A view of Islam in 2021

Virtual Islam Centre Public Seminar Series sheds light on latest research

Combining leading research and local experience, the Centre for the Study of Islam’s annual fixture of public seminars is aiming to shine a light on the issues and topics affecting Muslims in the UK, and to reach a wider audience in its live online switch.

This year the series features four emerging topics, from the international with the role of new Islamic Scholarly networks in the west and the emergence of London as a hub for the diffusion of global Islamic thought to more local subjects from women’s activism in Scottish mosques to ethnographic work with young Muslim men in one English setting.

Joining the 2021 speaker line-up are Professor Masooda Bano (Oxford University), Professor Peter Mandaville (George Mason University and former US State Department Senior Advisor in the Office of Religion and Global Affairs),  Dr Khadijah Elshayyal (Hamid Bin Khalifa University and General Secretary of the Muslims In Britain Research Network) and Dr Ashraf Hoque (UCL).   Chairing the series are Islam UK Centre Professor Sophie Gilliat-Ray, Muslim Council of Wales Assistant Secretary General Dr Abdul Azim, Jameel PhD scholar Laiqah Osman and Dr Haroon Sidat.

Speaking for the Centre of the Study of Islam, Dr Michael Munnik, Lecturer in Social Science Theories and Methods said

"Making a virtue of current lockdown restrictions, we look forward to opening up our live talks to an international audience alongside regulars from Cardiff and south Wales who have attended our seminars every year. The switch to virtual events in the wake of the pandemic means we are welcoming speakers from overseas and can reach out to anyone with an interest in the study of Islam from the comfort of home. We look forward to a wide range of thought-provoking discussion following each talk, delivered live early evening from the UK.”

All 2021 events take place virtually on Wednesday evenings at 17:00 GMT. Lectures are free to attend but advance booking is essential.

2021 Seminar Dates

• 10 February  'Making Islam Relevant: The Role of New Islamic Scholarly Networks in the West [Masooda Bano]
• 24 February  "In search of vibrancy: women’s activism in Scottish mosques’’ [Khadijah Elshayyal]
• 10 March  “To Talk about Africa You also Have to Talk about Iran”: British Muslim Transnationalism, the Global Islamic Movement, and Decoloniality [Peter Mandaville]
• 24 March  ‘Being Young, Male and Muslim in Luton’ [Ashraf Hoque]

Opened in 2005 the Centre for the Study of Islam in the UK pursues high-quality educational initiatives which have local, national, and international impact.

Since 2009, its Annual Public Seminar Series has brought the latest research to its local community in Cardiff, and pioneered  the sharing of its research online to thousands of people globally through the Massive Open Online Course (MOOC): ‘Muslims in Britain: Changes and Challenges’.

For more Islam Centre Public Seminar Series information follow #IUKCSem21 and find out more about the latest work of the Centre for the Study of Islam in the UK on Twitter.