Mohammad Salim Al-Awa (born December 22, 1942) is an Egyptian Islamist thinker, widely considered to belong to the moderate Islamic democratic strain. He is the former Secretary General of the International Union for Muslim Scholars based in London, and head of the Egyptian Association for Culture and Dialogue, a member of the Academy of the Arabic Language in Cairo, an Advisor to the Arab Bureau of Education for the Gulf States - KSA 1979–1985. He received a PhD in Comparative Law from the University of London 1972. Al-Awa has been called one of the few Islamic thinkers who has made a "serious attempt" at "defining what Islamism would mean in a modern society," or "courageously delved into the realities of Islamic history and experimented with new interpretations." He is considered one of the symbols of the modern trend in Islam, and his thought is characterized by moderation and focus on dialogue rather than conflict between the Islamic world and the West. He is also an advocate of dialogue and rapprochement between Sunnis and Shia'tes. He defended several members of the Muslim Brotherhood who were imprisoned during the era of Hosni Mubarak. He was one of those who strongly opposed the project of transferring power to Gamal Mubarak. On 14 June 2011, Al-Awa declared his candidacy for the 2012 Egyptian presidential election in September of that year. Source: Wikipedia (en)