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Asli Saban: Co-Founder
Geographic Focus: Lebanon & Turkey Aslı Saban (she/her) obtained her undergraduate degree from Başkent University's Department of Social Work in 2014 and is currently pursuing her master's degree in the same department. She has been working in the migration space for over six years now, with an emphasis on refugees and displaced groups in Türkiye Lebanon and the Middle East Her work mainly focuses on social inequality, marginalized groups, migrant and refugee groups, labor rights, child protection and GBV, with a recent focus on the intersections of these areas of focus within the Dom community in the MENA. She is a former member and regional focal point of the United Nations Major Group for Children and Youth’s Migration Working Group. Asli has worked as a Research Consultant for the Global Compact for Migration implementation process in Jordan, Lebanon and Egypt. |
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Sarah Edgcumbe: Co-Founder
Geographic Focus: Iraq / Kurdistan Region of Iraq & Syria Sarah (she/her) has a BA(Hons) in human rights and criminal justice, an MA in refugee protection and forced migration studies, and an MA in conflict studies and human rights. She is currently a PhD Candidate with the School of International Relations at the University of St Andrews. Her doctoral research focuses on Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller experiences of conflict and peace in conflict-affected environments characterised by liberal peacebuilding. Sarah's doctoral research has included semi-ethnographic research among Gypsies in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, and interviews with Gypsies in Mosul, Iraq. Sarah's broader research interests are the intersection of conflict, displacement, identity, marginalisation and resistance. |
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Orhan Tahir
Geographic Focus: Dom Refugees in Europe & Middle East broadly Orhan Tahir is a Roma rights lawyer, researcher, author of documentaries and journalist from Bulgaria based in Belgium where he covers the EU affairs for EU Romapress (France). He studied law at Sofia University, Bulgaria, and politics and history at Nottingham University, UK. Orhan has twenty years of experience in the field of human rights advocacy, strategic litigation and community organizing. He has co-authored seminal reports on the impact of Covid-19 on European Roma and the need to reform education policies towards Roma children. He is interested in the history of East-West intellectual encounters and cultural exchange, as well as in the future of Europe-Middle East relations with special focus on Roma, Gypsy, Traveller and Domari communities in the context of rising far-right tendencies in Europe and globally. |
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Professor Hamied Al Hashimi
Geographic Focus: Iraq Hamied Al Hashimi is a Professor of Sociology at ICIS (International Colleges of Islamic Sciences), London. He also works as a Fieldwork Social Researcher at (NatCen: Social Research), London and Visiting professor at Al Qadisiya University in Iraq. Prior to this Professor Hashimi was Assistant professor of sociology at the University of Europe, Rotterdam- the Netherlands (2001-2007) and a staff member of the Department of Sociology, College of Arts in Zwara-Libya (1994-1998). He is author of five published books on; 'Iraqi Armenians: History, Culture & Identity', (Austin Macauley House, London, 2023 have published the English translation). 'Gypsies in Iraq', 'Arab Immigrants in the Netherlands', 'Towards Forming a Theoretical Framework on Social Integration', and 'Iraqi sociologist Ali Al Wardi’s Methodology in Studying Iraqi and Arab Societies'. Areas of research interest: immigration, social integration, Identity and sub-identities, sub-cultures, Arab World & Middle East social & cultural issues.. |
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حميد الهاشمي، دكتوراه علم الاجتماع،. عراقي- بريطاني الجنسية – مقيم في لندن..
