Elmira Akhmetova holds a PhD in History and Civilisation from the International Islamic University of Malaysia (iium) and currently is Assistant Professor in History and Civilisation at the same university. She is the author of Islam in Russia: Historical Facts and Current Developments (Kuala Lumpur: iais Malaysia, 2013) and of various papers about Islam in Russia, Middle Eastern history and political issues.

Arsalan Alshinawi, PhD, is Senior Lecturer at the Department of International Relations (Faculty of Arts) of the University of Malta. He teaches Inter…