Rushdie]]'s "Satanic Verses" though he felt that the novel "is an attack" on religion.<ref>An interview of A.A Engineer where he says clearly that he is not in favor of the ban. Its a YT link with <domain>/watch?v=06V1Du-fZ8o starting at 06:09</ref><ref>A.A. Engineer, interviewed by Sharmila Joshi, Times of India, 16. April 1995.</ref><!--Please provide the whole quotation from the given source, basic search doesn't show anything regarding his support, or provide another source-->{{verify source\|date=April 2015}}

	He authored more than 50 books<ref>[http://www.csss-isla.com/booklist/asghar_list.php Books written and edited by Dr. Asghar Ali Engineer] {{webarchive\|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090213163757/http://csss-isla.com/booklist/asghar_list.php \|date=13 February 2009 }} CSSS- Centre for Study of Society and Secularism.</ref> and many articles in various national and international journals. He was the founding chairman of the Asian Muslim Action Network, director of the Institute of Islamic Studies, and head of the Center for Study of Society and Secularism in [[Mumbai]], where he closely worked with scholar and scientist Professor Dr [[Ram Puniyani]]. Engineer was also a supporter of the supporter of the [[Campaign for the Establishment of a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly]], an organisation which campaigns for democratic reformation of the United Nations.<ref>{{Cite news\|url=http://en.unpacampaign.org/supporters/overview/?mapcountry=allhea&mapgroup=hea\|title=Supporters\|website=Campaign for a UN Parliamentary Assembly\|access-date=26 September 2017\|language=en-US}}</ref>		He authored more than 50 books<ref>[http://www.csss-isla.com/booklist/asghar_list.php Books written and edited by Dr. Asghar Ali Engineer] {{webarchive\|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090213163757/http://csss-isla.com/booklist/asghar_list.php \|date=13 February 2009 }} CSSS- Centre for Study of Society and Secularism.</ref> and many articles in various national and international journals. He was the founding chairman of the Asian Muslim Action Network, director of the Institute of Islamic Studies, and head of the Center for Study of Society and Secularism in [[Mumbai]], where he closely worked with scholar and scientist Professor Dr [[Ram Puniyani]]. Engineer was also a supporter of the supporter of the [[Campaign for the Establishment of a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly]], an organisation which campaigns for democratic reformation of the United Nations.<ref>{{Cite news\|url=http://en.unpacampaign.org/supporters/overview/?mapcountry=allhea&mapgroup=hea\|title=Supporters\|website=Campaign for a UN Parliamentary Assembly\|access-date=26 September 2017\|language=en-US}}</ref>
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	*''Problems of Muslim Women in India''. Published by Institute of Islamic Studies, 1995.		*''Problems of Muslim Women in India''. Published by Institute of Islamic Studies, 1995.
	*''Rethinking Issues in Islam''. Sangam Books Limited, 1998. {{ISBN\|0-86311-768-6}}.		*''Rethinking Issues in Islam''. Sangam Books Limited, 1998. {{ISBN\|0-86311-768-6}}.
	*''Competing nationalisms in South Asia: essays for Asghar Ali Engineer'', by Paul R. Brass, Achin Vanaik, Asgharali Engineer. Published by Orient Blackswan, 2002. {{ISBN\|81-250-2221-X}}.		*''Competing nationalisms in South Asia: essays for Asghar Ali Engineer'', by Paul R. Brass, [[Achin Vanaik]], Asgharali Engineer. Published by Orient Blackswan, 2002. {{ISBN\|81-250-2221-X}}.
	*''Islam in India: The Impact of Civilizations''. Shipra Publications, 2002. {{ISBN\|81-7541-115-5}}.		*''Islam in India: The Impact of Civilizations''. Shipra Publications, 2002. {{ISBN\|81-7541-115-5}}.
	*''The Gujarat Carnage''. Orient Longman, 2003 {{ISBN\|978-81-250-2496-5}}.		*''The Gujarat Carnage''. Orient Longman, 2003 {{ISBN\|978-81-250-2496-5}}.
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	[[Category:1939 births]]		[[Category:1939 births]]
	[[Category:2013 deaths]]		[[Category:2013 deaths]]
	[[Category:Dawoodi ~~Bohras~~]]		[[Category:Dawoodi Bohra people]]
	[[Category:Indian Ismailis]]		[[Category:Indian Ismailis]]
	[[Category:Writers from Rajasthan]]		[[Category:Writers from Rajasthan]]
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	[[Category:Muslim reformers]]		[[Category:Muslim reformers]]
	[[Category:20th-century Muslim scholars of Islam]]		[[Category:20th-century Muslim scholars of Islam]]
	~~[[Category:Indian academics]]~~
	[[Category:Critics of Islamism]]		[[Category:Critics of Islamism]]
	[[Category:Vikram University alumni]]		[[Category:Vikram University alumni]]