أستاذ علم الاجتماع بالجامعة العالمية بلندن. سبق وعمل باحثا بجامعة ايست لندن، وجامعة أوربا في هولندا 2001- 2007، وعضو هيئة تدريس بقسم علم الاجتماع في كلية الآداب – زوارة - جامعة 7 ابريل (جامعة الزاوية حالياً) ليبيا 1994- 1998. يجيد اللغات الانكليزية والهولندية بالإضافة إلى العربية اللغة الأم. صدرت له من سبعة لكتب: "الأرمن العراقيون: التاريخ، الثقافة، الهوية، دار روزنامة للنشر، جنيف- القاهرة، 2016". (صدرت له ترجمة باللغة الانكليزية عن دار اوستن مكولي- لندن، 2023) و"العرب وهولندا: الأحوال الاجتماعية للمهاجرين العرب إلى هولندا، عن مركز دراسات الوحدة العربية ببيروت، 2008". و"تكيف الغجر: دراسة اجتماعية لجماعات الكاولية في العراق، دار المدى، بيروت- بغداد، 2012"، و"العراقيون في هولندا: نحو صياغة اطار نظري للاندماج الاجتماعي للمهاجرين، مؤسسة مسارات، بغداد، 2012". و"الدكتور علي الوردي ودراسة المجتمعين العراقي والعربي، مكتبة عدنان ومؤسسة مسارات، بغداد، 2012". و7 كتب أخرى بين تأليف مشترك أو فصل في كتاب، والعديد من البحوث المنشورة باللغتين العربية والانكليزية إضافة الى بعض الترجمات من اللغة الانكليزية الى العربية. تتمحور معظم أعماله حول الأقليات والهجرة والاندماج الاجتماعي والهوية وقضايا العنف والمرأة والتعليم والفكر والسياسة في العالم العربي. شارك في العديد من المؤتمرات العلمية في العالم العربي وهولندا وبريطانيا واليونان وسكوتلندا وسلوفاكيا.
أستاذ علم الاجتماع بالجامعة العالمية بلندن. سبق وعمل باحثا بجامعة ايست لندن، وجامعة أوربا في هولندا 2001- 2007، وعضو هيئة تدريس بقسم علم الاجتماع في كلية الآداب – زوارة - جامعة 7 ابريل (جامعة الزاوية حالياً) ليبيا 1994- 1998. يجيد اللغات الانكليزية والهولندية بالإضافة إلى العربية اللغة الأم. صدرت له من سبعة لكتب: "الأرمن العراقيون: التاريخ، الثقافة، الهوية، دار روزنامة للنشر، جنيف- القاهرة، 2016". (صدرت له ترجمة باللغة الانكليزية عن دار اوستن مكولي- لندن، 2023) و"العرب وهولندا: الأحوال الاجتماعية للمهاجرين العرب إلى هولندا، عن مركز دراسات الوحدة العربية ببيروت، 2008". و"تكيف الغجر: دراسة اجتماعية لجماعات الكاولية في العراق، دار المدى، بيروت- بغداد، 2012"، و"العراقيون في هولندا: نحو صياغة اطار نظري للاندماج الاجتماعي للمهاجرين، مؤسسة مسارات، بغداد، 2012". و"الدكتور علي الوردي ودراسة المجتمعين العراقي والعربي، مكتبة عدنان ومؤسسة مسارات، بغداد، 2012". و7 كتب أخرى بين تأليف مشترك أو فصل في كتاب، والعديد من البحوث المنشورة باللغتين العربية والانكليزية إضافة الى بعض الترجمات من اللغة الانكليزية الى العربية. تتمحور معظم أعماله حول الأقليات والهجرة والاندماج الاجتماعي والهوية وقضايا العنف والمرأة والتعليم والفكر والسياسة في العالم العربي. شارك في العديد من المؤتمرات العلمية في العالم العربي وهولندا وبريطانيا واليونان وسكوتلندا وسلوفاكيا.
Amanda Lowenberg
Geographic Focus: Lebanon
Amanda has a BA in International Studies, specializing in Syria and Lebanon, and a MA in Conflict Studies and Human Rights. She currently lives and works in Lebanon where her work is focusing on access to justice, restorative justice and arts-based approaches in peacebuilding. Her broader interest in minority rights, identity and social inclusion has also led her to work with the Dom community in Beirut, where her projects aim to raise awareness of the peacebuilding needs in the community, and support their access to services.
Geographic Focus: Lebanon
Amanda has a BA in International Studies, specializing in Syria and Lebanon, and a MA in Conflict Studies and Human Rights. She currently lives and works in Lebanon where her work is focusing on access to justice, restorative justice and arts-based approaches in peacebuilding. Her broader interest in minority rights, identity and social inclusion has also led her to work with the Dom community in Beirut, where her projects aim to raise awareness of the peacebuilding needs in the community, and support their access to services.
