Advancing scholarship, transforming narratives, and strengthening belonging — at the highest levels of American academia.
The Center on South Asian Studies (CSAS) is proud to champion a landmark academic achievement: the establishment of the Indian Muslim Chair at Arizona State University's Center of Muslim Experience in the United States (CME-US).
Made possible by the generosity of the Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America (IFANCA), this $2 million endowed chair is the first-ever academic position at ASU — and among the very first in the United States — dedicated solely to the study of Indian Muslim history, culture, and society.
This is not just an academic appointment. It is a declaration that Indian Muslim experiences, contributions, and narratives belong at the center of American scholarship.
"This landmark achievement guarantees that CME-US will be the home for groundbreaking scholarship in Indian Muslim Studies for generations to come."
— Center of Muslim Experience, Arizona State UniversityThe Endowment
A $2 million endowed chair — the highest level of professorship within Arizona State University — dedicated entirely to Indian Muslim Studies.
Funded By
Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America (IFANCA)
Home Institution
Center of Muslim Experience — Arizona State University
Search Begins
2026
Appointment Expected
2027
Scholarship
The chair will support a tenured faculty member whose teaching and research focuses exclusively on Indian Muslim history, culture, and society — a field that has never previously existed at ASU.
Institution Building
An endowed chair is permanent. This ensures that Indian Muslim Studies will have an institutional home at one of America's largest and most innovative universities — not just for today, but for generations.
Narrative Transformation
The chair will deepen understanding of Indian Muslim experiences and contributions while advancing CME's mission to transform narratives and strengthen a sense of belonging for South Asian Muslim communities.
Education
Students at ASU will now have the opportunity to study Indian Muslim history and culture under dedicated, world-class faculty — a door that was simply closed before this endowment.
Community
This chair creates a vital bridge between the South Asian Muslim diaspora in the United States and the academic world — ensuring community voices shape scholarly inquiry.
Representation
For millions of Indian Muslims in the US and beyond, this chair is a powerful signal: your history matters, your stories deserve study, and your community belongs in the highest halls of learning.
Arizona State University is consistently ranked #1 in the United States for innovation. It is one of the most diverse and forward-thinking research universities in the country — and now, the home of the nation's first endowed chair in Indian Muslim Studies.
The Center of Muslim Experience in the United States (CME-US) is a unit of ASU's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. CME-US is dedicated to advancing scholarship on Muslim communities in America, transforming public understanding, and creating spaces where Muslim intellectual and civic life can thrive.
The Indian Muslim Chair will sit within CME-US, ensuring it benefits from an institution already committed to rigorous, community-centered scholarship on Muslim life in America.
Partner Institution
Center of Muslim Experience in the United States
A unit of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Arizona State University, CME-US advances scholarship, education, and public understanding of Muslim communities and experiences in America.
Read the Full Announcement2025 — Completed
Endowment Established
IFANCA's $2 million gift was formally received by the ASU Foundation, officially establishing the Indian Muslim Chair at CME-US. A historic milestone in American academic life.
2026 — Upcoming
National Search Begins
ASU will launch a national search for the inaugural chair holder — a tenured faculty member who will become the first scholar in the United States to hold a position dedicated solely to Indian Muslim Studies.
2027 — Expected
Inaugural Chair Appointed
The first holder of the Indian Muslim Chair will be appointed, beginning a new chapter in American scholarship on South Asian Muslim history, culture, and civic life.
CSAS extends its deepest appreciation to the individuals whose vision and generosity brought this historic endowment to life.
IFANCA
Dr. Muhammad Munir Chaudry
IFANCA
Mahmood Baig
ASU — Dean
Dean Kenro Kusumi
ASU — Dean
Dean Jeffrey Cohen
ASU Foundation
Brittany Martin
ASU — CME
Rasheed Ahmed
Presented by Center on South Asian Studies | Illinois 501(c)(3) Non Profit
At the Center on South Asian Studies (CSAS), we believe collaboration is the key to progress. As an Illinois-based nonprofit, in good standing with federal tax-exempt status as a 501(c)(3) organization, is dedicated to fostering collaboration.
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