>SdkbBot: /* Biography */Removed erroneous space and general fixes (task 1)

2022-01-10T01:11:34Z

Biography: Removed erroneous space and general fixes (task 1)

← Older revision		Revision as of 06:41, 10 January 2022
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	{{EngvarB\|date=August 2014}}		{{EngvarB\|date=August 2014}}
	{{Use dmy dates\|date=~~August 2014~~}}		{{Use dmy dates\|date=October 2021}}
	{{Infobox writer		{{Infobox writer
	\| name = Asghar Ali Engineer		\| name = Asghar Ali Engineer
	\| image =Asghar Ali Engineer, 2010 (cropped).jpg		\| image = Asghar Ali Engineer, 2010 (cropped).jpg
	\| caption = ~~Asghar Ali~~ Engineer in 2010		\| caption = Engineer in 2010
	\| birth_date = {{Birth date\|df=yes\|1939\|03\|10}}		\| birth_date = {{Birth date\|df=yes\|1939\|03\|10}}
	\| birth_place = [[Salumbar]], Rajasthan		\| birth_place = [[Salumbar]], Rajasthan
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	\| death_place = [[Santacruz, Mumbai\|Santacruz]], [[Mumbai]], India		\| death_place = [[Santacruz, Mumbai\|Santacruz]], [[Mumbai]], India
	\| occupation = Writer, activist		\| occupation = Writer, activist
	~~\| nationality = Indian~~		\| children = 2
	\| children = 2
	\| awards = [[Right Livelihood Award]] (2004)		\| awards = [[Right Livelihood Award]] (2004)
	}}		}}
	{{Ismailis\|Leaders}}		{{Ismailis\|Leaders}}
	'''Asghar Ali Engineer''' (10 March 1939 – 14 May 2013) was an Indian reformist-writer and social activist.<ref>{{cite news\|last=IANS\|title=Scholar Asghar Ali Engineer dies at 74\|url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/mumbai/islamic-scholar-asghar-ali-engineer-dead/story-kLwNoLbSso7FL75ybRS9nK.html\|accessdate=14 May 2013\|newspaper=Hindustan Times\|date=14 May 2013}}</ref>		'''Asghar Ali Engineer''' (10 March 1939 – 14 May 2013) was an Indian reformist writer and social activist.<ref>{{cite news\|last=IANS\|title=Scholar Asghar Ali Engineer dies at 74\|url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/mumbai/islamic-scholar-asghar-ali-engineer-dead/story-kLwNoLbSso7FL75ybRS9nK.html\|accessdate=14 May 2013\|newspaper=Hindustan Times\|date=14 May 2013}}</ref>
	Internationally known for his work on [[liberation theology]] in [[Islam]], he led the [[Progressive Dawoodi Bohra]] movement. The focus of his work was on [[communalism]] and communal and [[ethnic violence]] in India and South Asia. He was a votary of peace and non-violence and lectured all over world on communal harmony.<ref>[http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~rtavakol/engineer/about.htm About Asghar Ali Engineer] {{webarchive\|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070519075550/http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~rtavakol/engineer/about.htm \|date=19 May 2007 }} [[Rutgers University]].</ref>		Internationally known for his work on [[liberation theology]] in [[Islam]], he led the [[Progressive Dawoodi Bohra]] movement. The focus of his work was on [[communalism]] and communal and [[ethnic violence]] in India and South Asia. He was a votary of peace and non-violence and lectured all over world on communal harmony.<ref>[http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~rtavakol/engineer/about.htm About Asghar Ali Engineer] {{webarchive\|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070519075550/http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~rtavakol/engineer/about.htm \|date=19 May 2007 }} [[Rutgers University]].</ref>

