Jonathan A. C. Brown

{{Short description|American scholar of Islamic studies (born 1977)}}

{{Infobox scientist

| image = Jonathan Brown (41555692432).jpg

| image_size = 230px

| caption = Brown in 2018

| name = Jonathan A.C. Brown

| fullname =

| other_names =

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|mf=yes|1977|8|9}}

| birth_place = Washington, D.C., United States

| work_institution = Georgetown University (2010-)
University of Washington (2006-2010)

| alma_mater = Georgetown University (B.A.)
University of Chicago (Ph.D.)

| doctoral_advisor = Wadad Kadi

| spouse = Laila Al-Arian

| thesis_title = [http://www.mypercept.co.uk/the_canonization_of_al-bukhari.pdf The Canonization of al-Bukhari and Muslim: the Formation and Function of the Sunni Hadith Canon]

| thesis_year = 2006

| doctoral_students =

| era =

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| notable_ideas =

| major_works =

| prizes =

| website = {{URL|http://drjonathanbrown.com/}}

}}

Jonathan Andrew Cleveland Brown,https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_UB0W820qY (initials at 1:17:30) born August 7, 1977, is a university academic and American scholar of Islamic studies. Since 2012, he has served as an associate professor at Georgetown University's Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service. He holds the Alwaleed bin Talal Chair of Islamic Civilization at Georgetown University.{{Cite web |url=https://oneworld-publications.com/hadith.html |title=Oneworld Publications, Hadith by Jonathan A.C. Brown |access-date=2018-01-22 |archive-date=2019-04-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190413153647/https://oneworld-publications.com/hadith.html |url-status=dead }}

Brown is an advisor to the Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research, where he formerly served as Director of Research.{{Cite web |title=Dr. Jonathan Brown |url=https://yaqeeninstitute.org/team/jonathan-brown |access-date=2024-11-30 |website=Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research |language=en}}

Background and education

Brown was born in Washington, DC. He was raised as an Episcopalian. In 1997 while he was in college, prior to his 20th birthday, he converted to Islam.{{cite web

|url=http://www.lastprophet.info/jonathan-brown-on-being-inspired-by-prophet-muhammad

|title=Jonathan Brown on Being Inspired by Prophet Muhammad

|author=Ahsen Utku

|date=2010-08-18

|website=LastProphet.info

|access-date=8 October 2013

|archive-date=2019-04-13

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190413153647/http://www.lastprophet.info/jonathan-brown-on-being-inspired-by-prophet-muhammad

|url-status=dead

}} Brown is Sunni and follows the Hanbali school of Islamic jurisprudence.{{cite web|last1=Brown|first1=Jonathan|title=The Shariah, Homosexuality & Safeguarding Each Other's Rights in a Pluralist Society {{!}} ImanWire|url=http://almadinainstitute.org/blog/the-shariah-homosexuality-safeguarding-each-others-rights-in-a-pluralist-so/|website=Al-Madina Institute|language=en|date=18 June 2016|access-date=12 February 2017|archive-date=31 July 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160731002157/http://almadinainstitute.org/blog/the-shariah-homosexuality-safeguarding-each-others-rights-in-a-pluralist-so|url-status=dead}}

Brown graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in History in 2000 from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., studied Arabic for a year at the Center for Arabic Study Abroad at the American University of Cairo, and completed his doctorate in Islamic thought at the University of Chicago in 2006.

Family

Jonathan is married to Laila Al-Arian, an American broadcast journalist for the Al Jazeera Media Network. Al-Arian's father, Sami Al-Arian, is a Kuwaiti-born political activist who was deported from the U.S. to Turkey.Jodie Tillman, [https://www.tampabay.com/news/courts/sami-al-arian-leaves-us-and-goes-to-turkey/2216534/ Ex-USF professor Sami al-Arian deported to Turkey], Tampabay.com, February 5, 2015.