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Dr Giovanni Bochi
Geographic Focus: Lebanon and Syria Giovanni completed a PhD in Social Anthropology in 2007 at the London School of Economics and Political Science. His doctoral thesis, which was later disseminated through publications, investigates issues of mobility, ethnicity and work in the context of the migration of a Dom community between Syria and Lebanon. Between September 2007 and December 2008 he worked as Postdoctoral Fellow at the Centre for the Advanced Study for the Arab World (CASAW), at the University of Edinburgh. He is currently based in Italy. |
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Farah Mahmood
Geographic Focus: Iraq Farah holds an undergraduate degree in law and is an authorized lawyer in the Iraqi Bar Association. She has over thirteen years of experience working in local community contexts, and robust experience working for the rights of minorities, community cohesion, and post-conflict dispute resolution, in addition to awareness raising campaigns, individual counselling, case management and referrals. Farah has worked with several international NGOs in Iraq, supporting in programme implementation in Baghdad, Basrah, Kerbala, Najaf, Anbar, Dyala, Salhdin, Kirkuk, Ninawa and the KRI. |
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Roushan Al Khalaf
Geographic Focus: Lebanon
Roushan is an expert in livelihoods and in the minority population in north Lebanon. Her educational journey began with a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Damascus, Syria. With over fifteen years of expertise in project management, livelihood, and gender-related fields, she has dedicated her skills and knowledge to the betterment of the Dom community in Lebanon/Akkar through her association with the Lebanese Developers organization.
Geographic Focus: Lebanon
Roushan is an expert in livelihoods and in the minority population in north Lebanon. Her educational journey began with a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Damascus, Syria. With over fifteen years of expertise in project management, livelihood, and gender-related fields, she has dedicated her skills and knowledge to the betterment of the Dom community in Lebanon/Akkar through her association with the Lebanese Developers organization.
Istabraq Al-Zubaidi
Geographic Focus: Iraq
Istabraq is an independent journalist, civil activist, and Director of the Eastern Iraq Platform. She is interested in women’s rights, diversity, and the rights of minorities and marginalized groups. Istabraq
writes about public affairs in Diyala Governorate, eastern Iraq.
Geographic Focus: Iraq
Istabraq is an independent journalist, civil activist, and Director of the Eastern Iraq Platform. She is interested in women’s rights, diversity, and the rights of minorities and marginalized groups. Istabraq
writes about public affairs in Diyala Governorate, eastern Iraq.
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Manar Al-Zubaidi
Geographic Focus: Iraq Manar Al-Zubaidi. Manar holds a master’s degree in public law and works as a journalist, jurist, and researcher in the field of women’s and minority affairs. Manar also works as a consultant for the Iraqi Minorities Alliance Network, the Women’s Peace Network, and the Guidance Center for Human Rights. She has written many reports and journalistic investigations about women and marginalized groups in Iraq, including a booklet about the lives of the Iraqi Roma before and after the US-led coalition invasion in 2003. More recently, she organized and led the #GypsiesareHuman campaign, in which she defended the rights of the Iraqi Roma in obtaining education, a nationality card, and the right to a decent life. This campaign resulted in providing a school in the Gypsy village 'Al-Zuhur', 20 km from the centre of Diwaniyah Governorate. Manar and her team were able to eventually enable the children to return to school after a gap in access to education that lasted fourteen years. For her work in the field of women’s and minority rights, Manar received the International “Tulip Award” for Human Rights from the Netherlands, and honours from the High Commission for Human Rights, the Women’s Committee in the Iraqi Council of Representatives, and the Iraqi Journalists Syndicate, as well as the “National Ashnouna” Award for creators of purposeful content, and the 'Martyr Atwar Bahjat Award' for journalism and other awards from governmental and non-governmental bodies. |
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منار الزبيدي.
منار حاصلة على درجة الماجستير في القانون العام وتعمل صحفية وحقوقية وباحثة في مجال شؤون المرأة والأقليات.
تعمل منار أيضًا كاستشارية لدى شبكة تحالف الأقليات العراقية، وشبكة المرأة للسلام، ومركز الإرشاد لحقوق الإنسان.
كتبت العديد من التقارير والتحقيقات الصحافية حول المرأة والفئات المهمشة في العراق،كما أعدت كتيباً عن حياة الغجر العراقيين قبل وبعد غزو التحالف الذي قادته الولايات المتحدة عام 2003 وفي الآونة الأخيرة، نظمت وقادت حملة #الغجر بشر،التي دافعت فيها عن حقوق الغجر العراقيين في الحصول على التعليم والبطاقة الوطنية والحق في العيش الكريم،وأسفرت هذه الحملة عن توفير مدرسة في قرية الغجر "الزهور" 20كم عن مركز محافظة الديوانية،واستطاعت منار مع فريقها ان تمكن الأطفال في نهاية المطاف من العودة إلى المدرسة بعد فجوة في الوصول إلى التعليم دامت أربعة عشر عامًا.
