Professor Mona Siddiqui has been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Science. The Professor of Islamic and Interreligious Studies, School of Divinity, University of Edinburgh, will be inducted at the House of the Academy in Cambridge, Massachusetts, 12 October 2019. Founded in 1780, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences recognises excellence and convenes leaders from every field “to cultivate every art and science which may tend to advance the interest, honor, dignity, and happiness of a free, independent, and virtuous people.” Past members have included Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jnr, T. S. Eliot, Edward K. (Duke) Ellington, Alexander Graham Bell, Charles Darwin, Albert Einstein, Jawaharlal Nehru, and Nelson Mandela. Current members include over 250 Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners. In their letter announcing Professor Siddiqui’s election, the Chair Dr Nancy C. Andrews, and President Dr David W. Oxtoby, said, “This honor signifies the high regard in which you are held by leaders in your field and members throughout the nation.” Professor Siddiqui is delighted. “It is a great privilege to be elected to such a prestigious organisation,” Professor Siddiqui commented. “I would like to humbly thank those members who nominated and elected me. It is lovely news.” Head of the School of Divinity, Professor Helen Bond, told colleagues, “I'm sure you'll all want to join with me in celebrating Professor Mona Siddiqui's election to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. This is a tremendous honour. Congratulations, Mona!” Earlier this year Professor Siddiqui received the Hubert Walter Award for Reconciliation and Interfaith Cooperation from the Archbishop of Canterbury as “one of the UK’s most eloquent and articulate advocates for interfaith dialogue and a most cogent commentator on current affairs, religion and public life.” Links American Academy of Arts and Science Academy press release Professor Siddiqui’s web profile Hubert Walter Award This article was published on 2024-03-19
