Paul L. Heck, Associate Professor of Islamic Studies in Georgetown University’s Department of Theology, received his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago. His scholarly interests focus on the history of skepticism in Islam, mysticism and the role of spirituality in Muslim society, views on martyrdom in the three monotheist traditions, the phenomenon of religious humanism, and questions of political theology. Some of these themes were treated in his most recent publication, Common Ground: Islam, Christianity and Religious Pluralism (2009). His work overall, looking at two religions through a single if refracted lens, seeks to bring sharper insight to our knowledge of the phenomenon of religion and its role in both scholarly circles and society in general.