Political Islam and its International Implications

The Institute of World Politics

About the Speakers: Maria Schwaz, a certified social worker, spent 5 years working in psychiatric facilities. While on maternity leave to care for her six children, she received training in Christian pedagogy and has since been teaching at schools and parishes. The European migration crisis of 2015 spurred her on to study the core tenets of Islam. In 2018, she assumed the role of managing director at the International Center for the Study of Political Islam in Austria. In this position, she began extensive lecturing activities on both national and international levels, working with governmental and non-governmental organizations. Johann Turnau was born in Austria in 1954. He graduated with a Doctor of Law from the University of Innsbruck in 1979. He spent the next few years working for the Federal Chamber of Commerce and the Federal Ministry for Foreign Affairs. From 1985 to 1988, he was the First Secretary at the Austrian Embassy in Lagos/Nigeria, and he was the Counsellor at the Austrian Embassy here in Washington, D.C., from 1988-1992. From 1998 to 2001, he served as the Austrian Ambassador to Algeria. From 2001 to 2006, he was the Austrian Ambassador to Indonesia, also accredited to Singapore and Timor Leste. From 2006-2012, he worked in the Federal Ministries of Foreign Affairs and European and International Affairs. From 2012-2016, he served as the Ambassador to Japan. He then served as the Ambassador to Australia, New Zealand, Tonga, Vanuatu, Fiji, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Marshall Islands, Kiribati and Nauru and was the Austrian Ambassador designate to the Federated States of Micronesia, Samoa, Tuval from 2016-2019. As of 2020, he is a Senior Consultant and member of the Austrian Senior Experts Pool (ASEP), President of the Rotary Club Gastein, and Chairman of the Inter Country Committee Austria – Ukraine. He is also certified by the OSCE and registered with the EU for election monitoring and observation.