Dr. Mohammad Affan is the Director of Al Sharq Academia and a lecturer in the Political Science Department at Ibn Haldun University in Istanbul. An Egyptian researcher and scholar, he originally trained as a medical doctor before transitioning into political science. He earned his Ph.D. in Middle East Politics from the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies at the University of Exeter in 2020 and obtained 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 Al Sharq Strategic Research and the Coordinator of the Al Sharq Program on Political Islam. His research interests include Islamism, democratization, and transnational politics in the MENA region. He has published widely, including his thesis, “Wahhabism and the Brotherhood: The Conflict on the Concept of the State and the Legitimacy of Power,” which was published in Arabic.Dr. 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 the understanding of political dynamics in the Middle East and the broader Muslim world.