Dr. Mohamed Affan is the Director of Al-Sharq Academia and a lecturer in the Department of Political Science at Ibn Haldun University in Istanbul. An Egyptian researcher and scholar, he trained as a medical doctor before moving into political science. He received his PhD in Middle Eastern politics from the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies, University of Exeter in 2020 and his MA in Comparative Politics from the American University in Cairo in 2015. In addition to his role at Al-Sharq Academia, Dr. Affan is the Acting Director of Strategic Research and the Pro-Islamic Coordinator of Al-Sharq Gram. His research interests include Islamism, democratization, and international politics in the MENA region. He has published widely, including his dissertation “Wahhabism and the Muslim Brotherhood: The Controversy over the Concept of the State and the Legitimacy of Power,” which was published in Arabic. Affan also holds a Postgraduate 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, and a Diploma in Islamic Studies from the Higher Institute for Islamic Studies in Cairo. His diverse academic background and leadership roles underscore his commitment to advancing understanding of political dynamics in the Middle East and the wider Muslim world.