I completed my Ph.D. at NYU's Dept. of Middle Eastern Studies in 1999, after which I held postdoctoral positions at Cornell University's Society for the Humanities and the European University Institute's Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies, in Florence, Italy before coming to UCI. My research and teaching focus on the following issues: histories, theologies and political and cultural economies of the Middle East and Islam in the modern and contemporary periods, Palestine/Israel, comparative studies of imperialism and colonialism, urban planning and architecture (history and theory), critical theory, and globalization studies with a comparative focus on popular cultures and religion in Europe and the Muslim world. More recently, I have begun research projects looking at popular music in the Muslim world, the history of the Oslo peace process, and the public sphere in the Middle East and North Africa.

My first book, Overthrowing Geography: Jaffa, Tel Aviv and the Struggle for Palestine, was published by the University of California Press in 2005. My second book, Why They Don't Hate Us: Lifting the Veil on the Axis of Evil, was published by Oneworld Publications in 2005. My third book, Heavy Metal Islam: Rock, Resistance and the Story of Islam's Generation-X, is forthcoming on Random House/Verso, and my fourth book, An Impossible Peace: Oslo and the Burdens of History, is forthcoming on Zed Books.

I have also co-edited several books. The first, with Viggo Mortensen and Pilar Perez, is Twilight of Empire: Responses to Occupation, was published in 2004 by Perceval Press and features leading scholars and activists from around the world (including the Muslim world) discussing the roots, present dynamics and possible solutions to the US invasion and occupation of Iraq). The second volume, Religion, Social Practices and Contested Hegemonies: Reconstructing the Public Sphere in Muslim Majority Societies, was co-edited with Armando Salvatore, and was published by Palgrave Press in 2005. The third volume, Reapproaching the Border: New Perspectives on the Study of Israel/Palestine, is co-edited with Sandy Sufian, and is forthcoming on Rowman Littlefield Press. In addition to these projects, I have begun research for a book on the history of the Public Sphere in the Middle East and North Africa that will be co-authored with Armando Salvatore. And I am also editing a book titled Struggle and Survival in Israel/Palestine, which should soon be in contract with a major university press.

As journalist I have written for publications including Le Monde, The Los Angeles Times, the Boston Globe, the Christian Science Monitor, TIKKUN (where I am a contributing editor), Alternet.org, the OC Weekly, and Beliefnet.com. I am also a professional musician and have worked with artists such as Mick Jagger, Dr. John, Johnny Copeland, Albert Collins, Chuck D, Michael Franti, Ozomatli (which won a Grammy), world music artists Hassan Hakmoun, MC Rai, The Kordz, Sara Alexander and others. These days I play mostly a combination of middle eastern, Balkan/Romani, funk, Latin and blues (although not always all at the same time).

My scholarship, activism and music are all tied to my commitment to struggles for social justice in the United States and around the world. I attempt to bring these three fields together through the practice of "culture jamming," which brings together leading artists, scholars and activists in critical dialog and performance on issues of concern to young people. I have held these culture jams in LA, NYC, Philadelphia, Paris, Rome, Casablanca, Beirut, Prague and other cities.