Dr. Muhammad Zulfikar Rakhmat

Muhammad is an independent researcher and journalist based in the UK, Indonesia, and Qatar. As a researcher, his research interests focus on China-Middle East relations, Indonesia-Middle East relations, critical theories of IR, and Middle East politics. Muhammad previously worked as a research assistant at Qatar University, before taking a position as an analyst at Gulf State Analytics. His academic qualifications include a B.A. in International Affairs from Qatar University, an M.A. in International Politics from the University of Manchester, and a Ph.D in Politics from Manchester. As a journalist, Muhammad's works focus on Indonesian politics, humanitarian affairs, and disability issues. He has published over 200 articles in a number of well-known papers including the Diplomat Magazine, the Huffington Post, Asia Sentinel, and others. He has experiences in reporting from various countries including Bahrain, Indonesia, Qatar, Norway, Slovakia, Morocco and the UK. As a disabled himself, Muhammad is also a disability advocate. Besides reporting and writing on disability-related topic, he is the CEO and Founder of Sekolabilitas, an Indonesian-based NGO dedicated to assist children with disabilities in accessing proper education.