Asma Afsaruddin

Asma Afsaruddin is the Class of 1950 Herman B. Wells Endowed Professor and Professor of Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures at Indiana University Bloomington, affiliated with the Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies. She holds adjunct roles in Religious Studies and Gender Studies. Her research focuses on Qur’anic exegesis, jihad and martyrdom, Islamic history, and gender studies. She has authored eight books, including award-winning works like Striving in the Path of God: Jihad and Martyrdom in Islamic Thought (2013) and Jihad: What Everyone Needs to Know (2022). Her recent The Oxford Handbook of Islam and Women (2023) redefines gendered readings of Islamic texts. A Carnegie Scholar (2005), she emphasizes pluralism and ethical reform in Islamic thought.

Her education includes advanced studies in Islamic theology and history. Key research interests span medieval Islamic discourse, religious pluralism, and contemporary activism. Awards include the British-Kuwaiti Friendship Society runner-up prize (2014) and the Iranian World Book Award (2015). She frequently addresses misconceptions about Islam, advocating for nuanced interpretations of scripture.