Participants (2013/1st iiss)
A. Abdel-hameed Hussien: He is an alumnus of Al-Azhar University, Department of Science. He cur- rently MA. Anthropology from African Studies Center, Cairo University. He is Director of Research and studies, Sena’at Al-fikr Think Tank for Studies Center. His research interests are the Middle Eastern Politics, Social Movements, Public Policy, Social and Islamic Movements in the Middle East and International Politics.
Abdulkadir Wahab Aman: He is an alumnus and former lecturer of Haramaya University (Ethiopia), Department of Cooperatives Business Management. He received his M.A. from Addis Ababa University, Institute of Regional and Local Development Studies. Currently, he is PhD candidate at Yildiz Technical University, Department of Economics. His research interests are International Economics, Local Development, Regional Development and Integration, Institutional Economics, Islamic Banking and Microfinance.
Abdullah Al Mahmud: He is presently doing PhD in Postcolonial Language Studies at Monash University. Before this, he did MA in Applied Linguistics & ELT with Bachelor’s degree in English at the University of Dhaka, Bangladesh. He published several articles in international journals and pre- sented a good number of papers at national and international conferences. His research interests include: Islam and comparative religion, Postcolonial Studies, TESOL, Social History, Sociolinguistics and Theology.
Abdurrahman Babacan: He is an alumnus of Marmara University, Department of Economics. He received his MA from Marmara University, Department of Economics with the thesis entitled “The Role of World Bank in Shaping the Post-War World Economic Structure”. He is currently PhD candidate at Marmara University Department of Political Science and International Relations and research assistant at Marmara University, Institute for Middle Eastern Studies. His research interests are Turkish Politics, Political Transformation and Political Culture, Political Economy, Economic Philosophy.
Abu Syed Muhammad Belal: He did his undergrad followed by one year-master on International Relations at University of Dhaka. He is now enrolled in a master program in the department of (Global) Public Policy at Central European University and University of York. Belal’s previous research involve- ments include security culture of South Asia, South Asia in post-colonial era, modern and post-mod- ern understanding of İnternational Relations, counter-terrorism, and Bangladesh’s foreign relations. His future research would focus on ideational issues in the realm of public policy making, International relations in South Asia and beyond, and secularist and İslamist movements in Bangladesh.
AlassaFouapon:He was born at Kouoptamo in the western region of Cameroon. He is a holder of a Bachelor’ degree and Master respectively in History of civilizations and Religions, the place of Islam in the international relations from the History Department of the University of Yaoundé I. He is actu- ally following a Ph.D. course in the same University. He is an attaché of research in CERIAC (Center for Studies and Research on Islam and Muslim societies in Central Africa). His researches are centered on socio-historical study of Islam and Muslim societies, the place of Islam in International Relations, the Arab African cooperation, the Arab Islamic financial institutions and the process of development in Cameroon and lastly the analyses of Conflict of Civilizations”. He is equally a member of different associ- ations notably CAMSU (Cameroon Muslim Students’ Union) and IMD (Islamic Mission for Development.
Alfian Helmi: He is an alumnus of Bogor Agricultural University, Department of Communication and Community Development Science. He is a student in Rural Sociology from Graduate School of Bogor Agricultural University. Now he is a researcher and lecturer assistant at the Division of Agrarian, Population Studies, and Political Ecology, Department of Communication and Community Development Science, Faculty of Human Ecology, Bogor Agricultural University, Indonesia. Sociology Moslem, Human Ecology, Political Ecology, and Community Development are his research interest.
Büşra Küçükkayış: She is alumnus of Marmara University Department of Theology. She is M.A student at Alliance of Civilization Institute, Fatih Sultan Mehmet Waqf University. Her Research interests are Islamism, secularism in Muslim countries, social change in Muslim societies and religious movement in Turkey.
Dinmukhammed Ametbek: He is an alumnus of and received his MA from al-Farabi Kazakh National University. He is currently PhD candidate at Middle East Technical University. His research interests are the Central Asian Politics, Turkish Foreign Policy, Kazakh Foreign Policy, culture and identity in International Relations.
Erol Fırtın: Research Assistant at İstanbul Medeniyet University. BA (Sociology) Bilgi University 2007, MA (Global Studies) Vienna University 2010. Research area: Islamic Political Thought. Particular ques- tion that I am interested in is how the pre-modern articulations of government, law and society have changed during the modern times in especially Muslim majority countries.
