Biography

As an Egyptian-Dane, I have always been fascinated by the contentious issue of the Islamic nature of Egypt. This drives my ambition, as a historian, to shed light on the immense role of Islam in modern Egypt.

My specialisation in modern Egyptian history at the University of Copenhagen has expanded my understanding of the challenges Egyptians have faced for the last century, including questions concerning identity, political Islam and the relationship between religion and state. The debate on the Islamisation of the state or nationalisation of Islam has often been lacking a solid scholarly foundation. I will address this gap by looking at legal codification and, in particular, the project of legal Islamisation after the 1970s. This period of Egyptian legal history has been understudied in comparison with the 19th century which marked the beginning of Egypt’s encounter with Europe.

Pursuing this PhD in Middle Eastern Studies will ultimately shed light on a chapter of legal modernity that was especially formative for the way Islam and state interact in Egypt and beyond today. As a first-generation academic, I am honoured and humbled to be joining such an outstanding community and learn from my fellow Gates Cambridge Scholars.

Previous Education

University of Copenhagen Arabic/Middle Eastern Studies 2018
University of Copenhagen Arabic/Middle Eastern Studies 2016