Fatimah Bint Abdullah received her first degree in Usuluddin and Philosophy from National University in Malaysia (UKM) in 1981. She obtained her Master of Philosophy from St. Andrew University, Scotland in 1991, and her Ph.D. in Islamic Thought and Civilization (ISTAC) from Malaysia in 1998. In 2007, she received a Diploma in Social Sciences from International Islamic University in Malaysia. She had taught at the International Islamic university for more than twenty years. She had also taught at Ahfad University for Women in Sudan in 2011-2012. Currently, she is with the Center for Islam and Global Affairs (CIGA) and an associate professor at Sabahattin Zaim University at Istanbul, Turkey. She has published several articles and books on various aspects of Islamic thought, including a text-book on Islamic Aqidah for online education program (2001), Issues in Usuluddin (2009) and Islamic Ethics and Character Building (2014).

Farid Hafez, PhD (political science, University of Vienna) is currently lecturer and researcher at the University of Salzburg, Department of Political Science and Sociology. He is also Senior Researcher at Georgetown University’s ‘The Bridge Initiative’. In 2017, he was Fulbright visiting professor at University of California, Berkeley and in 2014, he was visiting scholar at Columbia University, New York. Since 2010 he has been the editor of the Islamophobia Studies Yearbook, and since 2015 the co-editor of the annual ‘European Islamophobia Report’. Hafez has received the Bruno Kreisky Award for the political book of the year for his anthology Islamophobia in Austria (co-ed. with John Bunzl) and published more than 60 books and articles, including high ranking academic journals. Beyond that, Farid Hafez is regularly publishing op-ed’s and being interviewed by media outlets from NPR, Washington Post to Al-Jazeera to Haaretz, TRT World and many others.

Linda Hyökki received her Master of Arts from the program “Language, Culture and Translation” at the University of Mainz, Germany and has worked as a translator for German, Finnish and English. She is also a certified teacher of German as a Foreign Language with teaching experience at the University of Jordan. Currently she is pursuing her PhD in Civilization Studies at the Ibn Haldun University in Istanbul and works on a thesis about Finnish convert Muslims’ experiences on Islamophobia. She is also a fellow at the Center for Postnormal Policy and Futures Studies and actively teaches in workshops on Futures Studies for the Muslim youth. Along with her native tongue Finnish, she speaks English, German, Swedish and Turkish and is learning Arabic. Her academic interests include Islamophobia Studies, conversion to Islam and identity, critical theory, and qualitative study methods.

Fadi Zatari is a Research Associate at Centre for Islam and Global Affairs and lecturer in political science and at Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University, Turkey. In 2006, he gained his BA degree in political science from al-Quds University in Jerusalem. In 2009 he received his first Masters degree in International Studies from the Birzeit University, and in 2013 his second Masters degree in Political Theory from the Goethe University Frankfurt am Main and the Technical University of Darmstadt, Germany. Beside his native Arabic language, he is fluent in German, English and Turkish.

Jemal Muhamed Adem is a doctoral student of Political Science and International Relations at Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University. He earned his undergraduate degree in Political Science and International Relations in 2013 from Dire-Dawa University in Ethiopia. After working as a graduate assistant at Samara University for two years, Muhamed joined Addis Ababa University, where he obtained his master’s degree in Peace and Security Studies in 2017. Since then, he has served as an instructor in the department of Civics and Ethical Studies at Samara University in Ethiopia where he offered various courses for undergraduate program including International Relations, International Organizations and Law, Peace and Conflict, Research Methods, Federalism and Local Government, Politics of Development, and Civics and Ethics. While studying his PhD, he is also an Associate Researcher at the Centre for Islam and Global Affairs at Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University. His research interests include peace and security, conflict management, and democratization, identity politics, and transnational politics in the North-East (Horn) of Africa in broader contexts of the Middle East and international politics.

Riad Alarian is a Research Associate at the Center for Islam and Global Affairs (CIGA) and a lecturer in the Department of Political Science and International Relations at Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University (IZU). He also serves as co-editor of Muftah Magazine’s Israel/Palestine and Levant Region pages and its Egypt and North Africa pages. Riad obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy with a double minor in political science and history from the George Washington University, and his Master of Science degree in international political theory from the University of Edinburgh.

Sabrien Amrov is a Ph.D. candidate in Human Geography at the University of Toronto. She is a 2018-2021 Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) doctoral fellow. Her area of interests are affectives geographies, urban studies and Middle East politics. Her current ethnography Geopolitics, Intimacy and Empire: Arab Encounters in Istanbul’s Little Syria after the Arab Spring reflects on place-making practises of Arab migrants in Istanbul. In 2013, she earned her master’s degree in International Relations, with Honours from the University of Ottawa. Her SSHRC-funded MA thesis on the Security Sector Reform in the West Bank investigated how security coordination between the international donor states,  Israel and the Palestinian Authority extends Israel’s matrix of control over Palestinian everyday life. In 2011, she earned her Honours Bachelors in Conflict Studies and Human Rights with a Minor in Arabic Language and Culture from the same university. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, The Funambulist, Society and Space, Al Shabaka Policy Network, Middle East Monitor, and Rabble.ca.

