Why NELC? Though I have always had an inherent interest in the Middle East, it was a high school world religions class that focused my attention on Islam. Since then, my studies at Harvard have sparked my interest in how Islam has developed over the past two centuries, and how Muslims contribute to and interact with contemporary political, legal, and social issues. 

Recent related experience: Curatorial intern for Islamic art at the British Museum, summer 2013 in London. Intensive third-year Arabic study at Yarmouk University, summer 2012 in Irbid, Jordan. Post-colonial studies of the Arab Mediterranean, summer 2011 in Menton, France. Thesis title: The Territory of War and the Territory of Islam: The Reconstitution of the World in the Statements of Osama bin Laden