Riffat Hassan is an internationally acclaimed Islamic scholar and activist. She is a Pakistani-American theologian and a leading Islamic feminist scholar of the Quran. She has previously taught at Harvard University and Oklahoma State University and is currently a professor of Religious Studies at the University of Louisville Kentucky. Hassan’s theology about Islam is an example of Progressive Islam in the modern world.

In the wake of September 11, 2001, Dr. Hassan developed and directed two major peace-building exchange programs, namely “Islamic Life in the U.S.” (2002-2006) and “Religion and Society: A Dialogue” (2006-2009), funded by the U.S. Department of State through grants to UofL. These programs were highly successful in building bridges between the U.S. and the Muslim world and Dr. Hassan’s pivotal role in making these programs models for future exchanges involving Muslims was widely recognized.

Dr. Hassan, now Professor Emerita, retired in 2009. Her publications include eight books, 58 book chapters, 52 journal articles, and 85 articles in newspaper special supplements, on such topics as Muhammad Iqbal, Women in Islam, Islam and interreligious dialogue, and human rights in Islam. She has made presentations in settings ranging from local churches to U.N. conferences at Cairo (1994) and Beijing (1995) where she was a major speaker.

She believes the Quran is the Magna Carta of human rights, while the inequality of women in Muslim societies is a result of cultural effects. She is the founder of The International Network for the Rights of Female Victims of Violence in Pakistan. She is recognized as an activist who has done much to promote women’s rights in Muslim societies and to combat “honor” crimes against women in Pakistan.