Islam in Wales
Muslims have been part of the fabric of Wales for over a century, and Islam and Wales are joined through deep historic connections.
Background
The project seeks to document and tell the “story” of Islam in Wales and make the history of Muslims in Wales accessible to academics, the wider public, and Welsh Muslims themselves so as to broaden public understanding of a multicultural and multireligious Wales.
Urgency
The first generation of pioneers who settled in Wales are ageing and passing away, and with them, the accounts, histories, and stories of Muslim settlement beyond retrieval.
The importance of this story is even more pronounced given that the current generation of Welsh-born Muslims are “coming of age” and seeking to understand their place in Welsh society. Capturing and telling the history of Muslims in Wales will equip them with an academic account of their communities’ experiences.
Methods
The research will be led by Dr Abdul-Azim and supported by community volunteers who will act as “participant researchers” documenting their own family history, and collecting important documents and items for archiving. The “participant researchers” will be given training in oral history and social science research methods.
The final dataset will include oral history interviews, collaboratively created family timelines, and archival material.
Outputs
The outputs for the project will include:
- a travelling exhibition that can be adapted for museums, galleries, schools, mosques and other locations
- a monograph published by the Principal Investigator based on project findings, along with academic journal articles
- a sizable collection collated and made accessible to future researchers and scholars on the history of Muslims in Wales
Advisory Board
We are currently seeking advisory board members. If you would like to be included, please contact a member of the project team.
