Akhtarul Wasey was a professor of Islamic studies at Jamia Millia Islamia (National Islamic University) in New Delhi. Currently he is working as National Commissioner for Linguistic Minorities in India. He is also the editor of four journals of Islamic Studies, Islam Aur Asr-e-Jadeed (an Urdu quarterly), Islam and the Modern Age (an English quarterly), Risala Jamia (an Urdu monthly), and Islam Aur Adhunik Yug (Hindi). Apart from his academic achievements he regularly appears on TV, debating on issues related to Islam and Muslims, and has delivered over 400 radio and 300 TV talks along with extensive and frequent writings in different news papers and magazines. He is considered to be a Muslim spokesperson among academicians. In 2013 Wasey received a Padma Shri award (a national honour by the President of India for outstanding achievers among Indian citizens) from President Pranab Mukherjee, honouring him as a distinguished academician, specializing in the multidisciplinary study of Islam and Indian Muslims.Wasey was born on 1 September 1951, at Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh.

He is currently Professor of Islamic Studies and Honorary Director of Zakir Husain Institute of Islamic studies. He has held several senior academic and administrative positions in and outside the university. Currently he is the Vice Chairman of Delhi Urdu Academy; Member of the Executive Board of National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language, apart from holding several other positions and assignments. Professor Wasey has also held positions like President, Dargah Committee of the famous Chishti Shrine at Ajmer, Treasurer, Maulana Azad Education Foundation, General Secretary, South Asia Interreligious Council on HIV/AIDS, a body created by the UNICEF; and Dean, Faculty of Humanities and Languages, Jamia Millia Islamia. Prof. Wasey is the recipient of the first Sir Syed Ahmad Khan Award for Interfaith Understanding, Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar Award in 1996, Award from Urdu Academy, Delhi and UP Urdu Academy on “Sir Syed Ki Taleemi Tehreek” in 1985. He has also been a recipient of a Fullbright Fellowship awarded in 2008.