Leon was born in Morocco. He immigrated to Canada in 1964 and to New Zealand in 1980. He was an elected Rhodes Scholar in 1972 and studied at Keble College, Oxford. He has a Bachelor of Arts in Modern History Cum Laude from Loyola College and a Master of Arts in Islamic studies from McGill University writing his thesis on the Moroccan Monarchy and Nationalism (1912-1956): A Republic for a Monarchy. He has published several articles on MENA Middle East and North Africa and is founder of SOCRATES CAFÉ -  a discussion group on MENA.