RTG 2987: Mobility Rights in
the Global Context of Multiple Crises

Haider Muhammed Ihsan Syed M.A.

I am originally from Pakistan. I studied Sociology and Political Science (BA) at IIU University, Islamabad and completed my MA in Philosophy of Science at Leibniz University Hannover. My interests lie at the interaction of social and political philosophy, epistemology and the normative evaluation of social and political system. Currently, I am a PhD candidate in Philosophy in the RTG 2987 ‘Mobility in the Global Context of Multiple Crises’. I joined RTG 2987 to develop my research on queer mobility rights within a program that combines normative theory with empirically informed perspectives on migration and asylum governance.


Research Project

Working Title: Opacity as Justice: Redefining Credibility for Queer Mobility Rights.

My doctoral project examines the moral limits of credibility assessments in queer asylum procedures from the perspective of non-ideal political philosophy. In many asylum systems, claims based on sexual orientation or gender identity are subjected to heightened credibility demands that rely on expectations of visibility, coherence, and conformity to dominant identity narratives. These practices are commonly justified by reference to institutional feasibility concerns such as fraud prevention and administrability. The project asks whether such heightened credibility demands constitute morally legitimate feasibility constraints, or whether they instead impose unjust epistemic burdens on already vulnerable individuals.
By combining normative political philosophy with socio-legal analysis of asylum practices, the project aims to clarify when and how credibility assessments can be compatible with justice. I propose a limited notion of opacity as a moral constraint on intrusive and stereotype-dependent credibility demands, while remaining attentive to the practical constraints faced by asylum institutions.


Biographical Data

    Work experience

  • Since 01/2026: Research Assistant in the DFG Research Training Group »Mobility Rights in the Global Context of Multiple Crises« (RTG 2987), University of Göttingen.
  • 09/2024-01/2025: Volunteer for the organisation Marchenkoffer e.V. working for education, culture and integration.
  • 08/2018-08/2019: Social Mobiliser in Veer development Organisation working for education and health in rural Khyber Pakhtunkhuwa, Pakistan.
  • 06/2017-07/2018: Internship in District Local Government and community development, Rawalpindi, Pakistan.

    • Education

  • 01/2026: PhD candidate in Philosophy, University of Göttingen.
  • 2022-2025: MA in Philosophy of Science, Leibniz University, Hannover, Germany.
  • 2011-2016: BA in Sociology & Political Science, International Islamic University, Islamabad, Pakistan.