Background
Eqbal Ahmad was born on December 30, 1931, in Bihar, India, where the members of his family were landowners. He was a son of Malik Ataur Ahmad and Khatoon Ismail Rahman Ahmad.
Canal Bank Rd, Quaid-i-Azam Campus, Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan
In 1951, Eqbal received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Punjab University. In 1953, he attained a Master of Arts degree from the same university.
Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, United States
In 1965, Eqbal got a Doctor of Philosophy degree from Princeton University.
1600 Campus Rd, Los Angeles, CA 90041, United States
In 1957, Ahmad entered Occidental College in California, where he spent a year, studying American history.
1971
Washington, District of Columbia, United States
Eqbal Ahmad, third from right, gestures as he leaves the Federal Building, Washington, D.C., in May 1971, as part of the Harrisburg Seven, a group of anti-war activists, unsuccessfully prosecuted for allegedly plotting to kidnap Henry Kissinger, the United States president Richard Nixon's national security advisor.
Photograph of Eqbal Ahmad at home in New York.
Lahore, Pakistan
Eqbal Ahmad, lecturing in Lahore.
1971
Washington, District of Columbia, United States
Eqbal Ahmad, third from right, gestures as he leaves the Federal Building, Washington, D.C., in May 1971, as part of the Harrisburg Seven, a group of anti-war activists, unsuccessfully prosecuted for allegedly plotting to kidnap Henry Kissinger, the United States president Richard Nixon's national security advisor.
Canal Bank Rd, Quaid-i-Azam Campus, Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan
In 1951, Eqbal received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Punjab University. In 1953, he attained a Master of Arts degree from the same university.
Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, United States
In 1965, Eqbal got a Doctor of Philosophy degree from Princeton University.
Photograph of Eqbal Ahmad at home in New York.
Lahore, Pakistan
Eqbal Ahmad, lecturing in Lahore.
1600 Campus Rd, Los Angeles, CA 90041, United States
In 1957, Ahmad entered Occidental College in California, where he spent a year, studying American history.
https://www.amazon.com/Eqbal-Ahmad-Confronting-David-Barsamian/dp/0896086151/?tag=2022091-20
2000
(In "Terrorism: Theirs and Ours", Eqbal Ahmad holds up the...)
In "Terrorism: Theirs and Ours", Eqbal Ahmad holds up the concepts of "terrorist" and "freedom fighter" to the United States foreign policy.
https://www.amazon.com/Terrorism-Theirs-Ours-Eqbal-Ahmad/dp/1583224904/?tag=2022091-20
2001
activist educator political scientist writer academic
Eqbal Ahmad was born on December 30, 1931, in Bihar, India, where the members of his family were landowners. He was a son of Malik Ataur Ahmad and Khatoon Ismail Rahman Ahmad.
In 1947, after the English withdrew from India and violence ensued between Hindus and Muslims, Ahmad’s family left India for the newly formed Islamic state of Pakistan. Living conditions in Pakistan scarcely matched those, enjoyed by Ahmad’s family in their former home. Despite enduring hardships, Ahmad managed to complete his university studies.
In 1951, Eqbal received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Punjab University. In 1953, he attained a Master of Arts degree from the same university. After serving briefly as an army officer, he enrolled at Occidental College in California in 1957, where he spent a year, studying American history. Later, Ahmad continued his education at Princeton University, graduating with a Doctor of Philosophy degree in 1965.
In the mid-1950's, namely in 1954-1956, Eqbal worked as a lecturer at the Pakistan Military Academy, as well as at Forman Christian College from 1956 till 1957, but he traveled to North Africa in the early 1960's, where he joined Ben Bella’s Muslim separatists in their fight to win the liberation of Algeria from France. Ahmad eventually came to the United States, where, after completing his studies at Princeton University, he served as an assistant professor at Cornell University between 1965 and 1968.
From 1969 till 1973, Eqbal was a fellow at Adlai Stevenson Institute in Chicago. Beginning in 1974, he acted as a senior fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington, D.C.
Also, it was in 1971, that Ahmad gained notoriety, when he was one of a group of dissidents, "Harrisburg Seven", arrested and charged with planning the destruction of government buildings and the kidnapping of Henry Kissinger, national security adviser to President Richard Nixon. The trial ran for five weeks. After the jury failed to reach a verdict, Ahmad resumed his teaching career at various universities. He also found himself in demand for his opinions on politics and world affairs.
In 1974, he founded the Transnational Institute in Amsterdam, which he directed until 1975. In 1983, Ahmad became a professor of international relations and Middle Eastern studies at Hampshire College in Amherst. He remained at Hampshire College until 1997, when he returned to Pakistan and settled in Islamabad, where he worked to create a new university. Ahmad died in May, 1999, following surgery for cancer. His efforts at founding Khaldunia University were continued by Pakistani activists and educators.
Also, during his lifetime, Eqbal served as a member of national council at the National Emergency Civil Liberties Commission. In addition, he was an author of a weekly column in Dawn newspaper and a contributor to various periodicals. Ahmad was a founding chancellor of the Textile Institute of Pakistan, a textile-oriented science, design and business degree-awarding institute.
Eqbal Ahmad was a well-known political scientist, educator, writer, as well as political activist, known for his anti-war activism, support for resistance movements globally and academic contributions to the study of Near E.
Ahmad was one of the most prominent left-wing academics in both Pakistan and the United States. His legacy was that of strong opposition to militarism, bureaucracy, nuclear arms and ideological rigidity, while he was a strong supporter of democracy and self-determination.
In addition, he was a recipient of fellowships from Rockefeller Foundation and MacArthur Foundation.
Since his death, a memorial lecture series has been established at Hampshire College in his honour.
(In "Terrorism: Theirs and Ours", Eqbal Ahmad holds up the...)
2001During his time in Algeria, Eqbal was a member of the National Liberation Front and also cooperated with Frantz Fanon. After Ahmad's return to the United States, he defended the rights of Palestinian people and advised against the Vietnam War. Also, while in the United States, Eqbal took part in planning the destruction of government buildings and the kidnapping of Henry Kissinger, national security adviser to President Richard Nixon.
Ahmad was a fierce opponent of imperialism and corruption and advocated democratic transformations in postcolonial and third-world societies. A uniquely perceptive critic of colonialism and the United States foreign policy, Ahmad was equally vigilant in his criticisms of third-world dictatorships.
In addition, Ahmad endeavored to resolve Pakistan-Indian disagreements with regard to nuclear weaponry and the occupation of Kashmir.
Quotations:
"We should begin by recognizing, that Pakistani and Indian rulers are caught in medieval, militaristic minds. They are no more modern, than the Clintons and the Bushes, who see power in terms of military prowess. We are living in modern times and are dominated by medieval minds."
"I don’t believe in nuclear weapons. I believe in unilaterally not having to compete with India in the nuclear arms race."
"I could have lived a very comfortable, boring, selfish, quiet existence as a regular academic or a corporate executive. Instead, I chose to live a life, that has been very rich spiritually and intellectually and rather poor materially."
"I have the simple satisfaction of knowing, that we have tried...to change, where change seemed necessary."
Eqbal married Julie Sal Diamond, a teacher and writer, on October 25, 1969. Their marriage produced one daughter - Dobra Khadija.
