in Near Eastern Studies followed by her Ph.D. Then she moved to El-Beida, Libya for two years where she taught English at the university. In 1975, Wadud graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education and became a certified teacher. She legally changed her name along with her then husband and eventually retained 'amina wadud' as her name, which she chose to spell without capital letters. In 1972, she converted to Islam, while a student at the University of Pennsylvania, which she attended from 1970 to 1975. It was her first encounter with religion as motivation for justice and equality.

With her father she attended the March on Washington with the Rev. Wadud was born Mary Teasley in Bethesda, Maryland. Regardless, Wadud has continued to lead prayers at various congregations around the world. Wadud made international headlines in 2005 when she led Friday prayers at a mixed congregation in New York, stirring controversy in some spheres of the Islamic world. She went on to study Arabic and Islamic studies, first in the United States and later in Egypt. Wadud has written extensively on the role of women in Islam.īorn and raised as a Methodist in Bethesda, Maryland, Wadud converted to Islam in 1972 while studying at the University of Pennsylvania. Wadud serves as Visiting Professor at Indonesian Consortium for Religious Studies and was also a visiting scholar at Starr King School for the Ministry. Amina Wadud (born September 25, 1952) is an American Muslim theologian.

Qur'an and Woman by Amina Wadud