Dr Mamdani is the Herbert Lehman Professor of Government in the Departments of Anthropology and Political Science at Columbia University in the United States, and was Director of the Makerere Institute of Social Research in Kampala, Uganda. He is a leading public intellectual. He is the former President of the Council for Development of Social Research in Africa in Dakar, Senegal. Mamdani is well-known for his book Good Muslim, Bad Muslim: America, The Cold War and The Roots of Terror, which became significant in liberal policy circles in the US. He called out Colombia University’s heavy-handed approach towards students protesting against the genocide of Gaza.