Professor, Ar-Raniry State Islamic University

Asna Husin is Associate Professor (‘Dosen’) teaching Philosophy of Education and Islamic Civilization at Ar-Raniry State Islamic University at Darussalam in Banda Aceh, Indonesia. She currently serves as senior researcher at the Washington D.C. based NGO Nonviolence International, working on Cultural Resources for Islamic Peace Building and the History of Indonesian Muslim Communities in America. Dr. Husin gained a Master’s Degree in Middle Eastern Studies from Harvard University (1992) on a Fulbright scholarship, then her Doctorate in Religious Studies from Columbia University (1998) with a dissertation on philosophical and social aspects of da‘wah in 20th century Indonesia. She served as an Associate Fellow at the Center for the Study of Human Rights at Columbia University (1998), while teaching Islamic Civilization as Adjunct Professor at the State University of New York, Old Westbury. Dr. Husin next worked as Director of Women’s Program at the World Conference on Religion and Peace (WCRP 1998–2000), when she organized the ‘World Women Assembly’ in 1998 in Amman, Jordan, attended by religious organizations from thirty-three countries. Upon returning to Banda Aceh in 2000, Dr. Husin established and directed the NGO Peace Education Program (Program Pendidikan Damai, independent affiliat e of Nonviolence International) while resuming her teaching tasks at Ar-Raniry. From 2000 until 2011 under her direction PPD staff trained over 75,000 students and Acehnese High School teachers in peace education and conflict management. Working closely with Aceh’s Ulama leaders over the course of twelve years, PPD produced successive editions of two educational Peace Manuals. Dr. Husin promotes intrafaith discussions within Muslim communities and engages in interfaith dialogue with non-Muslims. She actively participates in academic conferences and workshops worldwide, and has published many articles and book chapters on Islamic peace studies, gender equity, education and Ulama institutions, and Islamic civilizational resources. Biography as at 06.08.18