Gerasimos Tsourapas: He is currently a Ph.D. candidate at the Department of Politics and International Studies, SOAS, University of London, and a visiting scholar (2013-14) at the Department of Political Science, American University of Cairo. His research examines how authoritarian regimes selectively use emigration control as a means towards furthering their aims, through a case study of Egypt under Anwar Sadat and Hosni Mubarak. He graduated from Yale University with a B.A. in Political Science and Economics, and from the LSE, University of London with a M.Sc. in International Political Economy. Prior to doctoral study, he was employed as a researcher for the Hellenic Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and as an elections observer for the European Union.
Haerul Anwar: He is an alumnus (undergraduate) of al-Azhar University-Cairo, Department of Islamic Studies (Uṣūluddīn). He is currently a Master candidate at Centre for Advanced Studies on Islam, Science and Civilisation – UniversitiTeknologi Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur Campus (CASIS-UTM), Faculty of Islamic Civilization. His research interests are Philosophy and thought in Islam, culture and art in Islam, Social and Islamic Movements in the Middle East.
Hani Albasoos: He is a political analyst and professor at the Islamic University of Gaza. He has served as senior advisor to several Palestinian and European institutions including the Palestinian Institute for Conflict Resolution and Governance, also known as House of Wisdom, and the Bradford Action for Refugees. Dr. Albasoos received his Ph.D. from the University of Bradford, UK in 2005. He has published several scholarly papers on the politics of the Middle East, security in Palestine, and the transformation of the Palestinian Authority.
Haris Ubeyde Dündar: He is an alumnus of Marmara University, Department of Political Science and International Relations. He received his MA from İstanbul University, Political Science and International Relations. He is currently PhD candidate at Istanbul University and research assistant at Erciyes University, Department of Political Science. His research interests are the International Law, International Organizations, Political Islam, and International Politics.
Heydar Shadi: He studied philosophy and theology in Iran. After working as lecturer and research assistant for several years in Iran, Heydar Shadi pursued his studied in Germany. He defended his dis- sertation on contemporary Islamic philosophy of religion in May 2013 at Erfurt University, Germany. His research interests are: epistemology and hermeneutics, Islamic intellectual history, religion and (post)modernity.
Kamakshi Nanda: She is a political analyst who has been keenly following the economic and geo- political developments of the Asian Giants. She is an alumnus of Lady Sri Ram College, University of Delhi, where she received her Bachelor’s degree in History Honours. She did an International Masters in Global Studies from University of Vienna and Leipzig. Her master dissertation ‘Call us friends or partners – A Comparison of China and India’s quest for Energy in Sub-Saharan Africa’ was awarded by the Erasmus Mundus Global Studies consortium. She has previously worked with UNESCO and Foundation for European Progressive Studies (India Office).
Khadiga Omar: She is an independent researcher writing about modern history and current events. She earned her BA with High Honors in Political Science and History from the American University in Cairo (AUC). She is currently an MA candidate at The Middle East Studies program at AUC and she is pursuing a diploma in Islamic Studies at the Higher Institute for Islamic Studies. She is also a Teaching and Research Assistant at the Public Policy Department at AUC. In addition to her academic interests, Khadiga is actively engaged in the Egyptian Revolution and the vibrant political scene through dif- ferent initiatives. Her areas of interest include: grassroots movements in the Middle East, alternative media, generational politics and world history.
M. Sherif Mohy Eldeen: He is an alumnus of Cairo University, Department of Economics and Political Science. He is getting his MA from the same university. He is the head of Political Department of the Civilized Change Project; he also was a researcher at many leading Egyptian Think Tanks and Research Centers since the revolution such as House of Wisdom for strategic studies, and the Nile Center for Economic Studies. His research interests are Security Sector Reform, Culture and Politics, Educational Policies, Revolution and Democratic Transition, and NGO’s & Social Movements Studies.
Mansour Yeganeh: He is an architecture and urban designer. He received his Ph.D from Tarbiat Modares University in Iran. He teaches architecture and urban design in the main universities of Iran. He won several architectural competitions such as design best facades in Tehran. Moreover, he won the best researches in urban management in Iran. He published more than 12 scientific papers and he is reefer of journals. He is jury of architecture festivals and exhibitions. Currently he stared teaching as assistant professor in department of architecture in Tarbiat Modares University of Iran. His research interests are the study on behavioral science in architecture and urban design, methodology, sustain- able design, Islamic studies.
