Professor Dilnawaz Siddiqui Passes Away

It is with sadness that we inform you that Dr. Dilnawaz Siddiqui passed away on Friday. Inna Lillahi wa `inna `Ilaihi raji’un. Dr. Dilnawaz Siddiqui was a professor at Clarion University in Pennsylvania, from which he retired in 2003. He did his M.A. from AMU in 1959. Since the inception of The Muslim Observer he was on the board of advisors, and when Muslim media Network was formed he was one of its directors. His death is a big loss for the Muslim community. On behalf of The Muslim Observer and MMN we offer our condolences to the bereaved family and pray for his forgiveness and a place in Paradise.
Dr. Siddiqui’s Brief Bio
Dr. Dilnawaz Ahmed Siddiqui was a professor in the Department of Communication at Clarion University of Pennsylvania, teaching graduate and undergraduate courses in research methodology, instructional planning, management, and global mass communication principles and practices. He received his CAS and Ph.D. degrees from Syracuse University in New York; Postgraduate Dip. Ed. from London University, London; and an MA, B.Ed from Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, India.
His teaching, research, and advisory experience of over 36 years has been earned in India, Tanzania, Zambia, Kenya, Botswana, USA, Yemen, Jordan and Sudan. He was lecturer in MSG College of Poona University, India before working for the Cambridge School System under the Ministries of Education in Tanzania and Zambia. He was Chairman, Division of Modern Languages and Social Sciences, at the Sir Evelyn Hone College on contract with the CTEVT/Canadian International Development Agency, Lusaka, Zambia.
After pursuing higher education at Syracuse University, Dr. Siddiqui became the Chief US Advisor to the Central Planning Organization, Prime Minister’s Office, Sanaa, Yemen. There, he directed the human resources Scholarship Management System, spelling out a feasible method of utilizing foreign assistance for development, and established human resource planning development, and management units in individual ministries. Dr. Siddiqui led an advisory team in conducting a summative evaluation of the $12.5 million administrative training project (1987-1992) in Jordan. He also wrote the Human Resources Development Master Plan for the Government of Sudan, based on his analysis of the policies of decentralization of administration and of the merger between the Ministries of Finance and Planning into one Ministry of Finance and National Economy. As a Training and Development consultant, Dr. Siddiqui has conducted workshops in communication, project planning and leadership skills, and organized seminars for many public and private professional as well as community service organizations in the USA and abroad.
He has many publications including books, technical reports, and journal articles. He served until recently on the editorial boards of the American Society for Training and Development’s (ASTD) Journal, the East-West Review, the American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences and the American Communication Journal (on the world wide web) of the International Communication Association.
He recently led a research team in conducting a Trends and Issues survey of the HRD Professors’ Forum for the ASTD. He chaired several national and international conferences, and was once past President of the Association of Muslim Social Scientists (AMSS).
During his learning and teaching career, Dr. Siddiqui won several meritorious awards, including the Saifi Burhanuddin Gold Medal for his literary criticism, a special mention for significant and substantive contributions in the field of training and development, and a recent honoris causa award from the Russian Academy for the Humanities.
Dr AS Nakadar, ceo@muslimobserver.com
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