Dalia Ziada is an Egyptian-born Middle East scholar, activist, and author (born January 2, 1982, in Cairo, to a mother who was an Arabic school teacher and a father who was a Lieutenant Colonel engineer in the Egyptian Armed Forces). She is part of the 'pink hijab generation' of young Muslim women committed to their faith, femininity, and rights. Ziada holds a BA in English Literature from Ain Shams University and a Master's degree in International Relations, majoring in International Security Studies, from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University (via the Global Master of Arts Program). Her career focuses on policy to combat antisemitism, political Islamism, and radical groups, with active involvement in Muslim-Jewish and Arab-Israeli dialogues for 16 years. She serves as Washington D.C. Coordinator and 2025 Research Fellow at the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy (ISGAP), Co-founder and Chairperson of the Liberal Democracy Institute (LDI), Executive Director/Director of Research at the MEEM Center for Middle East and Eastern Mediterranean Studies, Executive Director of the Ibn Khaldun Center for Democratic Studies/Development Studies (IKC), Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa at the American Islamic Congress (AIC), Senior Research and Diplomacy Fellow at the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs (JCFA), and Board Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee at Egypt's National Council for Women (NCW). Since May 2024, she has lectured on Middle East geopolitics following the October 7 attacks at 59 U.S. university campuses in partnership with Hillel International. Ziada played a key role in Egypt's 2011 revolution civil society movement. Her publications include 'The Curious Case of the Three-Legged Wolf - Egypt: Military, Islamism, and Liberal Democracy' (author, 2019, Liberal Democracy Institute), 'Paradox of Repression and Nonviolent Movements' (co-author, 2018, Syracuse University Press), 'The Status-quo of Civil Society and Liberal Democratization in the Arab World' (editor, 2012, Ibn Khaldun Center), 'A Modern Narrative for Muslim Women in the Middle East' (co-author, 2010, American Islamic Congress), 'Lam Alef' (poetry collection in Arabic, author, 2009, Maktoub Publishing), 'Civil Rights and the Montgomery Story' (Arabic translation, 2008, American Islamic Congress), 'Egypt, Whereto? The Future of Democratic Reform' (editor, 2008, Tharwa Foundation), and 'Implacable Adversaries: Arab Governments and The Internet' (translation, 2006, Arab Network for Human Rights); an upcoming book, 'The Coalition of Odds,' addresses new Middle East geopolitics. Affiliations include Diplomeds – The Council for Mediterranean Diplomacy, Renew Democracy Initiative (RDI), Clarity Coalition, and See The Good (STG). Awards and recognition: Named by CNN as one of eight agents of change in the Middle East (2012), featured by The Daily Beast as one of the most fearless women in the world (two years), Distinguished Alumni Award (2014), Presidential Award for Citizenship and Public Service (2011), and Anna Lindh Euro-Mediterranean Journalist Award (2010); profiled in Robin Wright's 'Rock the Casbah' and Lily Eskelsen Garcia's 'Rabble Rousers.' During the 2023 Gaza war, she publicly supported Israel's response to Hamas's October 7 attack, condemning Hamas, which led to severe backlash in Egypt including safety threats, espionage accusations, and inciting war crimes, forcing her into hiding. Online presence: X/Twitter @daliaziada, Instagram @daliaziada, LinkedIn linkedin.com/in/daliaziada, Facebook facebook.com/daliaziada, and a bilingual blog (daliaziada.blogspot.com, archived since 2006). Press contact: dalia.ziada@mei.edu.