Amir Yahya Ayatollahi received his Ph.D. in political sciences at the University of Vechta/Germany. His fields of interest are the modern Middle East, Iranian studies, Shiism, theories on state, political power and democracy, the democratization process, political philosophy, as well as social organizations and movements. Additionally, living among Shiite seminarians provided him with a first-hand invaluable experience of how the public and formal teachings of Shiism are manifested in the political thoughts of clergies in Iran.