He was previously engaged to Maysoon Al-Suwaidan,{{Cite tweet |number=234183761447751680 |user=MaysAlsuwaidan |title=@mooona2201 ما عندي زوج ولا أولاد أختي هذي إشاعة انتشرت كثيرا، الرجل الوحيد الذي أعلنت خطبتي له هو:Jonathan AC Brown http://acmcu.georgetown.edu/acmcuprofiles/JonathanBrown.JPG |author=ميسون السويدان |date=2012-08-11 |language=ar}} daughter of Islamic author and speaker, Tareq Al-Suwaidan.{{Cite web |date=2004-04-28 |title=Descendant of Former US President Marries Kuwait Preacher's Daughter |url=https://www.arabnews.com/node/248440 |access-date=2024-06-18 |website=Arab News |language=en}} Tareq, who is also a leader of Kuwait's Muslim Brotherhood, is banned from the U.S. and Belgium because of his comments on Jews and Israel.{{Cite web |title=Belgium |url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/j/drl/rls/irf/2014/eur/238360.htm |access-date=2025-04-13 |website=U.S. Department of State}}

Brown is a descendant of former US president Grover Cleveland.

Career

From 2006 to 2010 he taught in the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilization at the University of Washington in Seattle, where he was awarded tenure. He then gave up tenure to move to Georgetown in 2010. After serving as an assistant professor he was granted tenure again in 2012, teaching Islamic Studies and Muslim-Christian Understanding in the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University.{{cite web |url=http://www18.georgetown.edu/data/people/brownj2/cv.pdf |title=Johnathan A.C. Brown : CV |website=18.georgetown.edu |access-date=2016-04-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160908215027/http://www18.georgetown.edu/data/people/brownj2/cv.pdf |archive-date=2016-09-08 |url-status=dead }}{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/book-review-the-lives-of-muhammad-by-kecia-ali-and-misquoting-muhammad-by-jonathan-ac-brown/2014/12/12/f18bf902-4eed-11e4-aa5e-7153e466a02d_story.html|title=Book review: 'The Lives of Muhammad,' by Kecia Ali and 'Misquoting Muhammad,' by Jonathan A.C. Brown.|last=Knight|first=Michael Muhammad|date=2014-12-12|newspaper=The Washington Post|language=en-US|issn=0190-8286|access-date=2016-04-01}} He is also a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations.{{cite web|url=http://www.cfr.org/about/membership/roster.html?letter=B |title=Membership Roster - Council on Foreign Relations |website=Cfr.org |date=2016-02-15 |access-date=2016-04-01}}

Brown served as the director of the Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding until 2019.[https://acmcu.georgetown.edu/faculty Faculty, Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding]

Publications and speeches

Brown has published work on Hadith, Islamic law, Sufism, Arabic lexical theory and Pre-Islamic poetry and is currently focused on the history of forgery and historical criticism in Islamic civilization and modern conflicts between late Sunni Traditionalism and Salafism in Islamic Thought.{{cite web |url=http://www.patheos.com/About-Patheos/Jonathan-Brown.html |title=Jonathan Brown |website=Patheos.com |access-date=2016-04-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150628203012/http://www.patheos.com/About-Patheos/Jonathan-Brown.html |archive-date=2015-06-28 |url-status=dead }}