	Engineer also served as head of the [[Indian Institute of Islamic Studies]] Mumbai, and the Centre for Study of Society and Secularism, both of which he founded in 1980 and 1993 respectively.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/19991007222718/http://ecumene.org/IIS/csss.htm Institute of Islamic Studies and Centre for Study of Society and Secularism].</ref><ref>[http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=101790 Asghar Ali Engineer gets alternative Nobel]{{Dead link\|date=May 2019 \|bot=InternetArchiveBot \|fix-attempted=yes }} [[Indian Express]], 2 October 2004.</ref> He also made contributions to ''The God Contention'',<ref>[http://www.godcontention.org The God Contention]</ref> a website comparing and contrasting various worldviews. Engineer's autobiography ''A Living Faith: My Quest for Peace, Harmony and Social Change'' was released in New Delhi on 20 July 2011 by [[Hamid Ansari]], the then Vice-President of India.<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://www.csss-isla.com/ \|title=Center For Study of Society And Secularism \|publisher=Csss-isla.com \|accessdate=16 May 2013}}</ref>		Engineer also served as head of the [[Indian Institute of Islamic Studies]] Mumbai, and the Centre for Study of Society and Secularism (CSSS), both of which he founded in 1980 and 1993 respectively.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/19991007222718/http://ecumene.org/IIS/csss.htm Institute of Islamic Studies and Centre for Study of Society and Secularism].</ref><ref>[http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=101790 Asghar Ali Engineer gets alternative Nobel]{{Dead link\|date=May 2019 \|bot=InternetArchiveBot \|fix-attempted=yes }} [[Indian Express]], 2 October 2004.</ref> He also made contributions to ''The God Contention'',<ref>[http://www.godcontention.org The God Contention]</ref> a website comparing and contrasting various worldviews. Engineer's autobiography ''A Living Faith: My Quest for Peace, Harmony and Social Change'' was released in New Delhi on 20 July 2011 by [[Hamid Ansari]], the then Vice-President of India.<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://www.csss-isla.com/ \|title=Center For Study of Society And Secularism \|publisher=Csss-isla.com \|accessdate=16 May 2013}}</ref>

	==Biography==		==Biography==
	[[image:Asghar Ali Engineer 1.jpg\|left\|thumb\|Asghar Ali Engineer]]		[[image:Asghar Ali Engineer 1.jpg\|left\|thumb\|Asghar Ali Engineer]]
	Asghar Ali ~~Engineer~~ was born 10 March 1939 in [[Salumbar]]~~, Rajasthan~~, [[~~India~~]] as son of a [[Dawoodi Bohras\|Bohra]] priest, Shaikh Qurban Hussain. He was trained in [[Qur'an]]ic [[tafsir]] (commentary), [[tawil]] (hidden meaning of Qur'an), [[fiqh]] (jurisprudence) and [[hadith]] (Prophet's sayings), and learned the [[Arabic language]].<ref name=yo>[https://books.google.com/books?id=d3Q7uZ8WpmMC&pg=PA12 Asghar Ali Engineer: the man] ''Muslims in India Since 1947: Islamic Perspectives on Inter-faith Relations'', by [[Yoginder Sikand]]. Routledge, 2004. {{ISBN\|0-415-31486-0}}. ''Page 12–13''.</ref>		Asghar Ali Sheikh Kurban (sometimes rendered as Asghar Ali SK) was born 10 March 1939 in [[Salumbar]], [[Rajasthan]], the son of a [[Dawoodi Bohras\|Bohra]] priest, Shaikh Qurban Hussain. He was trained in [[Qur'an]]ic [[tafsir]] (commentary), [[tawil]] (hidden meaning of Qur'an), [[fiqh]] (jurisprudence) and [[hadith]] (Prophet's sayings), and learned the [[Arabic language]].<ref name=yo>[https://books.google.com/books?id=d3Q7uZ8WpmMC&pg=PA12 Asghar Ali Engineer: the man] ''Muslims in India Since 1947: Islamic Perspectives on Inter-faith Relations'', by [[Yoginder Sikand]]. Routledge, 2004. {{ISBN\|0-415-31486-0}}. ''Page 12–13''.</ref> He graduated with a degree in civil engineering from [[Vikram University]] in [[Ujjain]], Madhya Pradesh,<ref name=ri/> and served for 20 years as an engineer in the [[Bombay Municipal Corporation]]. In 1965, he began publishing newspaper articles under the name of "Asghar Ali Engineer." A reviewer explains that

