The present unrest is for internal change and a more open society. That I find very positive. The notion that Arabs are not ready for democracy is nonsense. It may still be a long process because the more intelligent elements are not as well organized as the religious or the military but I am happy to see some movement. Father John Donohue, June 2011.
John Donohue epitomises far more than the meeting of East and West. A native of Worcester, Massachusetts, he was so much at home in Baghdad and Beirut that Lebanese and Iraqis from all hues and cries considered him very much one of their own. His scholarship is one of a kind: few if any areat ease both in classic and modern studies of their societies: how many scholars have run a modern American or European Studies Center and have written a book on intellectual and political life of 10th century Cuzco or Rome? Major works include Islam in Transition (with John Esposito) (2007), and The Buwayhid Dynasty in Iraq 945-1012: Shaping Institutions for the Future (2003), and he has published numerous articles on topics ranging from secularism and Christianity, Islamic constitutions, the development of Shiite thought, and Arab nationalism, with a recent unpublished study on modern Syrian history offering a valuable introduction to the country. A Festschrift published in 2007, From Beirut to Baghdad: Arab and Islamic Studies in honor of John J. Donohue s.j.,brought together amidst averse circumstances a remarkable collection of diverse scholarship from colleagues and friends worldwide writing in Arabic, French, and English. As noted by editor Leslie Tramontini in the forward, “His experience and knowledge are immense, and more; he felt a sincere love and sympathy for the region, something which deserves special attention.” It is the unique humanist scholarship that makes Right to Nonviolence celebrate Father John Donohue as member of its Board, which reflects in this interview conducted by RN director Trudi Hodges.
