Nadia Oweidat

Senior Fellow, International Security Program

Dr. Nadia Oweidat is a non-residential Senior Fellow New America. She holds a D.Phil. in Oriental Studies from the University of Oxford. Her dissertation focused on liberal Muslim intellectuals who attempt to bridge the gap between modern values such as secularism and women’s rights and Islam. Prior to her doctoral studies, Dr. Oweidat worked as a Research Associate at the RAND Corporation where she led several research projects. In 2007, she initiated and co-led a research effort to look into works by Arabic-speakers that counter violence and extremism, including fiction, non-fiction, cartoons and film that advance values of tolerance, pluralism and the ability to deal with ambiguity without violence. (See Barriers to the Broad Dissemination of Creative Works in the Arab World, RAND 2008). Dr. Oweidat also initiated and led an analysis of the grassroots Egyptian reform movement Kefaya. In addition, she has conducted research on Islamic extremism and counter-terrorism strategies, the ideological evolution of al-Qaeda, Salafi jihadi networks, jihadi strategies in Iraq, Iranian ascendancy in the Arab world, and radicalization of Muslim youth. She has appeared on various Arabic and English networks including BBC, CNN, Al-Jazeera Arabic, Al-Arabiyya, BBC Arabic and National Public Radio. Born and raised in Jordan, she has a BA from the University of Jordan in English Literature and an MA from the University of Wyoming in International Studies, in addition to her D.Phil. in Oriental Studies from Oxford University. One of 25 international students to be awarded the prestigious Weidenfeld Leadership Program scholarship, Dr. Oweidat was also chosen this year by the Brookings Institution to participate in its Young Leaders Conference in Italy.