Dr. Crane grew up in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and graduated with a B.A., summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, from Northwestern University in 1956 and a J.D. (Doctor of Laws) from Harvard Law School in 1959. From 1963 to 1968 he was personal adviser to Richard M. Nixon, who appointed him in January 1969, to be Deputy Director for Planning in the National Security Council. In 1981, President Reagan appointed him U.S. Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates. Previously a hidden Muslim, he openly embraced Islam in 1981, left government service, and since then has worked as a full-time Islamic scholar and activist. He has authored or co-authored a dozen books, including Shaping the Future, Challenge and response (1997). He has published hundreds ofDr. Crane grew up in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and graduated with a B.A., summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, from Northwestern University in 1956 and a J.D. (Doctor of Laws) from Harvard Law School in 1959. From 1963 to 1968 he was personal adviser to Richard M. Nixon, who appointed him in January 1969, to be Deputy Director for Planning in the National Security Council. In 1981, President Reagan appointed him U.S. Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates. Previously a hidden Muslim, he openly embraced Islam in 1981, left government service, and since then has worked as a full-time Islamic scholar and activist. He has authored or co-authored a dozen books, including Shaping the Future, Challenge and response (1997). He has published hundreds of professional articles on long-range global forecasting, comparative legal systems, and the role of religion in society. As the co-founder and first Chairman of the Board of the Center for Understanding Islam, he continues his research on Islam as part of the effort of American Muslims to present the true `message of classical Islamic thought and classical American thought in order to help Americans counter extremism in all their faith traditions...more