Amani Asenwar is a Research Associate at Center for Islam and Global Affairs (CIGA)- Istanbul Zaim University since September 2017. She is a PhD candidate in Politics and International Relations at Istanbul Zaim University. In the 2017-2018 academic year she worked as a lecturer in the same faculty. In 2017, she has received her master’s degree in EU politics and International Relations from European Union institute at Marmara University. Between 2011-2014 she was the regional director of the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor (Middle East office-Amman), she also worked as human rights researcher in the same organisation (2011-2014) as well as UFree Network (2011-2012). She speaks Arabic, English and Turkish. Amani has a book chapter publication on “Distinguishing Israeli settlement products in EU market; political rather economic move” which has been published in the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies’ book: Boycott as a Strategy to Counter Israel's Occupation and Apartheid, 2018.

Imad Atoui is currently affiliated with Center for Islam and Global Affairs (CIGA) as research associate. In 2011, He gained his undergraduate degree from Ferhat Abbas University, department of History, Algeria. After he has got his first scholarship, he joined Istanbul Commerce University (Turkey) where he secured his Master's Degree in African Studies and International Relations, in 2018. Besides his affiliation with CIGA, he is a PHD student of Political science and International Relation at Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University, Turkey. His main research interest is Civil-Military relations in Algeria, State building in North African and Sahel region countries, Conflict resolution in African Sahel Region, political and Security issues in Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia, and Algerian Modern history.

Butheina Hamdah is a Research Associate at the Center of Islam and Global Affairs (CIGA) in Istanbul, Turkey, where she researches issues related to Muslim communities in the United States. Before joining CIGA, she served as a Leadership Assistant and Development Associate at the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding (ISPU). She has also served in other consulting capacities to several non-profits, and, prior to that, spent time in community organizing and youth engagement in her hometown of Toledo, Ohio. Butheina obtained her Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees in political science from the University of Toledo in Ohio. Her graduate thesis focused on liberalism and its impact on religious identity in the American Muslim context.

Riyaz ul Khaliq is studying for PhD in the department of Political Science and International Relations at Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University (IZU). Besides, he is associated with Centre for Islam and Global Affairs (CIGA) as Research Associate since March 2018. He graduated as a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Political Science and English Literature from University of Kashmir in 2013. In 2016 spring, he graduated as Masters degree student from the same University in ‘Kashmir and South Asia Studies’. Ever since his college days, Riyaz has been working as a News Reporter for various news publications based in Srinagar where he covered conflict, politics, education, security, human rights and development beats. He is interested in political developments in South Asia with special focus on India-Pakistan, India-Kashmir and Pakistan-Kashmir relations. A News reporter by heart, Riyaz continues to write for Kashmir based newspapers from Istanbul.

Razia Wadood, from Pakistan, currently affiliated with Center for Islam and Global Affairs as research associate. She is a PhD candidate in Dept. of Political Science and International Relations at Istanbul Sabahhattin Zaim University, (Turkey). She did her Master (2013-2016) and Bachelor (2009-2013) degree from International Islamic University Islamabad, Pakistan. She served as a researcher, August 2013-Junary 2014; in Institute of Strategic Studies Research and Analysis, National Defense University Islamabad, Pakistan. She also worked as Research Assistant, January-December 2017; with Iqbal International Institute of research and Dialogue, International Islamic University Islamabad, Pakistan. She taught as visiting faculty member, February 2016- January 2018; in Dept. of Politics and International Relations, International Islamic University Islamabad, Pakistan. She is also a member of board of trustee of a charity trust “Education for All” in Pakistan. Her main research interest is Institutionalism, Judicial Activism and Civil Military Relations.

Saima Rashid is a Research Assistant at Centre for Islam and Global Affairs (CIGA) since October 2018. At Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University (IZU), she is pursuing Masters degree from the Department of Political Science and International Relations. She graduated as a Bachelor of Journalism from University of Kashmir in 2016. Ever since she joined her college, Saima has been working as a News Reporter with a Kashmir based News Magazine where wrote stories of success, human interest, education and human rights. Besides, she has written poetry and fiction which have been published by various media. Saima knows Kashmiri, Urdu, English, Turkish and Hindi. Her interest lies in reading, researching and writing about Kashmir.

Yomna Süleyman is a MA student in the Department of Political Science and International Relations at Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University and is an affiliated Research Assistant at the Center for Islam and Global Affairs (CIGA). She holds a teaching assistantship in the Political Science Department, Faculty of Economics and Political Sciences, at Cairo University since 2016. Currently she is on leave until the end of the year.  Previously, she served as a researcher at the Egyptian Institute for Political and Strategic Studies, Istanbul, Turkey. Her main research interest focuses on International Relations.

Esra İbrahimağaoğlu is a research intern at the Center for Islam and Global Affairs. She is currently pursuing Political Science and International Relations Bachelor at Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University. She joined several workshops covering fields such as Conflict Zones, Humanitarian Diplomacy, Turkish History and Political philosophy. Esra is a blogger on social media, observing and blogging about the Rohingya crisis. She is interested in Peace and Conflict Studies, Asia-Pacific Politics, and Peacebuilding in Islam.

Omar Fili is a Research Intern at the Center for Islam and Global Affairs (CIGA). He is currently pursuing his bachelor’s degree in Political Science and International Relations at Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University (IZU). Omar studied at Al-azhar throughout his educational life before moving to Turkey. Besides, he took a diploma in Arabic calligraphy from Egypt. Omar speaks Arabic, English, Albanian. He is interested in Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) political history, political theory and Islamic history.