Omar Ashour

Omar Ashour is a political scientist, human rights activist, and a martial arts champion from Montreal.

Born in Cairo, Ashour obtained his Bsc and MA from the American University in Cairo and has a doctorate degree from McGill University in Montreal, where he taught political science and martial arts.

Ashour is the Director of the Middle East Graduate Studies Programme at the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies, University of Exeter (UK). He is a specialist on Islamist movements and ideologies, democratization, terrorism and insurgency, and strategic studies. He authored of the first major study on jihadist de-radicalization processes and programs: The Deradicalization of Jihadists: Transforming Armed Islamist Movements, (London, New York: Routledge, 2009). He is considered to be a leading expert on ending political violence and transitions from armed to unarmed activism Ashour has published extensively about de-radicalization, counter-narratives, and transitions to democracy. His published works cover the Middle East, the Caucasus, Central Asia, and Arab and Muslim Communities in the West.

Ashour is a Taekwondo master and a well-decorated kickboxer. He was a member of the Egyptian National Taekwondo team. His record includes a bronze medal in the World Junior Taekwondo Championship and a silver medal in Africa’s Taekwondo championship. He was the Egyptian national champion six times in the bantam and feather weight categories. He was also the two-times national champion in Chinese Kickboxing (Sanshou). In 2007, he joined the Canadian National Karate Team and won the Gold medal in the World Koshiki Karate Championship in the middle-weight category, defeating seven-times World Champion, Masamitsu Hisataka via unanimous decision. Ashour is well known for his flashy spinning kicks, fast counterattacks and unorthodox style.

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