Akbar Ahmed, an expert on Islam, a cultural anthropologist and the former high commissioner of Pakistan to Britain, will join the Naval Academy this fall, filling a new chair for Middle East Studies. Ahmed has promoted interfaith relations through his many books, television appearances and public dialogues with Judea Pearl, the father of slain Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl. Ahmed, who also has worked in film and documentary, has previously taught at American, Princeton, Harvard and Cambridge universities. His most recent book, published in 2007, is Journey into Islam: The Crisis of Globalization. At the Naval Academy, he will teach courses, advise midshipmen and faculty, and assist in research projects.