Marsha Marie Hall: She is a Jamaican recipient of the Türkiye Burslari Scholarships, pursuing a MS in Middle East Studies at the Middle East Technical University in Ankara. She has participated and pre- sented papers at the Inaugural Rastafarian Studies Conference (2010)-University of the West Indies, Mona Campus Kingston, Jamaica and recently The International multidisciplinary conference on “The reality and the prospects of gender equality after the Arab spring” (2013) held in Oujda, Morocco. In addition, Marsha has particular interest in sustainable social movements involving the Middle East, North Africa and Latin America.
Markos Troulis: He is an alumnus of University of Piraeus, Department of International and European Studies (BSc). He received his MSc from London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). He is currently PhD candidate at University of Piraeus and researcher at the Centre of International and European Affairs (KEDEY). His research interests are Turkey’s grand strategy, energy politics, political Islam, politics in Central Asia and the Caucasus as well as international relations and strategic studies.
Marziya Davlyatova: She graduated from International Ataturk Alatoo University, majoring in Simultaneous Translation. In addition, she took some classes in Sociology while being exchange stu- dent in the US at Berea College. Currently, she is doing her Master’s Degree in Politics and Security in Central Asia at OCSE Academy in Bishkek. Her research interests are politics of Central Asia, security in the region, political Islam, civil society and gender issues.
Masoud Banafi: He is an alumnus of Imam Sadiq University, Department of Islamic Studies and Public Administration and Public Policy. With the intention of real connection between Howza & universities, and by utilizing the cooperation and achievements of the elites from the two scientific centers, Imam Sadiq University trains and educates students who are conscious of the exigencies of their time (like management, law, economics, politics) and are devoted to the principles and values of pure Islam of Prophet Mohammad (pbuh). He is 26 years old. More than his mother tongue (Persian), He knows English and Arabic languages. Now he is a management instructor in Basir University. His research interests are Development Plans, Globalization, International Indices of Development, Islamic Countries’ Issues, Public Policy Making and Designing and Validating Indigenous Measures for Iranian Public Organizations.
Mehmet Murat Şahin: He is an alumnus of Bosphorus University, Department of Psychology. He received his MA in Sociology from Sakarya University. He is currently PhD candidate at Middle East Technical University and research assistant at Karamanoğlu Mehmetbey University, Department of Sociology. His research interests are Social Theory, Comparative Historical Sociology, and Sociology of Religion.
M. Melih Sever: He received his MA from University of Sheffield in Global and International Social Policy. He is currently PhD candidate at Hacettepe University and research assistant at Suleyman Demirel University, Department of Social Work. His research interests are Human Development, Social Progress, Happiness, Islam and Psychology.
Muhammad Adli Musa: He has a B.Eng. (Hons) from the Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, University College London. He later received his MA in Quran and Studies from the International Islamic University Malaysia. He is currently a PhD candidate the Asia Institute, the Faculty of Arts, University of Melbourne and an academic fellow at the Department of Quran and
Sunnah Studies, Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences, International Islamic University Malaysia. His research interests are Islamic ethics, Islamic finance, Prophetic traditions, political Islam and the interaction between Islamic and Western civilizations.
Muhammad Ali Nasir: He is presently a student of MPhil and a Cooperative Lecturer at the Department of Public Administration, University of Karachi, Pakistan. He holds an undergraduate degree in English Literature and Language, and a Master of Public Administration from the University of Karachi. He was named 2012 Stein Rokkan Fellow by the International Political Science Association.
Muhammad Faisal Awan: He is presently a PhD student and a Lecturer at the Department of International Relations, University of Karachi, Pakistan. He holds Master’s Degree in International Studies, from the Yonsei University Seoul, South Korea. His area of interest is socio-political develop- ments and religion in Pakistan.
Mohamad Firdaus Pozi: He obtained his BSc. in Nuclear Science from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (The National University of Malaysia). Currently, he is pursuing his study at MSc. level at the same university and entrusted to be graduate research assistant at Institute of Islam Hadhari. His research interests are History of Atomism, Philosophy of Science and Islamic Science. On his intellectual-social activism involvement aspect, he is a secretary of Assembly of Intellectual Muslim (HAKIM) and a coor- dinator of weekly public course on the worldview of Islam namely, Worldview of Islam Series (WISE) course, organized by HAKIM in Kuala Lumpur.
