Abstract
In the year 632, the prophet Mohammad died in the Saudi Arabian Peninsula, shocking the nascent Islamic community. Few believed that a prophet could die so young, at 62, and no one had prepared for a peaceful transfer of power. In this presentation, Dr. Shaherzad Ahmadi, Assistant Professor of History at the University of St. Thomas, will discuss the intra-religious question of succession and the modern consequences of the Shi'i-Sunni divide in Islamic politics.
Dr. Ahmadi specializes in the modern Islamic world, especially the Middle East. She holds a Ph.D. in history from the University of Texas at Austin, where her doctoral work focused on the Iran-Iraq borderland. She has authored several pieces, including the award-winning article “‘In My Eyes He Was a Man’: Poor and Working-Class Boy Soldiers in the Iran-Iraq War.” She is currently writing her book manuscript Living on the Edge: War and Peace in the Borderland, 1958-1988. Dr. Ahmadi teaches undergraduate courses at the University of St. Thomas, including the Shi’i/ Sunni Split as well as the Middle East and North Africa in Global Perspectives.
Sponsored by Jay Phillips Center for Interfaith Learning Department of History Theological Encounters program of the Theology Department