Imam Senad Agic has received his Islamic education at the oldest educational institution in the Balkans (founded in 1537), the Gazi-Husrev Beg Medresa (High School equivalent) in Sarajevo, received his higher education at the University of Sarajevo, where he studied Islamic civilization and Arabic, Persian, and Turkish languages and literatures and where he earned his Bachelor’s degree and the equivalent of a Master’s degree in Arabic. In 2004 he received the degree of Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) and in 2006 the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) with concentration on Islamic Studies from the Graduate Theological Foundation affiliated with both Oxford University in England and Centro pro Unione in Rome. In addition, Imam Agic was the 2004 recipient of the Jalaluddin Rumi Prize in Islamic Studies and was named the Imam Malik Fellow of the Foundation for the most outstanding Ph.D. doctoral dissertation presented in the academic year 2006 in Islamic Studies.
From 1985 to 1989, Agic worked in the Headquarters of the Islamic Authority in Bosnia and Herzegovina. As part of the publishing department, Agic worked on the first Bosnian-Croatian-Serbian dictionary of Arabic. He also authored a book with a comprehensive collection of Muslim names now in its sixth printing in Bosnian and “Immigration & Assimilation, The Bosnian Muslim Experience In Chicago”, The Rhodes-Fulbright Library, Lima, OH: Windham Hall Press, 2004 in English and The Faculty of Islamic Studies in Sarajevo, 2006 in Bosnian. He authored and edited “A Centennial of Bosniaks in North America”, The Islamic Association of Bosniaks in North America and Bosnian American Cultural Association, Chicago, 2006 in English and Bosnian and has published many articles in various journals on Islamic and other topics.
In 1989, Imam Agic was named Imam at the Islamic Cultural Center of Greater Chicago in Northbrook, Illinois and in 1994 the Grand Mufti of Bosnia and Herzegovina appointed him the head imam of the Islamic Association of Bosniaks in North America. He is a highly influential and respected community leader in the Bosniak-American and Muslim-American communities. As Imam, Agic has been active in interfaith programs, notably with the Northbrook Clergy Association and other interfaith dialogue associations. He has been selected to serve on the Advisory Board of American Islamic College in Chicago.
Agic has also been in the public eye, giving his views on many issues including Islam, religion, Genocide in Bosnia, spiritual traditions, September 11th and the struggle for the soul of Islam. He has also discussed peace and conflict within and among religions on “National Public Radio,” “Voice of America”, “Radio Free Europe”, “Deutche Welle,” “New York Times,” and other media outlets in the US and overseas. He was also a consultant and participant in the 2001 “Oprah Winfrey Show” on Islam.
Senad Agic is Shaykh Muhammad Nazim Adil al-Haqqani Professor of Islamic Studies. His current academic interests focus on traditional moderate Islam which shuns extremism and religious animosity in favor of coexistence, cooperation, dialogue, and mutual understanding, appreciation and respect.
Books
Religious Affiliation
General Areas of Interests
Specialized Areas
- Bosniaks in America
- Islam in Eastern Europe
- Sufism
- Traditional Moderate Islam
Areas of Service
Faculty Contact
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