Omar Ashour

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.

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)^[1] . 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)^[2] . He is considered to be a leading expert on ending political violence and transitions from armed to unarmed activism^[3][4][5][6] . Ashour has published extensively about de-radicalizaiton, counter-narratives, and transitions to democracy^[7][8] . His published works cover the Middle East, the Caucasus, Central Asia, and Arab and Muslim Communities in the West.^[9] .

Martial Arts

Ashour is a Taekwondo 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.^[10] . He was the Egyptian national champion six times in the bantam and feather weight categories^[11] . 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^[12] . Ashour is well-known for his flashy spinning kicks, fast counterattacks and unorthodox style.

References

1. ^ "Dr Omar Ashour – Arab and Islamic Studies – University of Exeter". Socialsciences.exeter.ac.uk. http://socialsciences.exeter.ac.uk/iais/staff/ashour/. Retrieved October 19, 2011. 
2. ^ Ashour, Omar (April 6, 2009). "The De-Radicalization of Jihadists: Transforming Armed Islamist Movements (Hardback)". Routledge. http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9780415485456/. Retrieved October 19, 2011. 
3. ^ [1]^{[dead link]}
4. ^ "The Middle East Journal (Le Monde diplomatique)". Monde-diplomatique.fr. http://www.monde-diplomatique.fr/revues/middleeastjournal. Retrieved October 19, 2011. 
5. ^ http://www.terrorismanalysts.com/pt/index.php?option=com_rokzine&view=article&id=39&Itemid=54
6. ^ [2]^{[dead link]}
7. ^ "Taylor & Francis Online :: Post-Jihadism: Libya and the Global Transformations of Armed Islamist Movements – Terrorism and Political Violence – Volume 23, Issue 3". Tandfonline.com. June 1, 2011. http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09546553.2011.560218. Retrieved October 19, 2011. 
8. ^ Ashour, Omar (July 13, 2011). "BBC News – Egypt secularists and liberals afraid of democracy?". BBC. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-14112032. Retrieved October 19, 2011. 
9. ^ http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~content=a714044661~db=all~order=page
10. ^ "The Official Taekwondo Hall Of Fame® – Ecuador – Egypt". Lacancha.com. http://www.lacancha.com/tkdhofe.html#EGYPT. Retrieved October 19, 2011. 
11. ^ "TAEKWONDOHALLOFFAME.COM – Tae Kwon Do Hall Of Fame – Taekwondo Hall of Fame – TaeKwon-Do Hall of Fame – Taekwon-do Hall of Fame – taekwondo hall of fame – Mike Warren – Joe Hayes – Albert Cheeks & Others!". taekwondo hall of fame. http://www.taekwondohalloffame.com/. Retrieved October 19, 2011. 
12. ^ om een reactie te plaatsen! (September 24, 2007). "World Koshiki Karate Championships 2007 middle weight Div". YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6IwHppgxrI. Retrieved October 19, 2011. 

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

Interviews

• al-Jazeera – Egypt Revolution
• BBC – Libya's Revolution
• al-Jazeera – Removal of Mubarak
• Global – World Karate Championship
• Middle East Institute
• McGill Daily – US Public Diplomacy Initiative

Persondata
Name	Ashour, Omar
Alternative names
Short description	political scientist, human rights activist, and a martial arts champion
Date of birth
Place of birth	Cairo, Egypt
Date of death
Place of death