Kawaakibi Foundation is an organisation which merges intellectual research with activism. The foundation was born out of the Arab Spring, and we work towards a world free of tyranny and in which society trumps the state, extremism in all its forms have no appeal, and individual rights are sacrosanct.
We built Kawaakibi Foundation to address the long-term needs of the MENA region's movements for dignity - strategic planning, sustainable ecosystems, viable models for the future of our governance systems, and answers to the systemic problems that trouble our region and the wider world.
We work on the region as a whole, and view it as an interconnected ecosystem suffering under interconnected systems of transnational repression which cannot be addressed in isolation. Only together can we build a sustainable base for a move towards accountable governance. Our ethos has always been: we're not free until we're all free.
We began work in 2013, as a two-man team, but are now a vibrant collective of activists, artists and thinkers from across the region and its diasporas, led by our founders Iyad El-Baghdadi and Ahmed Gatnash.
Kawaakibi Foundation's vision is to create a MENA region that is free, egalitarian, pluralistic, integrated, safe, and prosperous. Kawaakibi's approach is based on the belief that the MENA region has enormous untapped potential and that by mobilising civil society and engaging with the diaspora, the region can reclaim its rightful place and contribute positively to the global community. We seek to build a global movement for justice, peace, and equality that centres on the MENA but also reaches out to and cares about causes around the world.
In pursuit of this mission, we conduct original research, bolster civil society, coordinate campaigns, and work towards healing and promote new models of activism.
Our Team Of Thinkers, Researchers, Designers And Artists.
Executive Director
Ahmed Gatnash is the co-founder and Executive Director at Kawaakibi Foundation. He is also a Strategy Advisor at the Albert Einstein Institution, and is the co-author of Middle East Crisis Factory, a primer on systemic crises and a vision for a positive future for the MENA region.
Chairman
Iyad is co-founder and Chairman at Kawaakibi Foundation. A prominent Norwegian-Palestinian intellectual, he is a board member at Munathara, the Arab debate NGO, and is currently building PAACT, a new grantmaking organisation for MENA human rights work. He lives in Oslo, Norway, where he was granted political asylum.
Shefa Program Director
Ramy is an Egyptian rock musician famed for his performances in Tahrir square during the 2011 revolution. He lives in exile in Finland after being tortured for his art, and his songs are illegal in Egypt.
Senior Creative
Khalid is an award-winning Sudanese political cartoonist, curator and activist. He is the author of the acclaimed Khartoon! series, and his work has been exhibited worldwide.
Project Manager
A is the team's project manager, bringing over 2 decades of start-up experience in running lean and efficient teams across multiple projects.
Shefa Program Associate
Isabelle is a social anthropologist. She previously worked in humanitarian relief with the Red Cross, Norwegian Refugee Council, and Médecins Sans Frontières. She has led youth centers and worked as an environmental therapist, empowering vulnerable individuals to achieve independence.
Wellbeing Coordinator
Leyla is a Somali-born British psychotherapist specialising in supporting survivors of PTSD and sexual abuse. She is also an award-winning international campaigner against all forms of violence against women and girls, and is a leading expert in female genital mutilation.
Media Editor
Yousuf is the team's media editor, overseeing podcast and video production.
Communications Officer
Kristine supports the team's media and communications work. She has a professional background as an economist, and is an artist and photographer.
Abdulrahman al-Kawaakibi (1855-1902)
Abdulrahman al-Kawaakibi (1855-1902), was a leading Syrian Muslim intellectual of the Arab renaissance of the 19th century. Born in Aleppo, Syria, he worked in publishing and local government before starting his own journal, which was shut down by the authorities.
He was a fierce advocate of liberty, constitutionalism and free speech, his outspoken criticism of the Ottoman government leading him to be harassed, intimidated and imprisoned. He left into exile, where he wrote his magnum opus “The Nature of Tyranny”, which continues to inspire over a century after it was published.
His eloquent writings demonstrate a connection to his Islamic heritage but also deep familiarity with the ideas of the world beyond, an openness to rational argument and human wisdom, and above all a burning concern for the suffering of his community.
The state of living under tyranny is unnatural and runs counter to God’s intent for humanity”
Tyranny of the majority is worse than the tyranny of the few, for it has a semblance of legitimacy”
Political reform always leads to religious reform, and religious reform always leads to political reform”
