He is Professor of Arabic and Islamic Studies at the Department of Cross-Cultural and Regional Studies of the University of Copenhagen, where he obtained his PhD in 1997. His research interests include contemporary Islam, with a particular focus on the role of Muslim ulama in modern Arab states and Islam in the new pan-Arab television networks. He has been a Director of JP/Politikens Hus A/S since 2008 and served as Manager of the Danish Egyptian Dialogue Institute in Cairo from 2005 to 2008. He is the author of Defining Islam for the Egyptian State. Muftis and Fatwas of the Dār Al-Iftā (1997), Global Mufti. The Phenomenon of Yusuf al-Qaradawi (2009, with Bettina Gräf) e Arab Media Moguls (2015, with Naomi Sakr and Donatella Della Ratta).
