Omar Ashour
Encyclopedia
Omar Ashour is a political scientist, human rights activist, and a martial arts champion from Montreal
.
Born in Cairo
, Ashour obtained his Bsc and MA from the American University in Cairo
and has a doctorate degree from McGill University
in Montreal, where he taught political science
and martial arts.
master and a well-decorated kickboxer. He was a member of the Egyptian National Taekwondo
team. His record includes a bronze medal in the World Junior Taekwondo Championship and a silver medal in Africa’s Taekwondo championship. . He was the Egyptian national champion six times in the bantam and feather weight categories . He was also the two-times national champion in Chinese Kickboxing (Sanshou). In 2007, he joined the Canadian National Karate Team and won the Gold medal in the World Koshiki Karate Championship in the middle-weight category, defeating seven-times World Champion, Masamitsu Hisataka via unanimous decision . Ashour is well-known for his flashy spinning kicks, fast counterattacks and unorthodox style.
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
.
Born in Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
, Ashour obtained his Bsc and MA from the American University in Cairo
American University in Cairo
The American University in Cairo is an independent, non-profit, apolitical, secular institution of higher learning located in Cairo, Egypt...
and has a doctorate degree from McGill University
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
in Montreal, where he taught political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
and martial arts.
Academic career
Ashour is the Director of the Middle East Graduate Studies Programme at the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies, University of Exeter (UK) . He is a specialist on Islamist movements and ideologies, democratization, terrorism and insurgency, and strategic studies. He authored of the first major study on jihadist de-radicalization processes and programs: The Deradicalization of Jihadists: Transforming Armed Islamist Movements, (London, New York: Routledge, 2009) . He is considered to be a leading expert on ending political violence and transitions from armed to unarmed activism . Ashour has published extensively about de-radicalizaiton, counter-narratives, and transitions to democracy . His published works cover the Middle East, the Caucasus, Central Asia, and Arab and Muslim Communities in the West. .Martial Arts
Ashour is a TaekwondoTaekwondo
Taekwondo is a Korean martial art and the national sport of South Korea. In Korean, tae means "to strike or break with foot"; kwon means "to strike or break with fist"; and do means "way", "method", or "path"...
master and a well-decorated kickboxer. He was a member of the Egyptian National Taekwondo
Taekwondo
Taekwondo is a Korean martial art and the national sport of South Korea. In Korean, tae means "to strike or break with foot"; kwon means "to strike or break with fist"; and do means "way", "method", or "path"...
team. His record includes a bronze medal in the World Junior Taekwondo Championship and a silver medal in Africa’s Taekwondo championship. . He was the Egyptian national champion six times in the bantam and feather weight categories . He was also the two-times national champion in Chinese Kickboxing (Sanshou). In 2007, he joined the Canadian National Karate Team and won the Gold medal in the World Koshiki Karate Championship in the middle-weight category, defeating seven-times World Champion, Masamitsu Hisataka via unanimous decision . Ashour is well-known for his flashy spinning kicks, fast counterattacks and unorthodox style.
Articles by Omar Ashour
- BBC – Who's Afraid of Democracy in Egypt?
- Foreign Policy – Democratic Jihadists?
- BBC – Dismantling State Security in Egypt
- The Guardian – Libya's Revolution
- Deradicalization of Jihad?
- The Russo-Chechen Conflict
- Lions Tamed?
- Review in Le Monde Diplomatique
- Islamists, Soldiers, and Conditional Democrats
- Reviews