	He ~~graduated with~~ a ~~degree~~ in ~~civil engineering from [[Vikram University]]~~ in ~~[[Ujjain]]~~, ~~Madhya Pradesh~~,~~<ref~~ name~~=ri/>~~ and ~~served for 20 years as an engineer~~ in the ~~[[Bombay Municipal Corporation]] before taking voluntary retirement in 1972, to devote himself to~~ the ~~Bohra reform movement~~.		:"He felt that the name Asghar Ali SK, did not sound good. His friend Zoeb Ansari suggested that he could take his professional name. It is common in India especially among Parsis (Zoroastrians) and Bohra Muslims to have a family name based on one’s occupation (Bandukwala or one who deals in guns, Mithaiwala or one who deals in sweets, Vakil or lawyer, Contractor,) or on the village name (Sidpurwala, Partapurwala). Going by this trend, Asghar Ali SK chose his professional name and not his village name which would have been Mandsaurwala. He penned his article in the ''Times of India'' under the name Asghar Ali Engineer –the name stayed."<ref>{{Cite web\|url=https://tmie.hypotheses.org/996\|title=Review: Ashgar Ali Engineer's Autobiography}}</ref>

	~~He began~~ to ~~play a leading role in~~ the reform movement in ~~1972 when~~ a revolt ~~took place~~ in [[Udaipur]]. He was unanimously elected as General Secretary of The Central Board of [[Dawoodi Bohra]] Community in its first conference in Udaipur in 1977. In 2004 due to criticism of the Dawoodi Bohra religious establishment he was expelled. In 1980, he set up the Institute of Islamic Studies in [[Mumbai]] to create a platform for progressive Muslims in India and elsewhere. Subsequently, through the 1980s, he wrote extensively on Hindu-Muslim relations, and growing [[Religious violence in India\|communal violence in India]]. Asghar Ali Engineer has been instrumental in publicising the [[Progressive Dawoodi Bohra]] movement through his writings and speeches. In 1993, he founded 'Center for Study of Society and Secularism' to promote communal harmony.<ref name=yo/> He ~~supported~~ the ban on [[Salman Rushdie]]'s "Satanic Verses" ~~because~~ he felt that the novel "is an attack" on religion.<ref>A.A. Engineer, interviewed by Sharmila Joshi, Times of India, 16. April 1995.</ref><!--Please provide the whole quotation from the given source, basic search doesn't show anything regarding his support, or provide another source-->{{verify source\|date=April 2015}}		In 1972, Engineer took voluntary retirement in order to devote himself to the Bohra reform movement in the wake of a revolt in [[Udaipur]]. He was unanimously elected as General Secretary of The Central Board of [[Dawoodi Bohra]] Community in its first conference in Udaipur in 1977. In 2004 due to criticism of the Dawoodi Bohra religious establishment he was expelled. In 1980, he set up the Institute of Islamic Studies in [[Mumbai]] to create a platform for progressive Muslims in India and elsewhere. Subsequently, through the 1980s, he wrote extensively on Hindu-Muslim relations, and growing [[Religious violence in India\|communal violence in India]]. Asghar Ali Engineer has been instrumental in publicising the [[Progressive Dawoodi Bohra]] movement through his writings and speeches. In 1993, he founded 'Center for Study of Society and Secularism (CSSS)' to promote communal harmony.<ref name=yo/> He did not support the ban on [[Salman Rushdie]]'s "Satanic Verses" though he felt that the novel "is an attack" on religion.<ref>An interview of A.A Engineer where he says clearly that he is not in favor of the ban. Its a YT link with <domain>/watch?v=06V1Du-fZ8o starting at 06:09</ref><ref>A.A. Engineer, interviewed by Sharmila Joshi, Times of India, 16. April 1995.</ref><!--Please provide the whole quotation from the given source, basic search doesn't show anything regarding his support, or provide another source-->{{verify source\|date=April 2015}}

