Religion & Society
The Islamist advantage: The religious infrastructure of electoral victory
Ammar Abdulhamid is an expert on minorities and human rights in the Middle East. Abdulhamid is a reform-minded Arab intellectual and one of the most enterprising young Syrians of his generation. He is the founder of the Damascus-based DarEmar publishing house, which also functions as a non-registered NGO promoting awareness of civil society, minority rights, and democratization. He is also the coordinator of DarEmar’s web-based research forum The Tharwa (Wealth) Project (http://www.tharwaproject.com), which commissions commentary and analysis on the living conditions, concerns, and aspirations of religious and ethnic minorities in the Middle East and functions as a non-partisan platform for dialogue on reform in the Arab world. Abdulhamid is also a founding member of the Euro-Arab Platform for Justice and Democracy.
Ammar Abdulhamid has recently joined the Saban Center’s Project on U.S. Relations with the Islamic World. His research while at Brookings will focus on the interests and challenges faced by the upcoming generation of Arab intellectuals. His visiting fellowship is made possible by a grant from the Ford Foundation.
