I am a PhD candidate in political science at the Ohio State University. I am interested in political Islam, comparative political economy, and democratization with a regional focus in the Middle East. My dissertation analyzes the emergence of Muslim democratic parties in the Middle East with case studies on Egypt, Morocco and Turkey. I have completed my field research.

Muslim Democratic Parties: Economic Liberalization and Islamist Moderation in the Middle East

My dissertation aims to explain Islamist moderation in the Middle East by focusing on social cleavages and socioeconomic dynamics. Specifically, two interrelated questions guide my research on this important subject: What explains the emergence of Muslim Democratic parties recently, and why have these parties been successful in some cases, but not others? Although it is often said that economic liberalization will moderate Islamist parties, less is known about the mechanism through which this moderation is achieved, or when such outcomes are likely...

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