Renowned Islamic scholar, progressive thinker, author and Dawoodi Bohra reformist leader Asghar Ali Engineer passed away on Tuesday after a prolonged illness at his home in Santa Cruz. He was 74.
Dr Engineer, a widower, is survived by his son Irfaan and daughter Seema Indorewala.
He was ailing for the past several months. The funeral is will be held on Wednesday morning at 9 am at Juhu Gardens in Santa Cruz.
Dr Engineer was a Dawoodi Bohra Muslim, and an important component of his work was to promote a better understanding of Islam and to critique some of its manifestations from the inside (for example, Rethinking Issues in Islam in 1998).
His progressive interpretation of the scriptures often brought him into direct conflict with the orthodox clergy. The focus of his work was on (and action against) communalism and communal and ethnic violence in India and South Asia.
Born in 1940, Dr Engineer completed his BSc in civil engineering from Vikram University. In 1980, he began editing a journal, The Islamic Perspective, and during the 1980s, he published a string of books on Islam and communal violence in India — the latter based on his field investigations in post-Independence India.
In 1987, he received the Distinguished Service Award from the USA International Student Assembly and the USA Indian Student Assembly. In 1990, he received the Dalmia Award for communal harmony and was the recipient of three honorary doctorate degrees.
A prolific author, Dr Engineer published 52 books, many papers, and articles, including those for scholarly journals.
He edited the Indian Journal of Secularism, and a monthly paper, Islam and Modern Age. He also published Secular Perspective every fortnight.
Dr Engineer received several awards, including the National Communal Harmony Award in 1997, and the USA Award from the Association for Communal Harmony in Asia in 2003.
On Republic Day this year, Dr Engineer was given the National Communal Harmony Award by the government of India in recognition of his work for promoting communal harmony throughout the country.