Omar Ashour

Omar Ashour is a British-Canadian security and military studies academic and a former martial arts champion.

Academic career

Ashour is the author of How ISIS Fights: Military Tactics in Iraq, Syria, Libya and Egypt (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2021)^[1] and The Deradicalization of Jihadists: Transforming Armed Islamist Movements, (London, New York: Routledge, 2009).^[2] Ashour has published about de-radicalization, counter-narratives, and transitions to democracy.^[3][4]

Martial Arts

Ashour is a Taekwondo master and a kickboxer. He was a member of the Egyptian National Taekwondo team. His record includes a bronze medal in the World Junior Taekwondo Championship and a silver medal in Africa’s Taekwondo championship.^[5] He was the Egyptian national champion six times in the bantam and feather weight categories.^[6] He was also the two-times national champion in Chinese Kickboxing (Sanshou). In 2007, he joined the Canadian National Karate Team and won the Gold medal in the World Koshiki Karate Championship in the middle-weight category, defeating seven-times World Champion, Masamitsu Hisataka via unanimous decision.^[7]

References

1. Ashour, Omar (February 28, 2021). "How ISIS Fights: Military Tactics in Iraq, Syria, Libya and Egypt (Paperback, Hardback, Ebook)". Edinburgh University Press. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
2. Ashour, Omar (April 6, 2009). "The De-Radicalization of Jihadists: Transforming Armed Islamist Movements (Hardback)". Routledge. Retrieved October 19, 2011.
3. Ashour, Omar (June 1, 2011). "Post-Jihadism: Libya and the Global Transformations of Armed Islamist Movements". Terrorism and Political Violence. 23 (3): 377–397. doi:10.1080/09546553.2011.560218. S2CID 144762016.
4. Ashour, Omar (July 13, 2011). "BBC News – Egypt secularists and liberals afraid of democracy?". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved October 19, 2011.
5. "The Official Taekwondo Hall Of Fame® – Ecuador – Egypt". Lacancha.com. Retrieved October 19, 2011.
6. "TAEKWONDOHALLOFFAME.COM – Tae Kwon Do Hall Of Fame – Taekwondo Hall of Fame – TaeKwon-Do Hall of Fame – Taekwon-do Hall of Fame – taekwondo hall of fame – Mike Warren – Joe Hayes – Albert Cheeks & Others!". taekwondo hall of fame. Retrieved October 19, 2011.
7. "World Koshiki Karate Championships 2007 middle weight Div". YouTube. September 24, 2007. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved October 19, 2011.