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About Mohamed Haji Mukhtar
Mohamed Haji Mukhtar (Somali: Maxamed Xaaji Mukhtaar, Arabic: محمد حاج مختار; born June 13, 1947) is a renowned Somali scholar and writer currently residing in the United States. He is a professor of African and Middle Eastern History at Savannah State University in Savannah, Georgia, where he has been teaching since 1991.
Biography
Born in Hudur, Somalia, during the British Military Administration post-World War II, Mukhtar hails from a region rich in Af Maay language and culture. His father, Malak Mukhtar Malak Hassan, was a respected chief among the Digil and Mirifle Somali clans. Mukhtar became a naturalized U.S. citizen and has three children: Saida, Salah, and Subeida.
Career
Mukhtar started his career as a researcher at Akadeemiyaha Dhaqanka Somaliyeed (The Somali Academy of Culture) in 1974, where he conducted extensive field research on Somalia’s historical sites and trade relations. He served as an associate professor of History at the Somali National University and later taught at the National University of Malaysia. He has been a Fulbright-Hays Scholar twice and held fellowships from the Istituto Italiano per l’Africa, the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO), and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH).
Publications and Research
Mukhtar’s research focuses on the history of the Islamic World, Northeast Africa, and Southern Arabia. His publications include:
The Rise and Expansion of Islam in The Middle East: Its History and Culture (University of Maryland Press, 2012)
Language Marginalization, Ethnic Nationalism and Cultural Crisis in Somalia” in Milk and Peace, Drought and War: Somali Culture Society and Politics (London: Hurst, 2010)
English-Maay Dictionary (London: Adonis & Abbey, 2007)
Historical Dictionary of Somalia (Lanham, Maryland: The Scarecrow Press, Inc., 2003)
Mukhtar has also been a producer and correspondent for the BBC African and Arabic Services and the Voice of America (VOA).
Contributions and Affiliations
Mukhtar is a founding member of the Somali Peace and Consultation Committee (Ergada) and the Center for Peace-Building Initiative (CPBI). He has led peace and reconciliation missions in the Horn of Africa and worked closely with international institutions like the UNHCR and the U.S. Institute of Peace.
He serves on the board of the Savannah Council on World Affairs and the Global Advisory Board for Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies. Mukhtar is also involved with the American Association of Teachers of Arabic (AATA) and the Editorial and Advisory Board of AFRICA, Rivista Semestrale di Studi e Richerche at the Universita di PavMukhtar is a founding member of the Somali Peace and Consultation Committee (Ergada) and the Center for Peace-Building Initiative (CPBI). He has led peace and reconciliation missions in the Horn of Africa and worked closely with international institutions like the UNHCR and the U.S. Institute of Peace.
He serves on the board of the Savannah Council on World Affairs and the Global Advisory Board for Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies. Mukhtar is also involved with the American Association of Teachers of Arabic (AATA) and the Editorial and Advisory Board of AFRICA, Rivista Semestrale di Studi e Richerche at the Universita di Pavia, Italy.
Dr. Mukhtar’s extensive career and scholarly work have made significant contributions to the understanding of Somali history and the broader historical narratives of the Horn of Africa, particularly in political, cultural, and socio-economic contexts, while advocating for the Maay-Somali language and other Somali languages.ia, Italy.
Dr. Mukhtar’s extensive career and scholarly work have made significant contributions to the understanding of Somali history and the broader historical narratives of the Horn of Africa, particularly in political, cultural, and socio-economic contexts, while advocating for the Maay-Somali language and other Somali languages.