Mohammad Zakki Azani: He is currently PhD candidate at Centre for Advanced Studies in Islam, Science and Civilisation, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (CASIS-UTM). He received his M.Ed from International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM). His research interests are in Islamic thought and civi- lization, educational philosophy and the Indonesian Muslim thinkers.
Mushtaq Ul Haq Ahmad Sikander: He is a Writer-Activist based in Srinagar, Kashmir and has com- pleted his Masters in Political Science from Kashmir University. Currently he is pursuing his M.Phil on the topic “Mawlana Abul Ala Mawdudi’s Concept of an Islamic State: An Evaluation”, from Department of Political Science, Kashmir University. His interests span over a wide range of issues from writing to activism. His write ups and book reviews appear regularly in various newspapers, magazines, jour- nals and websites. He is frequently invited to present academic papers on issues related to Religion, Politics, Terrorism, Conflict Resolution, Feminism and Islamic Revivalist Movements. He actively participates in Inter and Intra Faith, Ethnic and Regional dialogues. He has also penned down numer- ous poems and short stories. Mr Sikander is also an activist and volunteer with various humanitarian organizations working in the Kashmir valley as he believes that writing alone doesn’t work unless corroborated by activism.
Nassef Manabilang Adion: He is the founder of the IR-IS Research Cohort, an e-networking com- munity interested in advancing comparative research between International Relations and Islamic Studies. He is the editor of a recently published book entitled “International Relations and Islam: Diverse Perspectives” (Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2013). He is also the author of the follow- ing refereed journal articles, including “The U.S. and Israel Securitization of Iran’s Nuclear Energy” in The Quarterly Journal of Political Studies of Islamic World, “The Palestinian Refugee Question: A Constitutive Constructivist Interpretation” in Alternatives: Turkish Journal of International Relations,
and a reference entry entitled “Ideology that Spawns Islamist Militancy” in Frank Shanty’s 2-volume book called Counterterrorism: From the Cold War to the War on Terror. He also contributed encyclo- pedic articles on the following entries: nation, International Relations, Turkey, nation-state, national- ism, civilization, Qatar, and Suez Canal, which were published in various reputable publishers such as ABC-CLIO, Wiley-Blackwell, Oxford University Press, and SAGE Publications, Inc. He is one of the associate editors and reviewers of The Global Studies Journal’s Volume 4, Issue 4 (Illinois, USA) and International Researcher Journal (Lahore, Pakistan), respectively. He is currently a PhD candidate at METU.
Nurzhanat Ametbek: She is an alumnus of Xinjiang University, Department of English language. She received her MA from Hacettepe University, English language education. She is currently PhD student at Ankara University, Department of International Relations. Her research interests are Turkish Foreign Policy, Chinese Foreign Policy, Central Asia, and Eurasia.
Obydullah Al Marjuk: Al Marjuk holds MSc in Social and Cultural Research from Brunel University, UK and a bachelor degree in Sociology from the University of Dhaka. He started as a Lecturer of Sociology at Asian University of Bangladesh in 2012. Currently, he is a Lecturer in the Department of Social Sciences and Humanities at Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB). His interest in research includes, but not limited to Sociological Theory, Methodology, Sub-altern Studies, Feminism and Gender Studies, Western Thoughts and Philosophy, Eschatology, and Social History.
Peyman Eshaghi: He has studied anthropology at Tehran University and now is a student of sociology of religion at Ankara University. His research interests are politics of religion in Middle East, Muslim rituals, pilgrimage and cult of saints in Islam.
Sadia Jabeen: Presently a PhD Candidate in the Department of Islamic Studies, University of Peshawar, Pakistan. Her thesis topic is “Principles of International Relations In The Light Of Peace Treaties of The Holy Prophet (PBUH)”. Her published work and major research interests mainly focus on Islam and International Relations, Islam and Democracy and Islamic Modernist Thoughts, Contemporary Thinkers of Pakistan.
