Shiraz Maher – Head of Outreach

Shiraz Maher is a Senior Research Fellow and Head of Outreach at the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation (ICSR) at Kings College London. He is currently writing an intellectual history of al-Qaeda, exploring the development of the global jihad movement’s political philosophy.

During the Spring Semester of 2012 he was a visiting lecturer at Washington College where he taught Middle East Politics.

Prior to joining ICSR, Maher was a Senior Fellow at Policy Exchange where he worked on Foreign Policy and Security. He published two influential studies which attracted widespread attention across government. His report on reforming the government’s counter-terrorism strategy was described by Michael Gove, Secretary of State for Education, as ‘brilliant’, while Lord Guthrie of Craigiebank, former Chief of the Defence Staff, called it ‘remarkable’.

Maher is also a journalist and continues to report on the Middle East, South Asia, and terrorism matters. At the moment he is a regular contributor to the Spectator. As a foreign correspondent he has reported from Indonesia, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt. These trips have included interviews with members of al-Qaeda and the Taliban. Most recently he reported on the Egyptian uprising from Tahrir Square, where he spent time with revolutionaries trying to overthrow Hosni Mubarak.

Maher holds degrees in History from the University of Leeds, and Cambridge University.