“Each of us must do our duty even to those who failed to do the same for us, for if the path of replacing evil by goodness is not followed, how can what is broken ever be repaired?”
-DR. IRFAN AHMAD KHAN

Dr. Irfan Ahmad Khan is the founding President of the World Council of Muslims for Interfaith Relations (WCMIR). A respected Islamic scholar and author, Dr. Khan is committed to interreligious dialogue and understanding. He currently serves as Chair of the Interreligious Engagement Project as well as a trustee for the Council for a Parliament of the World’s Religions (CPWR).

Dr. Khan was born in Saharanpur, India in 1931. He graduated from Aligarh Muslim University in 1952 with a Bachleor’s degree in physical sciences, and then pursued his Master’s degree in Islamic sciences at Rampur. In 1986, he obtained his doctorate in Western philosophy from the University of Illinois.

From 1958 to 1973, Dr. Khan taught Western philosophy, Muslim theology and Indian religions at Aligarh Muslim University. In 1974, he moved to the United States and began teaching Islamic Philosophy at the University of Illinois at Chicago, as well as the University of Iowa, the School of Art Institute of Chicago, and the American Islamic College in Chicago.

Dr. Khan has traveled throughout Asia, Africa, Europe, Australia and North America, organized and presented at conferences and written numerous articles, sharing his uniquely modern, pluralistic perspective on contemporary philosophical and religious issues. In addition to his work with WCMIR and CPWR, he has been actively involved with the International Committee for the Peace Council since 1994, and co-founded the Interreligious Engagement Project for the 21st Century. He has also served as an advisor and board member for numerous international organizations and movements, such as Globalization for Common Good.

Through his work at the WCMIR, Dr. Khan has made significant strides within the interreligious movement and has worked tirelessly to promote a global culture of tolerance, peace, justice, and concern for one’s fellow human beings. He regularly facilitates dialogue for leaders and scholars of various traditions so that they can coordinate, network and consult. Dr. Khan has also worked to develop a common vision and strategy within the global Muslim community to address critical issues, such as social and economic justice, violence and oppression, eradication of poverty and hunger, as well as exploitation of the earth and environmental resources.

Over the last 50 years, Dr. Khan has also worked on developing a methodology for approaching Qur’anic teachings, and recently authored a new translation and commentary: Reflections on the Qur’an: Understanding Surahs Al-Fatihah & Al-Baqarah.