Jane Idleman Smith
American Islamic scholar (1937–2026)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jane Idleman Smith (August 23, 1937 – June 4, 2026) was an American scholar of Islam who was a professor of comparative religion at Harvard University.[1] She was also Professor Emerita of Islamic studies at Hartford Seminary.[2]
August 23, 1937
Jane Idleman Smith | |
|---|---|
| Born | Jane Idleman Smith August 23, 1937 Park Ridge, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | June 4, 2026 (aged 88) Avon, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Academic background | |
| Alma mater | Hartford Seminary, Harvard University |
| Academic work | |
| Institutions | Hartford Seminary |
Notable works |
|
Life and career
Smith was born August 23, 1937, and grew up in Park Ridge, Illinois.[3] She received Bachelor of Divinity degree from Hartford Seminary and her PhD from Harvard Divinity School.[4]
She served as Professor of Islamic Studies and Christian-Muslim Relations and co-director of the Macdonald Center for the Study of Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations at Hartford Seminary and professor of Comparative Religion at Harvard University. Smith also served as co-editor of The Muslim World journal.[5]
Smith died at her home in Avon, Connecticut, June 4, 2026, at the age of 88.[3]
Works
- Islam in America[6]
- Muslim Women in America: The Challenge of Islamic Identity Today[7]
- The Islamic Understanding of Death and Resurrection
- Mission to America: Five Islamic Sectarian Communities in North America [8]
- Muslims, Christians, and the Challenge of Interfaith Dialogue[9]
- Islam and the West Post 9/11[10]
- An Historical and Semantic Study of the Term "islām" as Seen in a Sequence of Qurʼān Commentaries