Karen Armstrong

Karen Armstrong is described as arguably the most lucid, wide-ranging, and consistently interesting religion writer today. Author of more than 20 books on religious affairs, Karen is the world's foremost commentator on religious history and culture in today's global zeitgeist. Her most well-known books include The Case for God, A History of God, Islam, Buddha, and The Great Transformation, and a memoir, The Spiral Staircase. Her books have been translated into 45 languages.

A graduate of the University of Oxford, in 1983, she presented a six-part television documentary focusing on Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. Karen was made an honorary member of the Association of Muslim Social Scientists.

As a global influencer, in 2008, she began work on the Charter for Compassion, created and crafted online by the public and leading thinkers of the world.

Karen is a recipient of the Muslim Public Affairs Council Media Award, the British Academy’s Inaugural Nayef al-Rodhan Prize for Global Cultural Understanding, and the Princess of Asturia’s Prize for Social Sciences. Karen was named an officer of the Order of the British Empire in 2015.