Fadi Quran is the Senior Director at Avaaz, a global movement with 69 million members dedicated to driving change worldwide. In his current role, Fadi focuses on the pursuit of liberation and supporting communities in cultivating the tools and skills required to achieve it.
Mr. Quran’s expertise in liberation struggles is rooted in his extensive research and experience in struggling for human rights and justice. He has been at the forefront of many campaigns, leveraging his deep understanding of geopolitics and grassroots mobilization to challenge oppression and support freedom movements. Previously, Mr. Quran served as the UN Advocacy Officer with Al-Haq’s legal research and advocacy unit in Palestine, where he specialized in international law and human rights advocacy. He’s been arrested by both the Israeli military and the Palestinian Authority for his organizing and human rights work.
Beyond his advocacy work, Mr. Quran is an entrepreneur in the alternative energy sector, contributing to innovative solutions for sustainable energy. His insights and expertise have been featured in prominent media outlets, including Al-Jazeera, NPR, The Guardian, AFP, TIME Magazine, Jadaliya, and others. He holds degrees in Physics and International Relations from Stanford University. Follow him on Twitter @fadiquran for updates and insights.
With a PhD in Industrial Engineering, he is the co-founder and managing partner of several companies specializing in education and technological solutions. He also serves as a university lecturer at various Turkish institutions and works as a consultant in innovation management and quality for companies across Switzerland, Turkey, Malaysia, Italy, Qatar, and Lebanon.
Turkish politician and businessman. He graduated in business administration from Atatürk University in 1982 and worked as a financial advisor, eventually becoming certified. Tahmazoğlu co-founded the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) in 2001 and held various roles, including Deputy Provincial Chairman. He ran for the Turkish Parliament in 2007. In 2009, he was elected Mayor of Şahinbey, a position he successfully retained in the 2014 elections.
The current rector of Gaziantep Islamic Science and Technology University (GİBTÜ), a position he has held since March 2023. He holds a degree in theology from Atatürk University, along with a master’s and PhD in Quranic interpretation. Before becoming rector, he was the Dean of the Faculty of Theology at Gaziantep University and advanced from research assistant to professor. Demir is recognized for his contributions to Islamic scholarship and Quranic studies.
Rana Dajani is a distinguished molecular biologist and social entrepreneur from Jordan, currently serving as a professor at the Hashemite University. She specializes in epigenetics and the biomarkers of trauma in refugee populations, and she is also the founder of We Love Reading, a successful initiative that promotes literacy by establishing community libraries, which has garnered the UNESCO International Literacy Prize. In addition to her academic and social contributions, Dajani has held leadership roles in several scientific organizations, advocating for equity in education and employment. Her recent book, Five Scarves: Doing the Impossible, calls for a reevaluation of success metrics in a rapidly evolving world.
François Burgat is a French political scientist specializing in political Islam and Middle Eastern politics. He has directed the Institut Français du Proche-Orient and authored key works like Islamism in the Shadow of al-Qaeda. Burgat’s research highlights the sociopolitical roots of Islamist movements, challenging Western views and offering a nuanced perspective on Islamism’s ties to colonialism and authoritarianism.
Zaid Jaloudi is a Palestinian American economist and activist, currently serving as president of the Global Students for Palestine Network (GSPN). Drawing on his economics background and extensive experience with corporations and nonprofits, Zaid specializes in scaling businesses and fortifying organizations. Through his leadership at GSPN, he fosters global collaboration among activists and drives efforts for Palestinian liberation, focusing on building resilient communities and creating lasting change.”
Betul Dogan-Akkas is a researcher of the Arab Gulf States. She holds a joint degree PhD in Gulf Studies from Durham University and Qatar University. She is also a co-convenor of the BISA Working Group International Studies of the Mediterranean, Middle East and Asia. In her research, she examines foreign policy, security strategies, and political culture in the GCC states. Dogan-Akkas also covers the involvement of the GCC states in the Yemen war and Türkiye-GCC relations.
Professor Beverley Milton-Edwards is a nonresident Senior Fellow at the Middle East Council on Global Affairs in Qatar, focusing on Middle East politics, Political Islam, and Security. With over 20 years of advising the EU and Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, she has held academic positions at Queen’s University Belfast and visiting fellowships at Brookings Doha, Oxford, and Georgetown. She has mediated in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and authored several books, including Hamas, the Quest for Power (2024). She is also a Fellow of the UK Academy of Social Sciences and co-founder of the British Association of Islamic Studies.
Mohammad Affan is the director of Al Sharq Strategic Research and Al Sharq Academia. A medical doctor by training, he holds a PhD from the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies, University of Exeter, in 2020. He obtained his MA degree in Comparative Politics from the American University in Cairo in 2015. In addition, he holds a post-graduate diploma in Civil Society and Human Rights from Cairo University, a diploma in Political Research and Studies from the Institute of Arab Research and Studies in Cairo, and a diploma in Islamic Studies from The Higher Institute for Islamic Studies, Cairo. He is the author of “Secularism Confronts Islamism: Divergent Paths of Transitional Negotiations in Egypt and Tunisia.” Also, his master’s thesis was published in Arabic as a book titled: “Wahhabism and the Brotherhood: The Conflict on the Concept of the State and the Legitimacy of Power”. His research interests include Islamism and democratization in MENA region.
