Siraj qualified as a Barrister in 2010 (Lincoln’s Inn) and has a practitioner and academic background in International Law, and Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies.

He specialises in international law, comparative constitutional law, Islamic Law and Middle Eastern Studies, and has over 12 years’ experience working on the rule of law, legal, political and justice sector reform, fundamental rights protection, and peacebuilding.

Since 2012, his work has spanned several conflict, post-conflict and peace-process contexts, including Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, Sudan, South Sudan, Jordan, Libya, Tunisia, Somalia and Iraq.

Between 2012 and 2013, he was a Research Fellow (MENA, Afghanistan and Pakistan) at the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public and International Law. From 2013-2023, he managed the acquisition and implementation of several donor-funded projects at the Max Planck Foundation for International Peace and the Rule of Law.

Siraj has delivered expert seminars, taught on professional and executive-level courses, and has published several expert opinions and contributed to academic and policy publications on international law, constitutional law, and Islamic law in the context of the practice in countries in the Middle East and North Africa.

At JustPeace, Siraj’s main focus will be on developing JustPeace’s MENA Hub and programmes with local partners, especially youth, to strengthen linkages between justice and peacebuilding processes related to conflicts in the region.