Arley Loewen

I grew up in rural mid-West Canada, in a small Mennonite farm. But so much changed in my mid-20s. I flew to Pakistan to help with Afghan refugees there - over 40 years ago. I have lived in a Persian-Afghan context and studied the culture for many years. In the 1980s, I studied Persian at a university in Pakistan and graduated with an MA in Persian Literature. I wrote my dissertation in Persian – an analysis on the ethics in the Gulistan of Shaykh Saadi of Shiraz. Indeed “Persian-Immersion”.

My wife and I moved to Toronto, Canada in 1989. Here I pursued graduate studies and completed a PhD in Middle Eastern Civilizations, from the University of Toronto. For my thesis I analyzed the Persian hero – jawanmardi (literally: young manliness). This research helped me tremendously after we moved to Afghanistan in 2003, where I developed a leadership – management training program for Afghan professionals and students. I explore how modern leadership and management concerns relate to shame / honor and patron-client societies. In other words, how can we be truly honorable leaders and managers.

Now living in Canada again, I continue as a educational consultant with the faith-based charity, Operation Mobilization. I teach on cultural and faith issues, with a special interest on Christian-Muslim relations, in churches and colleges.