=''Misquoting Muhammad'' (book)=

In his book Misquoting Muhammad, Brown argues that the “depth and breadth” of the early Muslim scholars’ achievement in assessing the authenticity of sayings and texts “dwarfed” that of the fathers of the Christian church.{{cite news|title=Islam and hadiths: Sifting and combing|url=https://www.economist.com/blogs/erasmus/2014/10/islam-and-hadiths|newspaper=The Economist|access-date=1 November 2014|date=28 Oct 2014}} The book received a number of positive reviews,{{cite news|author=Karen Armstrong |url=http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/culture/books/non_fiction/article1443180.ece |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141106222428/http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/culture/books/non_fiction/article1443180.ece |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 6, 2014 |title=Misquoting Muhammad: The Challenge and Choices of Interpreting the Prophet's Legacy by Jonathan AC Brown |newspaper=The Sunday Times |date=2014-08-10 |access-date=2016-04-01}}{{cite news|last=Muhammad |first=Michael |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/book-review-the-lives-of-muhammad-by-kecia-ali-and-misquoting-muhammad-by-jonathan-ac-brown/2014/12/12/f18bf902-4eed-11e4-aa5e-7153e466a02d_story.html |title=Book review: 'The Lives of Muhammad,' by Kecia Ali and 'Misquoting Muhammad,' by Jonathan A.C. Brown. |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=2014-12-12 |access-date=2016-04-01}}{{cite news|author=Mona Siddiqui |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/misquoting-muhammad-the-challenge-and-choices-of-interpreting-the-prophets-legacy-by-jonathan-a-c-9654383.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220614/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/misquoting-muhammad-the-challenge-and-choices-of-interpreting-the-prophets-legacy-by-jonathan-a-c-9654383.html |archive-date=2022-06-14 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Misquoting Muhammad: The Challenge and Choices of Interpreting the Prophet's Legacy by Jonathan A C Brown, book review | Reviews | Culture |newspaper=The Independent |date=2014-08-07 |access-date=2016-04-01}} and was named as one of the top books on religion of 2014 by The Independent.{{cite news|author=Marcus Tanner |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/features/books-of-the-year-2014-the-best-books-on-religion-9921799.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220614/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/features/books-of-the-year-2014-the-best-books-on-religion-9921799.html |archive-date=2022-06-14 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Books of the year 2014: The best books on religion | Features | Culture |newspaper=The Independent |date=2014-12-12 |access-date=2016-04-01}} One review of the book in a Catholic journal praised the book calling it "generous to a fault when it comes to remarks about Christianity."{{cite news|author=Damian Howard SJ |url=http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/misquoting-muhammad-challenge-and-choices-interpreting-prophet%E2%80%99s-legacy |title=Misquoting Muhammad. The Challenge and Choices of Interpreting the Prophet's Legacy |newspaper=Thinking Faith |date=2015-04-17 |access-date=2017-02-22}}

=Writings on slavery=

In a 2017 article, Brown stated that "the term ‘slavery’ is so ambiguous as to be functionally useless for the purposes of discussing extreme domination and exploitation across history," especially in the context of Islamic history. Brown wrote that the current understanding of "slavery" is defined primarily in terms of legal ownership and violations of autonomy. According to Brown, this understanding does not accurately reflect the way slavery was practiced in many times and places in the Islamic world. For example, some enslaved Ottoman officials held authority over free people, while some forms of extreme exploitation happened to legally free persons.{{cite web|url=https://yaqeeninstitute.org/jonathan-brown/the-problem-of-slavery/|title=Slavery and Islam – Part 1: The Problem of Slavery|first1=Jonathon A.C.|last1=Brown|first2=Abdullah Hamid|last2=Ali|date=Feb 7, 2017|publisher=Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research|access-date=30 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170215105409/https://yaqeeninstitute.org/jonathan-brown/the-problem-of-slavery/|archive-date=15 February 2017|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=https://1pjhft3ggnei4el40qfi16ch-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/FINAL-Slavery-and-Islam-Part-1-The-Problem-of-Slavery-1.pdf|title=Slavery and Islam – Part 1: The Problem of Slavery|access-date=2019-04-30|archive-date=2022-10-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221017015839/https://1pjhft3ggnei4el40qfi16ch-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/FINAL-Slavery-and-Islam-Part-1-The-Problem-of-Slavery-1.pdf|url-status=dead}} Brown writes that while slavery's evil "is so morally clear and so widely acknowledged", and that it is the "Hitler of human practices",{{cite web|url=https://1pjhft3ggnei4el40qfi16ch-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/FINAL-Slavery-and-Islam-Part-1-The-Problem-of-Slavery-1.pdf|title=Slavery and Islam – Part 1: The Problem of Slavery|first1=Jonathon A.C.|last1=Brown|first2=Abdullah Hamid|last2=Ali|date=Feb 7, 2017|page=18|quote=Slavery is the ideal example to invoke because its evil is so morally clear and so widely acknowledged. Who would defend slavery? It is the Hitler of human practices. Yet despite all its power, the word "slavery" is rarely defined.|access-date=30 April 2019|archive-date=17 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221017015839/https://1pjhft3ggnei4el40qfi16ch-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/FINAL-Slavery-and-Islam-Part-1-The-Problem-of-Slavery-1.pdf|url-status=dead}} he also wishes to challenge the current understanding of slavery.