	He authored more than 50 books<ref>[http://www.csss-isla.com/booklist/asghar_list.php Books written and edited by Dr. Asghar Ali Engineer] {{webarchive\|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090213163757/http://csss-isla.com/booklist/asghar_list.php \|date=13 February 2009 }} CSSS- Centre for Study of Society and Secularism.</ref> and many articles in various national and international journals. He was the founding chairman of the Asian Muslim Action Network, director of the Institute of Islamic Studies, and head of the Center for Study of Society and Secularism in [[Mumbai]], where he closely worked with scholar and scientist Professor Dr [[Ram Puniyani]]. Engineer was also a supporter of the supporter of the [[Campaign for the Establishment of a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly]], an organisation which campaigns for democratic reformation of the United Nations.<ref>{{Cite news\|url=http://en.unpacampaign.org/supporters/overview/?mapcountry=allhea&mapgroup=hea\|title=Supporters\|website=Campaign for a UN Parliamentary Assembly\|access-date=2017~~-09-26~~\|language=en-US}}</ref>		He authored more than 50 books<ref>[http://www.csss-isla.com/booklist/asghar_list.php Books written and edited by Dr. Asghar Ali Engineer] {{webarchive\|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090213163757/http://csss-isla.com/booklist/asghar_list.php \|date=13 February 2009 }} CSSS- Centre for Study of Society and Secularism.</ref> and many articles in various national and international journals. He was the founding chairman of the Asian Muslim Action Network, director of the Institute of Islamic Studies, and head of the Center for Study of Society and Secularism in [[Mumbai]], where he closely worked with scholar and scientist Professor Dr [[Ram Puniyani]]. Engineer was also a supporter of the supporter of the [[Campaign for the Establishment of a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly]], an organisation which campaigns for democratic reformation of the United Nations.<ref>{{Cite news\|url=http://en.unpacampaign.org/supporters/overview/?mapcountry=allhea&mapgroup=hea\|title=Supporters\|website=Campaign for a UN Parliamentary Assembly\|access-date=26 September 2017\|language=en-US}}</ref>

	==Beliefs on women's rights==		==Beliefs on women's rights==
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{{EngvarB|date=August 2014}}
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{{Infobox writer
| name = Asghar Ali Engineer
| image =Asghar Ali Engineer, 2010 (cropped).jpg
| caption = Asghar Ali Engineer in 2010
| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1939|03|10}}
| birth_place = [[Salumbar]], Rajasthan
| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|2013|05|14|1939|03|10}}
| death_place = [[Santacruz, Mumbai|Santacruz]], [[Mumbai]], India
| occupation = Writer, activist
| nationality = Indian
| children = 2
| awards = [[Right Livelihood Award]] (2004)
}}
{{Ismailis|Leaders}}
'''Asghar Ali Engineer''' (10 March 1939 – 14 May 2013) was an Indian reformist-writer and social activist.<ref>{{cite news|last=IANS|title=Scholar Asghar Ali Engineer dies at 74|url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/mumbai/islamic-scholar-asghar-ali-engineer-dead/story-kLwNoLbSso7FL75ybRS9nK.html|accessdate=14 May 2013|newspaper=Hindustan Times|date=14 May 2013}}</ref>
Internationally known for his work on [[liberation theology]] in [[Islam]], he led the [[Progressive Dawoodi Bohra]] movement. The focus of his work was on [[communalism]] and communal and [[ethnic violence]] in India and South Asia. He was a votary of peace and non-violence and lectured all over world on communal harmony.<ref>[http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~rtavakol/engineer/about.htm About Asghar Ali Engineer] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070519075550/http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~rtavakol/engineer/about.htm |date=19 May 2007 }} [[Rutgers University]].</ref>

