Fighting Extremism Through Islamic Moderation

Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir was appointed as the 11th Chief Minister of Perak, a state in West Malaysia, in 2009. His academic background includes a PhD in Political Thought from Temple University, Pennsylvania and a Master's degree in Political Philosophy and Comparative Religion, also from Temple University.

He became active in Malaysian politics upon his return from the United States in 1995. Starting his political journey in the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) as the Pangkor (in Perak) UMNO branch chief, Dr Zambry rose to the position of the Perak UMNO Youth Chief. In the 2004 general election, he contested and won the Perak State Legislative Assembly seat for Pangkor and successfully defended the seat in the 2008 and 2013 general elections. Dr Zambry is currently the head of Perak UMNO. He has had his share of political bitterness when he was detained under Malaysia’s Internal Security Act in 1998.

Dr Zambry's academic specialisation includes political economy, political thought, Southeast Asian contemporary politics, Malaysian politics and Islamic political thought. In addition to his political duties and responsibilities, he also currently serves as an Adjunct Professor in the political science faculty at the International Islamic University, Malaysia.