A Conversation with Ribal al-Assad

Description

Ribal Al-Assad is first cousin to Bashar Al-Assad (their fathers were brothers) and a fierce opponent of the now-toppled regime that his family ruled for fifty-four years. In conversation with MEF’s president, Daniel Pipes, he will discuss his personal journey, his career, his family, its hidden wealth, dangers facing the Alawi community, and his hopes for Syria’s future.

Ribal Al-Assad is founder and director of the Organization for Democracy and Freedom in Syria and Chairman of the Iman Foundation, dedicated to promoting interfaith dialogue and countering extremism. Born in Damascus in 1975, he was exiled to Paris in 1984. At 16, he moved to the United States, where he attended high school in New York and Houston, then received a BBA from the InterAmerican University in New York and an MA from the University of Leicester. He currently lives in London.