Dr. Matt J. Duffy is an academic media scholar. His works have been accepted for publication in the Journal of Middle East Media, the Journal of Mass Media Ethicas and the Newspaper Research Journal. An assistant professor of communication, Duffy teaches UAE and international media law at Zayed University in Abu Dhabi, UAE. He is an active member of the Arab-United States Association of Communication Educaters, an organization that aims to improve journalism in the Middle East.

Dalia Mogahed is a Senior Analyst and Executive Director of the Gallup Center for Muslim Studies, as well as the newly established Abu Dhabi Gallup Center. Mogahed leads the analysis of unprecedented surveys of Muslims worldwide, including in the U.S. and Europe. With John L. Esposito, she coauthored the groundbreaking book Who Speaks for Islam? What a Billion Muslims Really Think.

In 2009, President Barack Obama appointed Mogahed to the White House Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, making her the first Muslim-American woman to hold a position of this seniority. In this role, Mogahed joined other American leaders in offering recommendations to the U.S. president on how faith-based organizations can best work with government to solve society's toughest challenges.

Arabian Business magazine recognized her as the most influential Arab woman in the world, and The Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre included Mogahed in their list of the 500 most influential Muslims. In her role as a Gallup scientist, Mogahed is a frequent expert commentator in global media outlets and international forums.

Dr. Shadi Hamid is Director of Research at the Brookings Doha Center and a fellow at the Saban Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution. His research focuses on democratization and the role of Islamist movements in the Arab world. Prior to joining Brookings, he was Director of Research at the Project on Middle East Democracy (POMED) and a Hewlett Fellow at Stanford University's Center on Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law. He has also served as a program specialist on public diplomacy at the U.S. State Department and a Legislative Fellow at the Office of U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA). His articles have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Foreign Affairs, The Atlantic, The New Republic, The National Interest, Foreign Policy, Journal of Democracy, and many other publications. Hamid received his B.S. and M.A. from Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service and his PhD in political science from Oxford University.

Abdel Bari Atwan is a Palestinian journalist of international reputation, born in Gaza, and has been a UK citizen for the past 32 years. His childhood years were spent in Palestine followed by study at University in Egypt before moving to London in 1978 where he completed his Masters at SOAS (School of Oriental and African Studies).

Since 1989, he has been the Editor-in-Chief of Al-Quds Al-Arabi, a major independent pan-Arab daily newspaper published in London. He has interviewed Osama Bin Laden and is the author of the Secret History of al-Qa'ida (2006). He has also published his memoir - A Country of Words (2008)

His opinions are frequently sought by print and broadcast journalists around the world, and he is well known for his lively and passionate debating style. A frequent guest on television shows in the west and the Middle East, he also lectures worldwide and contributes regularly to international conferences.

Dr. Tarik M. Yousef is the founding Dean of the Dubai School of Government. He joined the School from Georgetown University, where he held the positions of Associate Professor of Economics in the School of Foreign Service, and Sheikh Sabah Al Salem Al Sabah Professor of Arab Studies at the Center for Contemporary Arab Studies. An expert on the economies of the Arab world, he received his Ph.D. in economics from Harvard University with specialization in development economics and economic history. His current research interests include the study of youth inclusion in the Arab world, the political economy of policy reform and development policies in oil-exporting countries. Dr. Yousef's research and policy experience includes working as Economist in the Middle East Department of the International Monetary Fund, Visiting Senior Economist in the Middle East and North Africa Region of the World Bank, and Senior Advisor for the Millennium Project at the United Nations.