Hamid Algar
Encyclopedia
Hamid Algar is a British-American Professor Emeritus of Persian studies
at the Faculty of Near Eastern Studies, University of California, Berkeley
. He is a prolific writer on Persian and Arabic literature and contemporary history of Iran
, Turkey
, the Balkans
and Afghanistan
.
Hamid Algar was born in 1940 in UK. After earning his B.A. in Persian language at Trinity College, Cambridge
, he was offered a scholarship to Tehran University in Iran. He then moved to Cambridge and defended his thesis in 1965.
He served on the UC Berkeley faculty for 45 years (from 1965 to 2010). Algar remains an active scholar and his research has concentrated on the Islamic history of the Perso-Turkish world, with particular emphasis on Iranian Shi'ism during the past two centuries and the Naqshbandi Sufi order.
organized by the Armenian Students' Association, Algar approached Armenian students and made a number of controversial remarks. He was quoted to have said, "It was not a Genocide, but I wish it was, you lying pigs!" and "You are distorting the truth about history. You stupid Armenians, you deserve to be massacred!" When one of the students asked him to identify himself, Algar refused but said, "I've been here for 30 years you bastard!" He reportedly spat on one of the students as well. The students subsequently filed a complaint at the Student Advocate Office, which prompted the university to carry out an investigation. In January 1999, the five-month long investigation concluded and found that while Professor Algar's comments "seem to fall within the bounds of constitutionally protected speech", it did not mean that "the University condones the type of speech used by the parties." It went on to give its description of what had transpired at the commemoration: "a single individual addressed a group of eight to ten persons with a view on a historical issue, the Armenian killings of WWI, to which the targeted group had itself invited public attention. However much a particular group may desire or even expect the support of the campus community, opposition to the group's position is just as legitimate as advocacy of it."
Some people, however, felt that "the University was unprepared to deal with such a situation and mistakenly treated the incident as a heated academic debate and not a personal attack on a group of individuals." Not satisfied with the university's response, the students turned to the Associated Students of UC Berkeley (ASUC), a broad coalition made up of students from different backgrounds, which unanimously passed (17 votes for, 0 against) a resolution entitled "A Bill Against Hate Speech and in Support of Reprimand for Prof. Algar" on March 10, 1999. The text of the resolution partially read:
The ASUC also sent a letter to the university establishment, urging that more awareness be brought to the Armenian Genocide and demanded that it reprimand Professor Algar if he did not issue a written apology to the student body.
Articles written by Professor Hamid Algar:
Tasawwuf and Literature in Bosnia, Kuala Lumpur: Hizbi Publications, 1996;
"Elements de provenance Malamati dans la tradition primitive Naqshbandi" in Melamis-Bayramis: Etudes sur trois mouvements mystiques musulmans, Clayer, Popovic, and Zarcone (eds.), Istanbul: Editions Isis, 1998;
"The Hamzeviye: A Deviant Movement in Bosnian Sufism" in Islamic Studies (Islamabad), XXXVI:2-3 (1997);
"Iran'in Dini Dusuncesinde Degism ve Devrim" in Islam, Gelenek ve Yenilesme, Yel and Aslan (eds.), Istanbul: Turkiye Diyanet Vakfi, 1996;
"The Literature of the Bosnian Muslims: A Quadrilingual Heritage" in Nadwah Ketawaan Melalui Kreativiti, Jafar Husin (ed.), Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 1995.
Algar, Hamid (1971). "Some Notes on the Naqshbandī Tarīqat in Bosnia". Die Welt des Islams 13 (3/4): 168-203.
Algar, Hamid (1976). "The Naqshbandī Order: A Preliminary Survey of Its History and Significance". Studia Islamica 44: 123-152.
He translated Imamate and Leadership by Sayyid Mujtaba Musavi Lari.
Persian studies
Persian Studies is the study of the Persian language and its literature specifically. It is differentiated from Iranian Studies which is a broader, more interdisciplinary subject that focuses more on the histories and cultures of all Iranian peoples....
at the Faculty of Near Eastern Studies, University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
. He is a prolific writer on Persian and Arabic literature and contemporary history of Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, the Balkans
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
and Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
.
Hamid Algar was born in 1940 in UK. After earning his B.A. in Persian language at Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
, he was offered a scholarship to Tehran University in Iran. He then moved to Cambridge and defended his thesis in 1965.
He served on the UC Berkeley faculty for 45 years (from 1965 to 2010). Algar remains an active scholar and his research has concentrated on the Islamic history of the Perso-Turkish world, with particular emphasis on Iranian Shi'ism during the past two centuries and the Naqshbandi Sufi order.