Engineer also served as head of the [[Indian Institute of Islamic Studies]] Mumbai, and the Centre for Study of Society and Secularism, both of which he founded in 1980 and 1993 respectively.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/19991007222718/http://ecumene.org/IIS/csss.htm Institute of Islamic Studies and Centre for Study of Society and Secularism].</ref><ref>[http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=101790 Asghar Ali Engineer gets alternative Nobel]{{Dead link|date=May 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} [[Indian Express]], 2 October 2004.</ref> He also made contributions to ''The God Contention'',<ref>[http://www.godcontention.org The God Contention]</ref> a website comparing and contrasting various worldviews. Engineer's autobiography ''A Living Faith: My Quest for Peace, Harmony and Social Change'' was released in New Delhi on 20 July 2011 by [[Hamid Ansari]], the then Vice-President of India.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.csss-isla.com/ |title=Center For Study of Society And Secularism |publisher=Csss-isla.com |accessdate=16 May 2013}}</ref>

==Biography==
[[image:Asghar Ali Engineer 1.jpg|left|thumb|Asghar Ali Engineer]]
Asghar Ali Engineer was born 10 March 1939 in [[Salumbar]], Rajasthan, [[India]] as son of a [[Dawoodi Bohras|Bohra]] priest, Shaikh Qurban Hussain. He was trained in [[Qur'an]]ic [[tafsir]] (commentary), [[tawil]] (hidden meaning of Qur'an), [[fiqh]] (jurisprudence) and [[hadith]] (Prophet's sayings), and learned the [[Arabic language]].<ref name=yo>[https://books.google.com/books?id=d3Q7uZ8WpmMC&pg=PA12 Asghar Ali Engineer: the man] ''Muslims in India Since 1947: Islamic Perspectives on Inter-faith Relations'', by [[Yoginder Sikand]]. Routledge, 2004. {{ISBN|0-415-31486-0}}. ''Page 12–13''.</ref>

He graduated with a degree in civil engineering from [[Vikram University]] in [[Ujjain]], Madhya Pradesh,<ref name=ri/> and served for 20 years as an engineer in the [[Bombay Municipal Corporation]] before taking voluntary retirement in 1972, to devote himself to the Bohra reform movement.

He began to play a leading role in the reform movement in 1972 when a revolt took place in [[Udaipur]]. He was unanimously elected as General Secretary of The Central Board of [[Dawoodi Bohra]] Community in its first conference in Udaipur in 1977. In 2004 due to criticism of the Dawoodi Bohra religious establishment he was expelled. In 1980, he set up the Institute of Islamic Studies in [[Mumbai]] to create a platform for progressive Muslims in India and elsewhere. Subsequently, through the 1980s, he wrote extensively on Hindu-Muslim relations, and growing [[Religious violence in India|communal violence in India]]. Asghar Ali Engineer has been instrumental in publicising the [[Progressive Dawoodi Bohra]] movement through his writings and speeches. In 1993, he founded 'Center for Study of Society and Secularism' to promote communal harmony.<ref name=yo/> He supported the ban on [[Salman Rushdie]]'s "Satanic Verses" because he felt that the novel "is an attack" on religion.<ref>A.A. Engineer, interviewed by Sharmila Joshi, Times of India, 16. April 1995.</ref>{{verify source|date=April 2015}}

He authored more than 50 books<ref>[http://www.csss-isla.com/booklist/asghar_list.php Books written and edited by Dr. Asghar Ali Engineer] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090213163757/http://csss-isla.com/booklist/asghar_list.php |date=13 February 2009 }} CSSS- Centre for Study of Society and Secularism.</ref> and many articles in various national and international journals. He was the founding chairman of the Asian Muslim Action Network, director of the Institute of Islamic Studies, and head of the Center for Study of Society and Secularism in [[Mumbai]], where he closely worked with scholar and scientist Professor Dr [[Ram Puniyani]]. Engineer was also a supporter of the supporter of the [[Campaign for the Establishment of a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly]], an organisation which campaigns for democratic reformation of the United Nations.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://en.unpacampaign.org/supporters/overview/?mapcountry=allhea&mapgroup=hea|title=Supporters|website=Campaign for a UN Parliamentary Assembly|access-date=2017-09-26|language=en-US}}</ref>