لعملها في مجال حقوق المرأة والاقليات حصلت منار على "جائزة التوليب" الدولية لحقوق الإنسان من هولندا، وتكريم من المفوضية العليا لحقوق الانسان ولجنة المرأة في مجلس النواب العراقي ونقابة الصحفيين العراقيين وكذلك حصدت جائزة
"أشنونا الوطنية" لصناع المحتوى الهادف، وكذلك "جائزة الشهيدة أطوار بهجت" للصحافة
وجوائز اخرى من جهات حكومية وغير حكومية.
منار حاصلة على درجة الماجستير في القانون العام وتعمل صحفية وحقوقية وباحثة في مجال شؤون المرأة والأقليات.
تعمل منار أيضًا كاستشارية لدى شبكة تحالف الأقليات العراقية، وشبكة المرأة للسلام، ومركز الإرشاد لحقوق الإنسان.
كتبت العديد من التقارير والتحقيقات الصحافية حول المرأة والفئات المهمشة في العراق،كما أعدت كتيباً عن حياة الغجر العراقيين قبل وبعد غزو التحالف الذي قادته الولايات المتحدة عام 2003 وفي الآونة الأخيرة، نظمت وقادت حملة #الغجر بشر،التي دافعت فيها عن حقوق الغجر العراقيين في الحصول على التعليم والبطاقة الوطنية والحق في العيش الكريم،وأسفرت هذه الحملة عن توفير مدرسة في قرية الغجر "الزهور" 20كم عن مركز محافظة الديوانية،واستطاعت منار مع فريقها ان تمكن الأطفال في نهاية المطاف من العودة إلى المدرسة بعد فجوة في الوصول إلى التعليم دامت أربعة عشر عامًا.
لعملها في مجال حقوق المرأة والاقليات حصلت منار على "جائزة التوليب" الدولية لحقوق الإنسان من هولندا، وتكريم من المفوضية العليا لحقوق الانسان ولجنة المرأة في مجلس النواب العراقي ونقابة الصحفيين العراقيين وكذلك حصدت جائزة
"أشنونا الوطنية" لصناع المحتوى الهادف، وكذلك "جائزة الشهيدة أطوار بهجت" للصحافة
وجوائز اخرى من جهات حكومية وغير حكومية.
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Nadia Khoury
Geographic Focus: Lebanon Nadia Khouri Accad lives in Beirut, Lebanon, where she is a part-time faculty member at the Lebanese American University. She specializes in well-being and poverty studies. She has over 20 years of leadership experience in the non-profit sector, where she worked extensively with the Dom community of Beirut. She has developed a grounded understanding of the complex interplay between poverty, ethnic exclusion, health, and statelessness. She is passionate about understanding and designing effective responses to these social phenomena through collaboration and innovation. She holds an MPH in International Public Health from Boston University and a MA in psychosocial support and dialogue from the Lebanese University. |
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Dr Roy Agnatios
Geographic Focus: Lebanon
Dr. Agnatios holds a Ph.D. in Rural Economics and Development earned from the prestigious “University of La Sorbonne Paris I”, complemented by a “DEA in the Development of the Third World” from the “Institut National Agronomique-Paris Grignon”, alongside a Master's degree and Diploma in Agronomy from the esteemed Faculty of Agriculture at the Lebanese University. Further enhancing his expertise, Dr. Agnatios possesses a Certificate in Demography from the Faculty of Social Sciences at the Lebanese University.
With a rich academic background, Dr. Agnatios has carved out a notable career path as an Associate Professor, leveraging his extensive knowledge and experience to contribute significantly to the field of livelihoods. He has worked as an Expert, Consultant, and Trainer for numerous international and local organizations operating in Lebanon, where he has made substantial contributions to development and agricultural programs. He has also demonstrated a profound understanding of minority rights, particularly advocating for the Doms, and has been actively involved in addressing refugee contexts, notably those of Palestinians and Syrians.
Geographic Focus: Lebanon
Dr. Agnatios holds a Ph.D. in Rural Economics and Development earned from the prestigious “University of La Sorbonne Paris I”, complemented by a “DEA in the Development of the Third World” from the “Institut National Agronomique-Paris Grignon”, alongside a Master's degree and Diploma in Agronomy from the esteemed Faculty of Agriculture at the Lebanese University. Further enhancing his expertise, Dr. Agnatios possesses a Certificate in Demography from the Faculty of Social Sciences at the Lebanese University.
