Burhan Ghalioun (Arabic: برهان غليون, romanized: Burhān Ghalyūn; born 11 February 1945 in Homs, Syria) is a French-Syrian professor of sociology at the Université de Paris III Sorbonne University in Paris,[1] and the first chairman of the Syrian opposition Transitional National Council (SNC). He was named chairman on 29 August 2011.[citation needed] His chairmanship was criticized for his perceived closeness to the Muslim Brotherhood, his early reluctance to arm opposition forces, and what opponents called the autocratic nature of his leadership.[2] On 17 May 2012, feeling he had become an increasingly divisive figure for the council, Ghalioun resigned