Clinton Bennett

Clinton Bennett (born 7 October 1955) is a British American scholar of religions and participant in interfaith dialogue specializing in the study of Islam and Muslim-non-Muslim encounter. An ordained Baptist minister, he was a missionary in Bangladesh before serving as the second director of interfaith relations at the British Council of Churches in succession to Kenneth Cracknell. Bennett has also taken part in the dialogue activities of the World Council of Churches. A graduate of Manchester, Birmingham and Oxford Universities he has held several academic appointments in the UK and in the United States, where he now lives. He currently writes for various publications and teaches part-time at the State University of New York at New Paltz and at Marist College. He is a Fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society, of the Royal Anthropological Institute and of the Committee for the Scientific Examination of Religion. He has authored books, chapters in books, journal articles and Encyclopedia entries. He can be considered to have made a significant contribution toward developing a Christian appreciation of Islam and of Muhammad. Ahmad Shafaat writes, ‘Bennett’s approach allows him to treat Islamic traditions and their Muslim interpretations with sensitivity and respect, not often found among Christian writings on Islam.’ Bennett became a US citizen during 2012.