Islam and Politics - The Stimson Center

108 | Appendix 1: Author Biographies
Amina Rasul is the Director of the Philippine Council for Islam and Democracy. She has
served as a research fellow with the SyCip Policy Center at the Asian Institute of Management
in the Philippines and as a Senior Fellow with the United States Institute of Peace,
where her project focused on Autonomy or Federalism: Self-Rule for Philippine Muslims.
She is an expert on issues relating to minority representation and democratic participation
in the Philippines, focusing on the Muslim insurgency in Mindanao. Ms. Rasul has
a distinguished record of public service and of achievement in the fields of business and
finance. From 1994 to 1998, she served as Presidential Adviser on Youth Affairs and as
Chair and CEO of the National Youth Commission. From 1990 to 1998, she served as a
Commissioner on the National Commission on the Role of Filipino Women. Ms. Rasul is a
Trustee of the Magbassa Kita Foundation, which conducts literacy and poverty alleviation
programs in Mindanao, and has organized mutual guarantee associations for women and
indigenous communities. She holds a master’s degree in business management from the
Asian Institute of Management in the Philippines and an MPA from Harvard’s Kennedy
School of Government.
Prakhar Sharma is an international researcher at the Manasia Research and Analysis Institute
in Kabul, specializing in conflict and postconflict research in Afghanistan. Previously,
he worked at the Centre for Conflict and Peace Studies (CAPS) in Afghanistan, building its
capacity and network. Prior to working in Afghanistan, Mr. Sharma was Senior Analyst at
the International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research at the S. Rajaratnam
School of International Studies (RSIS) in Singapore. He holds an MPP from Lee Kuan Yew
School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore, where he was awarded an
APEC-TEMASEK Scholarship. He also holds an MBA from the Asian Institute of Management
(AIM) in Manila, and a bachelor’s of commerce from Rajasthan University in
Jaipur, India. Mr. Sharma speaks English, Hindi, and basic Dari.
Imtiyaz Yusuf is the Head of the Department of Religion in the Graduate School of Philosophy
and Religion at Assumption University in Bangkok, Thailand. His academic and
research specialization lies in religion, particularly on Islam in Thailand and Southeast
Asia. Dr. Yusuf has contributed to the Oxford Encyclopedia of Modern Islamic World,
Oxford Dictionary of Islam, and the Encyclopedia of Qur’an. His recent publications
include Religion and Democracy in Thailand (2008), The Role of Religious and Philosophical
Tradition in Promoting World Peace (2008), “Dialogue between Islam and Buddhism
through the Concepts of Tathagata and Nur Muhammadi” in the International Journal of
Buddhist Thought and Culture (February 2005), Understanding Conflict and Approaching
Peace in Southern Thailand (2007), Faces of Islam in Southern Thailand (2007), and
Doing Cross-Cultural Dawah in Southeast Asia (2007). Dr. Yusuf received his BA in politics
from Poona University, his MA in Islamic studies from Aligarh Muslim University;
and his PhD in religion from Temple University.