Zaynab is associate professor of political science at the Africa Institute, Global Studies University, Sharjah, UAE. For the summer 2025, Zaynab is visiting CAIS to further her research on the global political economy of halal. The focus of the research is on: 1) state-control of trade as it challenges neoliberal economic convergence; 2) ethics in international relations regarding what appears to be a civilizational approach of halal and resistance in the form of Islamophobia.