==Beliefs on women's rights==
Engineer wrote that "Women do not enjoy the status the Qur'an has given them in Muslim society today."<ref>[http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~rtavakol/engineer/understand.htm On Methodology of Understanding Qur'an.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606043719/http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~rtavakol/engineer/understand.htm |date=6 June 2011 }} Engineer, Asghar Ali. "Dr Asghar Ali Engineer's Articles." Rutgers-Newark: The State University of New Jersey.</ref> Engineer believed that in this day and age women should be equal to men. <blockquote>Women had internalized their subjugation of men as the latter were the breadwinners. Since then women have become quite conscious of their new status.<ref>Engineer, Asghar Ali. The rights of Women in Islam. 2nd ed. Elgin, IL: New Dawn Press Group, 2004, 190.</ref></blockquote> Engineer believed that women should be treated as equal to men, and said that people who support an unjust order, or remain silent in view of gross injustices were not religious people. Women's inequality topped his priority list of injustices. However, critics said that his interpretations of the Qur'an were not strong enough to get people to change their beliefs surrounding women's place in Islam. Sikand thought that Engineer's opinion was based on his interpretation of the Qur'an and his outlook on the 21st century instead of the interpretations that the Qur'an has now. “His understanding of Islam is indelibly shaped by his concern for social justice and inter-communal harmony, of course.”<ref>Sikand, Yoginder. “Asghar Ali Engineer’s Quest for an Islamic Theology of Peach and Religious Pluralism.” Progressive Dawoodi Bohras. Quest.http://dawoodi-bohras.com/about_us/people/engineer/quest/ (accessed 23 April 2009), 16.</ref>

==Awards==
Engineer was given several awards during his lifetime, including the Dalmia Award for communal harmony in 1990, an honorary [[D.Litt.]] by the [[University of Calcutta]] in 1993, the Communal Harmony Award in 1997 and the [[Right Livelihood Award]] in 2004 (with [[Swami Agnivesh]]) for his "strong commitment to promote values of co-existence and tolerance".<ref name=ri>[http://www.rightlivelihood.org/asghar-ali-engineer.html Right Livelihood – Asghar Ali Engineer] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081122044058/http://www.rightlivelihood.org/asghar-ali-engineer.html |date=22 November 2008 }} [[Right Livelihood Award]]</ref>

