Rasheed al-Khayoun, an Iraqi scholar and lecturer in Islamic philosophy, religion, and history. He is the author of Religions and Sects in Iraq(“Al-Adyan wa ‘l-Madhahib fi ‘l-Iraq”) (Berlin: Dar al-Kamel, 2003) and The Mu’tazili Sect: From Theology to Philosophy(“Madh’hab al-Mu’tazila Min al-Kalam ila ‘l-Falsafa”) (Beirut: Dal al-Nubugh, 1994), among numerous other books and monographs. Holding a PhD in Islamic Philosophy from Sofia University in Bulgaria and a BA from Aden University in Yemen, Dr. Al-Khayoun travels and lectures across the Arab region. As a voice on contemporary politics and culture, he pens a weekly column for the pan-Arab daily Al-Sharq al-Awsat and UAE daily Al-Ittihad, in addition to articles in dozens of other newspapers and magazines. He has also been a featured guest on the BBC World Service, among other international and pan-Arab broadcasts. Khayoun is also a member of the Iraq Institute for Strategic Studies in Beirut.