Sameh Elbarqy: He is an alumnus of Cairo University, Faculty of Science. He received a diploma of civil society& human rights and a diploma of NGOs management; the 2 diplomas are from Faculty of Economics & Political Science. He is currently master’s student, Sociology/Anthropology at American University in Egypt and he is teaching assistant at SYASI.ORG , online educational institute. His research interests are social movements, religion& state, Islamic movements, closed organizations, and Middle East politics.
SeyedHosseinZarhani:He has studied Political Science at the University of Tehran, Iran and the Osmania University, India. He holds a M.A. degree and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. on “Dynamics of governance and Development in India, a Comparative Study on Andhra Pradesh and Bihar” under the supervision of Prof.Subrata K. Mitra at Heidelberg University’s South Asia Institute (SAI). Mr. Zarhani has specialized in studies of Comparative Politics: India and South Asia, Political Economy: Development and Democracy in South Asia and governance and political order in developing countries. Furthermore, his research interests include identities and foreign policy in the Middle East, Iran’s politics; Political Islam and Terrorism. He has several work experience at different research institutes in Iran.
Siddeek Mohamed Sufiyan: He completed his Islamic Sharee’ah education in Jamiah Naleemiah Islamiah, Beruwala, Sri Lanka. Jamiah Naleemiah is a Member of International Islamic Universities Federation. He received his first degree from University of Peradeniya and he received his Masters from University of Colombo in International Relations. He is now attached to the Sri Lanka Islamic Students’ Movement as the President.
Tauseef Ahmad Parray: Presently a PhD Candidate in the Department of Islamic Studies, Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), Aligarh, India, working on the topic, “Islam and Democracy: A Study of the Views of Contemporary Scholars of India and Pakistan” since March 2009. His works (Research Papers, Review Essays/Articles), mostly on Islam and democracy, Islamic Modernism in India and Pakistan, Pluralism, and Qur’anic studies, have been published internationally in 19 reputed Journals of Islamic Studies, Social /Political Science, from 10 different countries of the world: USA, UK, UAE, Malaysia, Philippines, The Netherlands, Pakistan, Turkey, China, and India. He is on the ‘Editorial Board’ of vari- ous Journals and magazines, like Journal of Humanity & Islam (JHI), Malaysia; Bannu University Research Journal (BURJ), Pakistan; Hazara Islamicus, Pakistan; History Studies—International Journal of History, Turkey; Encompassing Crescent (EC) magazine, New York; and the ‘Book Review Member’ of Muslim World Book Review, The Islamic Foundation, UK. His major areas of research interest include: Islam and Democracy, Modern Islamic Political Thought and Institutions, Islamic Social Sciences (esp. Political Science), Islamic Modernist/Reformist Thought, Contemporary Thinkers of South Asia (India
& Pakistan), and Qur’anic Studies.
Tinatin Skhirtladze: She has graduated from the faculty of International Relations in the insti- tute of Asian and African studies (Free University of Tbilisi). She received her MA of International Communications from Vilnius University. Her research interests are Intercultural communications, cultural specifics, career management processes.
Wan Ahmad Fayhsal: He is a graduate student in Islamic Thought and Civilization at Centre for Advanced Studies in Islam, Science, and Civilization (CASIS) of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM). He earned his bachelor in Chemical Engineering from Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP), where after he joined the Malaysian national oil company PETRONAS as an executive in strategic and business plan- ning before serving a brief stint as a senior executive in an economic unit under the Prime Minister’s Department of Malaysia. Actively involved in various social activism platforms since his undergradu- ate days, he is now a research fellow at Assembly of Intellectual Muslim (HAKIM) – an Islamic NGO that is dedicated to revive Islamic Intellectual Tradition. His research interests mainly focused on world history, Islamic thought and philosophy of science.
Waleed F. Mahdi: He is a PhD candidate in American studies at the University of Minnesota and is a student of development studies and social change at the university’s Interdisciplinary Center for the Study of Global Change (ICGC). He is a Fulbright and ICGC-MacArthur scholar with main research inter- ests in American studies, Arab studies, popular culture, and postcolonial studies. His current disserta- tion project proposes an interdisciplinary reading of major Arabic and American narratives primarily engaged in the construction of a transnational Arab American identity.
Yusuf Özcan: He is an alumnus of Marmara University, Department of Islamic Theology. He continues his studies at the university of Sorbonne in master degree Islamology and Muslim world. His research interests are Islamic philosophy and Islamic theology.