== Some works ==
*''Origin and Development of Islam: An Essay on Its Socio-Economic Growth''., by Asghar Ali Engineer, Asghar Ali Engineer Staff. Published by South Asia Books, 1980. {{ISBN|0-8364-0590-0}}.
*''The Islamic State''. Published by Vikas, 1980. {{ISBN|0-7069-1086-9}}.
*''Sufism and Communal Harmony''
*''Islam and Its Relevance to Our Age''. Published by Institute of Islamic Studies, 1984.
*''On developing theory of communal riots''. Published by Institute of Islamic Studies, 1984.
*''Islam and Revolution''. Published by Ajanta Publications, 1984.
*''Islam and Muslims: a critical reassessment''. Published by Printwell Publishers, 1985.
*''Islam in South and South-east Asia''. Published by Ajanta Publications, 1985. {{ISBN|81-202-0152-3}}.
*''Indian Muslims: A Study of Minority Problems in India''. Published by Ajanta Publications (India), 1985.
*''Communalism in India'', by Asgharali Engineer, Moin Shakir. Published by Ajanta Publications (India), 1985. {{ISBN|81-202-0153-1}}.
*''The Role of minorities in freedom struggle''. Institute of Islamic Studies (Bombay, India). Published by Ajanta Publications, 1986.
*''Ethnic conflict in South Asia''. Published by Ajanta Publications, 1987.
*''Status of women in Islam''. Published by Ajanta Publications (India), 1987. {{ISBN|81-202-0190-6}}.
*''The Shah Bano controversy'', Orient Longman, 1987. {{ISBN|0-86131-701-7}}.
*''The Muslim communities of Gujarat: an exploratory study of Bohras, Khojas, and Memons''. Published by Ajanta Publications, 1989. {{ISBN|81-202-0220-1}}.
*''Religion and Liberation''. Published by Ajanta Publications (India), 1989. {{ISBN|81-202-0264-3}}.
*''Communalism and communal violence in India: an analytical approach to Hindu-Muslim conflict''. Published by Ajanta Publications (India), 1989.
*''Communal Riots in Post-independence India''. Published by Orient Blackswan, 1991. {{ISBN|81-7370-102-4}}.
*''Secular crown on fire: the Kashmir problem''. Published by Ajanta Publications, 1991. {{ISBN|81-202-0311-9}}.
*''Mandal Commission controversy''. Published by Ajanta Publications, 1991. {{ISBN|81-202-0312-7}}.
*''Rights of Women in Islam''. Sterling Publishers, 1992.
*''Communalisation of politics and 10th Lok Sabha elections'', by Asgharali Engineer, Pradeep Nayak. Published by Ajanta Publications, 1993.
*''The Bohras''. South Asia Books, 1994. {{ISBN|0-7069-7345-3}}.
*''Kerala Muslims: a historical perspective''. Published by Ajanta Publications, 1995.
*''Lifting the veil: communal violence and communal harmony in contemporary India''. Sangam Books, 1995. {{ISBN|81-7370-040-0}},.
*''Problems of Muslim Women in India''. Published by Institute of Islamic Studies, 1995.
*''Rethinking Issues in Islam''. Sangam Books Limited, 1998. {{ISBN|0-86311-768-6}}.
*''Competing nationalisms in South Asia: essays for Asghar Ali Engineer'', by Paul R. Brass, Achin Vanaik, Asgharali Engineer. Published by Orient Blackswan, 2002. {{ISBN|81-250-2221-X}}.
*''Islam in India: The Impact of Civilizations''. Shipra Publications, 2002. {{ISBN|81-7541-115-5}}.
*''The Gujarat Carnage''. Orient Longman, 2003 {{ISBN|978-81-250-2496-5}}.
*''The Qurʼan, women, and modern society''. Published by New Dawn Press Group, 2005. {{ISBN|1-932705-42-2}}.
*''The State in Islam: Nature and scope''. Hope India Publications, 2006. {{ISBN|81-7871-102-8}}.
*''Islam in Contemporary World''. Sterling Publishers, 2007. {{ISBN|1-932705-69-4}}.
*''Islam in Post-Modern World''. Hope India Publications, 2009.

==Further reading==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20091118180310/http://www.csss-isla.com/archive/archive.php?article=2009%2Fmay1_may15.htm Islam in Democracy]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20080819194115/http://www.andromeda.rutgers.edu/%7Ertavakol/engineer/ Dr Asghar Ali Engineer's Articles] [[Rutgers University]]
*[http://www.twocircles.net/2009feb02/madrasa_education_myth_and_reality.html Madrasa education myth and reality]- TCN News

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Wikiquote}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20060302004904/http://www.andromeda.rutgers.edu/%7Ertavakol/engineer/ Asghar Ali Engineer's Articles]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20060715035256/http://www.rightlivelihood.org/recip.htm Right Livelihood Award Recipient]
*[http://dawoodi-bohras.com/about_us/people/engineer/ Asghar Ali Engineer: Scholar with a mission]
*[http://www.godcontention.org Dr. Engineer's articles on Islam at The God Contention]

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Engineer, Asghar Ali}}
[[Category:1939 births]]
[[Category:2013 deaths]]
[[Category:Dawoodi Bohras]]
[[Category:Indian Ismailis]]
[[Category:Writers from Rajasthan]]
[[Category:Activists from Rajasthan]]
[[Category:Male feminists]]
[[Category:Muslim reformers]]
[[Category:20th-century Muslim scholars of Islam]]
[[Category:Indian academics]]
[[Category:Critics of Islamism]]
[[Category:Vikram University alumni]]
[[Category:Hindu and Islamic interfaith dialogue]]
[[Category:People in interfaith dialogue]]