Akbar Ahmed is the Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies at the School of International Service, American University in Washington, D.C., and the former Pakistani High Commissioner to the United Kingdom and Ireland. He was described as the "world's leading authority on contemporary Islam" by the BBC. Among his many books are his quartet of studies examining the relationship between the West and Muslim world published by Brookings: Journey into Islam, Journey into America, The Thistle and the Drone, and Journey into Europe. He is also a published poet and playwright