A lecture presenting this article,{{cite web|title=Dr. Jonathan AC Brown - Islam and the Problem of Slavery {{!}} IIITMedia|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpFatRwdPm0|publisher=youtube.com|date=9 February 2017}} and in particular comments Brown made during the Q&A session, sparked criticism from a number of commentators, some of whom accused Brown of supporting slavery and rape.{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2017/02/17/georgetown-professor-under-fire-by-conservatives-for-lecture-about-slavery-and-islam/|title=Georgetown professor under fire for lecture about slavery and Islam|author=Valerie Strauss|date=Feb 17, 2017|newspaper=Washington Post}}{{cite magazine|author=Rod Dreher|title=Georgetown Prof Defends Islamic Slavery|magazine=The American Conservative|url=http://www.theamericanconservative.com/dreher/georgetown-professor-defends-islam-slavery/|date=Feb 11, 2017}}{{cite news|url=http://thedailybanter.com/2017/02/islamic-studies-professor-on-whether-rape-and-slavery-are-wrong-it-depends/|title=Islamic Studies Professor On Whether Rape and Slavery Are Wrong: It Depends|author=MICHAEL LUCIANO|date=Feb 10, 2017|publisher=The Daily Banter}} In addition, some liberal scholars of Islam criticized Brown for relativizing the concepts of slavery, human autonomy, and consent, and took issue with his suggestion that Muslims cannot view all historical forms of slavery to be immoral since the Islamic prophet Muhammad had owned slaves.

In response, Brown wrote on Twitter, "Islam as a faith and I as a person condemn slavery, rape and concubinage."{{cite tweet|user=JonathanACBrown|author=Jonathan AC Brown|number=830474950481883136|date=11 February 2017|title=Islam as a faith and I as a person condemn slavery, rape and concubinage.}} In a subsequent essay and interview Brown elaborated his views and apologized for having addressed the subject too cerebrally, adding that members of the alt-right had bombarded him and his family with threats of death and rape over the controversy.{{cite news|author=Jonathan AC Brown |url=http://muslimmatters.org/2017/02/16/apology-without-apologetics-jonathan-brown/ |title=Apology without Apologetics |newspaper=Muslim Matters |date=2017-02-16 |access-date=2017-02-22}}

Bibliography

Books authored

Islam and Blackness, Oneworld Publications, 2022 | 416 p | {{ISBN|978-0861544844}}
Slavery and Islam, Oneworld Publications, 2019 | 448 p | {{ISBN|978-1786076359}}
Misquoting Muhammad: The Challenge and Choices of Interpreting the Prophet's Legacy, Oneworld Publications, 2014 | 384 p | {{ISBN|978-1780744209}}
Muhammad: A Very Short Introduction, Oxford University Press, 2011 | 160 p | {{ISBN|978-0199559282}}
Hadith: Muhammad's Legacy in the Medieval and Modern World, Oneworld Publications, Foundations of Islam series, 2009 | 320 p | {{ISBN|978-1851686636}}
The Canonization of al-Bukhārī and Muslim: The Formation and Function of the Sunnī Ḥadīth Canon, Brill Publishers, 2007 | 434 p | {{ISBN|978-9004158399}}