With a rich academic background, Dr. Agnatios has carved out a notable career path as an Associate Professor, leveraging his extensive knowledge and experience to contribute significantly to the field of livelihoods. He has worked as an Expert, Consultant, and Trainer for numerous international and local organizations operating in Lebanon, where he has made substantial contributions to development and agricultural programs. He has also demonstrated a profound understanding of minority rights, particularly advocating for the Doms, and has been actively involved in addressing refugee contexts, notably those of Palestinians and Syrians.
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Dr Sherifa Zuhur
Geographic Focus: Egypt and Lebanon Sherifa is the Director of the Institute of Middle Eastern, Islamic, and Strategic Studies and is a past-president of the Association of Middle East Women’s Studies. She is a research professor emerita from the Strategic Studies Institute of the U.S. Army War College and was a faculty member at the American University in Cairo, University of California, Berkeley, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, and other universities. She is a contemporary historian whose work crosses over into sociology, politics, and the arts. She has conducted field work in various countries of the Middle East, especially Egypt, where her work on popular music and dance led her to groups identifying or identified as Dom; and also in Lebanon, where she first encountered the Dom. Some of her books are Revealing Reveiling: Islamist Ideology in Contemporary Egypt (1992), Images of Enchantment (1998) Colors of Enchantment (2001) Saudi Arabia (2012) and she has written 200+ articles and chapters in edited volumes. The Dom enter into her research in her book Popular Dance and Music in Modern Egypt. (Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co., 2022), and research conducted for ““Shiite Women in the Eastern Beqaa Valley.” In Rita Stephan, Guita Hourani and Cornelia Horn, eds. "In Line with the Divine”: The Struggle for Gender Equality in Lebanon. (Abelian Group, 2015) and in an article about Dom musicians in Lebanon (in process). |
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Megan Kelly
Geographic Focus: Iraq & the Kurdistan Region of Iraq
Megan Kelly is a researcher and civil society activist with almost a decade of experience in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region. As the Founder and Executive Director of Youth Speak in Duhok, Iraq, she established an organization to empower young activists, enabling them to engage with decision-makers and drive positive changes in their communities on topics of significance to them.
Megan's role as a Civil Society Advisor at IOM has involved assessing civil society's strengths and weaknesses in Ninewa governorate, providing customized recommendations and opportunities for international engagement. She also collaborates in this role with Sinjari activists to create advocacy platforms aimed at improving conditions in the area.
Additionally, Megan has conducted numerous program evaluations focused on peacebuilding initiatives. She employed an outcome harvesting approach to analyze the impact of peacebuilding programs in Iraq, and worked with a team of researchers to explore the role of youth in peace and conflict processes in the country. Other research projects also delved into the role of armed groups in IDP and host communities in disputed territories, examining factors driving recruitment and providing recommendations to address these issues. Moreover, she studied community coping mechanisms among IDP and host communities concerning topics such as intra- and inter-community conflict, violence against women, and access to basic needs during the height of Iraq's conflict with ISIS.
Geographic Focus: Iraq & the Kurdistan Region of Iraq
Megan Kelly is a researcher and civil society activist with almost a decade of experience in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region. As the Founder and Executive Director of Youth Speak in Duhok, Iraq, she established an organization to empower young activists, enabling them to engage with decision-makers and drive positive changes in their communities on topics of significance to them.
Megan's role as a Civil Society Advisor at IOM has involved assessing civil society's strengths and weaknesses in Ninewa governorate, providing customized recommendations and opportunities for international engagement. She also collaborates in this role with Sinjari activists to create advocacy platforms aimed at improving conditions in the area.
Additionally, Megan has conducted numerous program evaluations focused on peacebuilding initiatives. She employed an outcome harvesting approach to analyze the impact of peacebuilding programs in Iraq, and worked with a team of researchers to explore the role of youth in peace and conflict processes in the country. Other research projects also delved into the role of armed groups in IDP and host communities in disputed territories, examining factors driving recruitment and providing recommendations to address these issues. Moreover, she studied community coping mechanisms among IDP and host communities concerning topics such as intra- and inter-community conflict, violence against women, and access to basic needs during the height of Iraq's conflict with ISIS.
