Dr Aref Ali Nayed is a Libyan public figure, a renowned scholar in the field of Islamic Theology (kalam) and Philosophy, and a leading pioneer of inter-faith relations. He was former Ambassador of Libya to the UAE, former Special Envoy of the President of the Libya House of Representatives to USA, UK, European and African Unions, and led the Libya Stabilisation Team in 2011—and has since played a vital and positive role in the revitalization of the Libyan political track. Nayed is the Founder and Chairman of two leading think tanks, Kalam Research & Media (KRM) and the Libya Institute for Advanced Studies (LIAS). He is also currently a Visiting Senior Research Affiliate of Religious Studies at the University of Virginia. He was former professor at the Pontifical Institute for Arabic and Islamic Studies (Rome), and a former professor at the International Institute for Islamic Thought and Civilization (ISTAC, Malaysia).