Murad Wilfried Hofmann Explained

Murad Wilfried Hofmann
Birth Date:1931
Birth Place:Aschaffenburg, Bavaria, Germany
Death Place:Bonn, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
Office:German Ambassador to Algeria
Term Start:1987
Term End:1990
Office2:German Ambassador to Morocco
Term Start2:1990
Term End2:1994
Office3:Director for Information at NATO
Term Start3:1983
Term End3:1987

Murad Wilfried Hofmann (1931  - 13 January 2020) was a German diplomat and author. He wrote several books on Islam, including Journey to Makkah and Islam: The Alternative . Many of his books and essays focused on Islam's place in the West and, after 11 September, in particular, in the United States. He was one of the signatories of A Common Word Between Us and You, an open letter by Islamic scholars to Christian leaders, calling for peace and understanding.

Biography

Hofmann was born in Aschaffenburg to an intellectual family related to Hugo Ball, a co-founder of Dadaism. Although raised a Catholic, he converted to Islam in 1980. He studied at Harvard University. His conversion was met with some controversy due to his high profile in the German government.[1] He converted to Islam as a result of what he witnessed in the Algerian War of Independence, his fondness for Islamic art, and what he saw as contradictions in Paulist Christian doctrine.[2] Hofmann served in the German Foreign Service from 1961 to 1994.[3] He first served in Algeria as a specialist on issues concerning nuclear defence. He went on to serve as Director of Information for NATO at Brussels from 1983 to 1987, Ambassador to Algeria from 1987 to 1990, and Ambassador to Morocco from 1990 to 1994.[4] Hofmann was an honorary member and advisor to the Central Council of Muslims in Germany.

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Notes and References

  1. http://www.islamonline.net/askaboutislam/Guestcv.asp?hMuftiID=76 A brief biography at IslamOnline.net
  2. Web site: Salaam.co.uk: Murad Wilfried Hofmann . 19 October 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160326103048/http://salaam.co.uk/themeofthemonth/june02_index.php?l=22 . 26 March 2016 . dead .
  3. http://www.islamonline.net/livedialogue/english/Guestcv.asp?hGuestID=ufM0Xx Guest CV
  4. http://www.sant.ox.ac.uk/princeton/bio_hofmann.shtml Biographical Note
  5. A book review was placed in Al-Hayah, 3 May 2008 and reviewed by Arab-West Report, 2008, week 18, art. 27