Dr. Muhammad al-Faruque is a historian by training and profession who has graduated from the University of Dhaka (Bangladesh) with BA (Hons.) and MA. He then joined the University of Chittagong as a Lecturer. After three years of teaching and research he became the Assistant Professor there. In 1985 he joined the University of Dhaka and in the same year was awarded a Commonwealth Scholarship for higher studies. He obtained his Master's and Ph.D. (1992) in Middle Eastern Studies from the University of Toronto, Canada and another Master’s degree in Information Studies. For a few years Dr. al-Faruque taught at the same University as an adjunct faculty. Then he went to Malaysia to teach at the International Islamic University (IIUM). From Malaysia, he came to the USA and worked at Stanford University in California for four years and in 2003 jointed the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Currently he lives in Champaign, IL with his family. His research articles have been published in various journal and encyclopedias. Dr. al-Faruque held various positions in professional organizations. In addition to his academic career, Dr. al-Faruque actively worked with various social and charitable organizations and was the founding President of the Educational, Charitable and Humanitarian Organization (ECHO), a not-for-profit organization working in the San Francisco Bay Area.