Professor emeritus of Near Eastern studies BERNARD LEWIS died May 19 in Voorhees Township, N.J. He was 101. Lewis joined the faculty in 1974, transferred to emeritus status in 1986, and was awarded an honorary doctoral degree in 2002. His research encompassed the Islamic world from medieval to contemporary times, and he was among the first to study issues of race, slavery, class, and the status of women in Middle Eastern history. After the Sept. 11 attacks, Lewis was sought out by American policymakers. He traced the attacks to a declining Islamic civilization — a controversial view that influenced world opinion and helped shape American policy on Middle Eastern affairs under President George W. Bush.
