Doctoral Candidate, University of Durham, Durham, United Kingdom Mohammed Tameme is currently a Ph.D. candidate in Islamic finance (thesis title, “Islamic Housing Finance in the United Kingdom”) at Durham University. He studied economics at the International Islamic University, Islamabad, Pakistan (BSC (Hons) 1989) under several well-known scholars of Islamic economics and finance, including Professor Khurshid Ahmed, Munawar Iqbal, Hussain Hamed Hassan, and Fahim Khan.

Ph.D Student, University of London, London, United Kingdom Although Ms. Nadar’s interest in Islamic finance began recently at the University of London, where she is currently pursuing an LL.M. in international commercial dispute resolution at Queen Mary College, she possesses extensive professional experience in cross-border and cross-culture transactions. Prior to law, Ms. Nadar’s career focused on international public procurement, primarily in the United States and Middle East.

A.M. Candidate, NELC, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts Sameer Meralli has had extensive experience navigating the field of Islamic finance over the last several years. Meralli has held the position of vice president of Paradigm Capital, an investment vehicle that provides discretionary investment for ultra high net worth individuals, family conglomerates, and institutional clients in a structured shari‘a-compliant portfolio. Meralli was later invited to become a principal of the firm, becoming the youngest principal in the firm’s history.

Associate Professor, Upper Iowa University, Fayette, Iowa Mohammad O. Farooq is currently an associate professor of economics and finance at Upper Iowa University. He has a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and was a Ciriacy-Wantrup post-doctoral research fellow at the University of California, Berkeley. He has been the director for the Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies at Upper Iowa. His specialization is in economic development, history of economic thought, and financial markets. His other research interests include gender studies and genocide studies.

Assistant Professor, American University, Washington, D.C. Kristin Smith Diwan is assistant professor of Middle East Politics at the American University School of International Service. She received her Ph.D. in Political Science from Harvard University and holds an M.A. in International Affairs from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. Diwan works in the areas of comparative politics and international relations and specializes in Arab and Islamic politics.

Chairman and CEO, Dawood Islamic Bank, and First Dawood Investment Bank, Karachi, Pakistan Rafique Dawood has been chairman and CEO of the publicly listed First Dawood Investment Bank Limited since the Pakistan-based company’s founding in 1994 as a provider of leasing, investment, and housing financial services. Dawood also serves as chairman and director of Dawood Islamic Bank (the sixth Islamic bank created in Pakistan), Win Power (Pvt.) Limited (a leading Pakistan-based energy company), and B.R.R. Investments (Private) Limited (the manager of B.R.R.