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Olivier Roy is Professor at the European University Institute in Florence. He holds the Chair in Mediterranean Studies at the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies at EUI. A leading political scientist and scholar of Islam and contemporary Middle Eastern affairs, Roy has played a prominent role in shaping academic and policy discourse on political Islam, secularism, and transnational religious movements.
Previously, he served as Senior Researcher at the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) and was Director of the French Institute for Central Asian Studies (IFEAC) in Tashkent. He also acted as consultant for various international organizations, including the United Nations Office for Coordination in Afghanistan.
Roy is the author of numerous influential works, many of which have been translated into English. His key publications in English include The Failure of Political Islam (1994), Globalized Islam: The Search for a New Ummah (2004), Secularism Confronts Islam (2007), Holy Ignorance: When Religion and Culture Part Ways (2010), Jihad and Death: The Global Appeal of Islamic State (2017), Is Europe Christian? (2020), and The Crisis of Culture (2024).
Roy is widely regarded for his nuanced and empirically grounded analyses of radicalization, religion, and the interplay between culture and politics in contemporary societies.
Tomáš Halík is a Czech philosopher, theologian, and Roman Catholic priest, internationally recognized for his contributions to interfaith dialogue, religious philosophy, and the role of faith in post-communist societies. He is Professor of Philosophy and Sociology of Religion at Charles University in Prague and serves as President of the Czech Christian Academy. He is also a former advisor to President Václav Havel and has been active in fostering dialogue between believers and non-believers.
Ordained in secret during the communist regime, Halík played a significant role in the underground Church in Czechoslovakia and later contributed to the country’s democratic transition. He has been a visiting professor and lecturer at universities around the world, including Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard, and the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome.
In 2014, Halík was awarded the prestigious Templeton Prize for his work in advancing spiritual thought and dialogue across cultural and religious boundaries.
His works Patience with God: The Story of Zacchaeus Continuing in Us (2009), Night of the Confessor: Christian Faith in an Age of Uncertainty (2012), I Want You to Be: On the God of Love (2016), Touch the Wounds: On Suffering, Trust, and Transformation (2018), and The Afternoon of Christianity: The Courage to Change (2022).