PCR Welcomes Fall 2010 Intern

By Aisha Toor

Hello! My name is Aisha Toor, and I will be interning with the CSIS Post Conflict Reconstruction (PCR) Project this fall.
I am a native of Fairfax, Virginia and graduated from George Mason University in May 2010 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Government & International Politics and Philosophy, with a concentration in Law. I am fluent in Urdu and French and am currently studying Arabic.

My research interests include sustainable development, governance and Islamization. Fortunately, I was able to study abroad at the University of Oxford during my undergraduate career to further explore these subjects. At Oxford, I enrolled in courses on jurisprudence, governance and women’s rights in the Middle East. To supplement my studies I volunteered as a research intern at the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies identifying and examining the crossroads between Islam and the West. For my senior thesis I explored the effect of Islamization on women in Pakistan, addressing institutionalized gender constraints and cultural practices which have inhibited the equal growth of women in society.

In the course of my research abroad, I became interested in public policy and wanted to observe it further. For a semester I was an intern at the Virginia General Assembly working with Delegate Rosalyn Dance of the 63rd District of Virginia. Through this experience I gained a primary understanding of the policy making and implementation process while also supplementing the internship with government courses at Virginia Commonwealth University.

I am enthusiastic about working with the PCR Project, learning more about international security in a global context. This fall, I will be focusing on Pakistan and Afghanistan, critically examining the role of Islamization on governance and militancy. In light of Pakistan’s recent natural disaster, I will be examining the humanitarian response in greater depth and the role Islamist groups have played in the relief efforts.