Amir Hussain, LMU Professor of Theological Studies, has been appointed the editor of the Journal of the American Academy of Religion (JAAR) for a five year term, from 2011 – 2015.

“I am confident that Professor Hussain will prove a wonderful successor to Professor Mathewes, and I am sure that AAR members will join me in wishing him the best in this important new post,” said Jack Fitzmier, Executive Director of the American Academy of Religion.

Hussain’s areas of scholarly interest include the study of Islam and comparative religions. He is the author of Oil and Water: Two Faiths, One God (Wood Lake Books). He is editor of the third edition of the textbook World Religions: Western Traditions, (Oxford University Press), and coeditor-in-chief (along with Rick Talbott) of Cascade's History of Religions Series (Wipf and Stock). He also serves on the editorial boards of the Springer book series Global Networks: Contemporary Studies in Muslim Communities and of three journals: Comparative Islamic Studies, the Journal of Religion, Conflict, and Peace, and Contemporary Islam: Dynamics of Muslim Life. Professor Hussain has been an active member of the AAR, having served on the Research Grants Jury and the Centennial Advisory Committee. Over the years he has chaired the Contemporary Islam Group and the Religion, Film, and Visual Culture Group, and he has served on the Steering Committees of the Religion in South Asia Section and the Study of Islam Section.

Published by Oxford University Press, the JAAR is the premier journal for the study of religion, sent out quarterly to over 9,000 AAR members and 2,000 libraries. LMU is the first Catholic university to edit the JAAR. David A. Sánchez, Assistant Professor of Theological Studies, will be the book review editor. “More than anything,” Professor Hussain said, “I’m excited for our students who will gain invaluable experience by working with us on editing the journal.”