Dr. Alwi Shihab is a Senior Fellow at the Leimena Institute. He served as the Special Envoy of the President of the Republic of Indonesia for the Middle East and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation from 2016 to 2019, Coordinating Minister for People’s Welfare from 2004 to 2005, and Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1999 to 2001.

An expert in interreligious relations, he is a member of the Advisory Board at Hartford Seminary in Connecticut, USA. Dr. Shihab has also taught and held positions at various academic and research institutions, including Harvard University, Temple University, the Fetzer Institute, the American Academy of Religion, and the University of Indonesia.
He has authored many books, including the bestseller Islam Inklusif: Menuju Sikap Terbuka dalam Beragama (Inclusive Islam: Towards an Open Attitude in Religion). With extensive experience as an executive and advisor in numerous companies, he was appointed Secretary General of the Islamic Chamber of Commerce and Industry in 2009.

He holds two master’s degrees from Al-Azhar University (Egypt) and Temple University (USA), and two Ph.D. degrees from Ain Shams University (Egypt) and Temple University (USA). He completed post-doctoral studies at Harvard University.