Genocide commemoration incident
In April 1998, during an on-campus commemoration of the Armenian GenocideArmenian Genocide
The Armenian Genocide—also known as the Armenian Holocaust, the Armenian Massacres and, by Armenians, as the Great Crime—refers to the deliberate and systematic destruction of the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire during and just after World War I...
organized by the Armenian Students' Association, Algar approached Armenian students and made a number of controversial remarks. He was quoted to have said, "It was not a Genocide, but I wish it was, you lying pigs!" and "You are distorting the truth about history. You stupid Armenians, you deserve to be massacred!" When one of the students asked him to identify himself, Algar refused but said, "I've been here for 30 years you bastard!" He reportedly spat on one of the students as well. The students subsequently filed a complaint at the Student Advocate Office, which prompted the university to carry out an investigation. In January 1999, the five-month long investigation concluded and found that while Professor Algar's comments "seem to fall within the bounds of constitutionally protected speech", it did not mean that "the University condones the type of speech used by the parties." It went on to give its description of what had transpired at the commemoration: "a single individual addressed a group of eight to ten persons with a view on a historical issue, the Armenian killings of WWI, to which the targeted group had itself invited public attention. However much a particular group may desire or even expect the support of the campus community, opposition to the group's position is just as legitimate as advocacy of it."
Some people, however, felt that "the University was unprepared to deal with such a situation and mistakenly treated the incident as a heated academic debate and not a personal attack on a group of individuals." Not satisfied with the university's response, the students turned to the Associated Students of UC Berkeley (ASUC), a broad coalition made up of students from different backgrounds, which unanimously passed (17 votes for, 0 against) a resolution entitled "A Bill Against Hate Speech and in Support of Reprimand for Prof. Algar" on March 10, 1999. The text of the resolution partially read:
The ASUC also sent a letter to the university establishment, urging that more awareness be brought to the Armenian Genocide and demanded that it reprimand Professor Algar if he did not issue a written apology to the student body.
Books
- 1- Imam Abu Hamid Ghazali,
- 2- Jesus in the Qur'an
- 3- Roots of The Islamic Revolution in Iran
- 4- Sufism: Principles and Practice
- 5- Surat Al-Fatiha: Foundation of the Qur'an
- 6- The Sunna: Its Obligatory and Exemplary Aspects
- 7- Wahhabism: A Critical Essay
Articles written by Professor Hamid Algar:
Tasawwuf and Literature in Bosnia, Kuala Lumpur: Hizbi Publications, 1996;
"Elements de provenance Malamati dans la tradition primitive Naqshbandi" in Melamis-Bayramis: Etudes sur trois mouvements mystiques musulmans, Clayer, Popovic, and Zarcone (eds.), Istanbul: Editions Isis, 1998;
"The Hamzeviye: A Deviant Movement in Bosnian Sufism" in Islamic Studies (Islamabad), XXXVI:2-3 (1997);
"Iran'in Dini Dusuncesinde Degism ve Devrim" in Islam, Gelenek ve Yenilesme, Yel and Aslan (eds.), Istanbul: Turkiye Diyanet Vakfi, 1996;
"The Literature of the Bosnian Muslims: A Quadrilingual Heritage" in Nadwah Ketawaan Melalui Kreativiti, Jafar Husin (ed.), Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 1995.
Algar, Hamid (1971). "Some Notes on the Naqshbandī Tarīqat in Bosnia". Die Welt des Islams 13 (3/4): 168-203.
Algar, Hamid (1976). "The Naqshbandī Order: A Preliminary Survey of Its History and Significance". Studia Islamica 44: 123-152.
He translated Imamate and Leadership by Sayyid Mujtaba Musavi Lari.
See also
- Abdolkarim SoroushAbdolkarim SoroushAbdolkarim Soroush , born Hosein Haj Faraj Dabbagh , is an Iranian thinker, reformer, Rumi scholar and a former professor at the University of Tehran. He is arguably the most influential figure in religious intellectual movement in Iran. Professor Soroush is currently a visiting scholar at the...
- Javad TabatabaeiJavad TabatabaeiDr. Javad Tabatabai is a political philosopher, historian and university professor.Tabatabai studied law at Tehran University. He then shifted to philosophy and did his doctorate works at Sorbonne University. Tabatabai was a professor of philosophy at University of Strasbourg as well as Tehran...
- Abdolhossein Zarrinkoub