Yaron Friedman received his doctorate from the Sorbonne in 2006. He lectures in Middle Eastern Studies and teaches Arabic in Israel. He has published previously in Studia Islamica, Der Islam and Encyclopedia Iranica.

"Friedman's book is highly illuminating. It approaches a very difficult and complex subject matter in a comprehensive way and manages to present a well-written, concise and almost exhaustive exposition."Sotirios S. Livas in JOAS 20 (2011), 274-276.“This is a knowledgeable and panoramic book, covering a wide range of topics and incorporating important and hitherto unfamiliar sources.”Aryeh Kofsky in Bustan: The Middle East Book Review 3 (2012), 170-175."Yaron Friedman's book marks an important step forward in the academic study of the ʿAlawi (Nusayri) sect of Syria and of the historical development of Shiʿism in general."Stefan Winter in International Journal of Middle East Studies 43.3 (2011), 577-579.doi:10.1017/S0020743811000869"Yaron Friedman has produced the definitive study of medieval Nuṣayrī history, religion and identity through his meticulousness, his willingness to challenge Western and Muslim orthodoxies, and his access to hitherto unknown sources." Steve Tamari in Al-Masaq: Islam and the Medieval Mediterranean 25:2 (2013), 271-273.DOI:10.1080/09503110.2013.804325"Friedman’s research is the first of its kind to use these sources along with other previously published documents. For his groundbreaking work, and considering sources that were not accessible to prior scholarship, one can congratulate Friedman for an outstanding piece of historical scholarship that promises to be useful for future research on this unique community."Jens Kreinath in History of Religions Volume 55, Number 2, November 2015.