What are your academic qualifications?

I have a European PhD (summa cum laude) in Middle East Studies from the University of Granada and the University of Northampton, although I did most of the research for my thesis at the American University in Cairo, which has a wonderful library.

I also have a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Politics from the London Metropolitan University. Furthermore, I studied Translation and Interpreting at the University of Granada and the Université Toulouse-Le Mirail, with French, Arabic and English as my foreign languages. I soon realised that translation wasn’t for me, but I obtained the so-called “extraordinary award” for the best academic record in my class and this helped me get a scholarship to do a doctorate.



Tell us about your experience in the Middle East. What took you there? Where have you been?

I’ve been drawn to the Middle East from a very young age. As you know, Spaniards tend to be very sympathetic to the plight of the Palestinian people and, in general, we’re interested in the Arab world for historical and cultural reasons. When I decided to learn a non-European language, it felt natural to choose Arabic.

My first Arab country was Yemen, where I spent a summer teaching English and living with the family that owned the language school. Afterwards I worked for several months in Damascus and Alexandria. Then I had the opportunity to travel to Palestine, and I spent two summers as a volunteer at the Palestinian Red Crescent and a few weeks at the Franco-Palestinian NGO Al-Kamandjati, which was just beginning its work and now has several music schools throughout the West Bank.

My longest stay in the Arab world was in Cairo, where I lived for five years doing research for my doctoral thesis. Later I got an EU postdoctoral fellowship and I spent six months in Casablanca. I’ve also visited Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq. Recently I’ve only been to the Arab world on vacation (Tunisia, just before the pandemic), but I would very much like to have the opportunity to visit more often.



Which about your media presence? What do you write about?

Over the last few weeks I have written an article for El País (Un mal acuerdo nuclear con Irán es mejor que ningún acuerdo) and another for Atalayar (Iran's shifting policy towards the Taliban, in Spanish and English). I have also been interviewed on two occasions: I spoke about the Iranian nuclear deal and the war in Ukraine in Radio Nacional de España and about the tripartite summit in Tehran in El País.

I write for different media quite regularly, especially for El País but also for El Periódico and others. Sometimes I get calls to do interviews, e.g. from the Saudi channel Asharq, the German broadcaster DW or Radio France Internationale. I used to turn down interview requests out of shyness, but over the years I have gained more confidence in myself.

However, most of my activity has been in the academic field. Speaking of my most recent work, I wrote the entry on the Moroccan Islamist organization Al-Adl wa-l-Ihsan for the Encyclopaedia of Islam, which was a great honour given its enormous prestige. In addition, I have contributed a chapter to the collective work The Regional Order in the Gulf Region and the Middle East (The Conservative-Resistance Camp: The Axis of Resistance) and an article to the Journal of Sociology and Theory of Religion (An overview of Islamic finance: History, instruments, prospects).

I have also written analysis pieces for the Spanish Institute for Strategic Studies (for example, the bilingual article Iraq and Yemen: the new Iranian proxies?), the prestigious German magazine Orient (The Gulf Cooperation Council, Iran, and the limits to integration) and the American think tank Middle East Institute (Islamism in the Middle East Sectarian Conflict).

How do you see economic and cultural relations between the Middle East and Spain?

Relations are good at all levels, but I believe they could be developed further.

As I mentioned above, many people in Spain are interested in the Arab world: its language, its culture... In addition, we have a growing community of Spaniards whose parents or grandparents came from the Maghreb or the Arab Levant, and this reinforces the ties between both shores of the Mediterranean.

On the other hand, Spanish has become a popular language to learn in many Arab countries, and increasing numbers of Arab students choose to come to Spain to complete their education for various reasons, including cultural affinity, its vibrant social life and lower cost compared to other countries with comparable standards.

In terms of economic relations, trade with the Arab world represents a quarter of Spain’s export earnings. Relations with Morocco are particularly close, but Spain has also taken part in a significant number of important projects in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar, in sectors like renewable energy and water desalination.



What are your plans for the future?

I would like to develop my contacts in the Arab world further so I can travel to the area more often, and even spend stretches of time there. I watch and listen to the news on Arab media every day to keep up with developments, but direct contact is always better!

I believe that I can contribute to strengthening relations between Spain and the Arab world, politically, economically and culturally. In a way, I see myself as a bridge between the two cultures because I know them both so well.  I would like to have the opportunity to do my bit to strengthen the bonds of friendship and cooperation that unite us.

On the other hand, I have been trying to improve my classical Arabic to be able to my interviews in the region’s media in that language; currently I listen in Arabic, but answer in English. I have a good command of the Egyptian and Levantine dialects and I have no problem understanding fusha, but I find it hard to speak due to lack of practice and I’m trying to get better.

Finally, I am working on turning my doctoral thesis into a book. I was encouraged to do so by a professor at Complutense University of Madrid who told me that he uses it in his courses – but finding the time is not easy!



Thank you, Ana. Would you like to add something?

I just want to thank you, Imad, for your interest in my career and my work. It’s always nice to feel recognised, and I am aware of the important role organizations such as ADCOME play in developing relations between Spain and the Arab world.