Exploring the lives of Muslim communities in Britain, with a particular emphasis on sociological and anthropological methodology, the Islam-UK Centre aims to promote both scholarly and public understandings of Islam and the lives of Muslim communities in the UK.

The Islam-UK Centre, based in the Department of Religious & Theological Studies at Cardiff University, was launched in 2005 by Yusuf Islam (‘Cat Stevens’). Since then, the Centre has grown to become the leading academic institution for research and teaching about Islam and Muslims in Britain.

Cardiff has one of the oldest and most diverse Muslim populations in the UK. Some of the earliest mosques were founded in the city in the early 20th century. Today, there are over 45,000 Muslims in Wales, nearly half of whom live in Cardiff itself (Census 2011). This makes Cardiff an ideal location for learning more about the history and contemporary situation of Muslim communities in Britain.

The Centre for the Study of Islam in the UK has a strong and positive relationship with the local Muslim community. Local Muslims form part of the Centre’s Advisory Group. The Centre serves as an accessible, vibrant, and inclusive hub of learning about Islam in Cardiff and South Wales—for Muslims and non-Muslims alike.

The Islam-UK Centre also maintains a virtual platform featuring a range of research resources accessible beyond Cardiff, such as dissertations written by former Jameel MA and PhD Scholars, as well as recordings of many of the Centre’s annual public lectures and other events.

Research

The Islam-UK Centre has a strong track record of undertaking interdisciplinary research on a wide range of subjects connected to the lives of Muslims in Britain. In recent years, this has included work on Muslim chaplaincy, the religious nurture and education of Muslim children, Islamic environmentalism, and the intersection of religious ‘courts’ with civil family law.

The Centre is now a hub for research on Islam and Muslims within Cardiff University. It has collaborated with the School of Social Sciences, the School of Music, Cardiff Law School, and the School of Architecture, and maintains strong links with Cardiff Business School and the Cardiff Centre for Chaplaincy Studies.

The research income associated with the Islam-UK Centre to date is approximately £800,000, while its Jameel Scholarship Program (£1m) supports doctoral and postdoctoral researchers working on a wide range of subjects.

The Centre offers fully funded scholarships for PhD/Doctoral research in British Muslim Studies, supported by the Jameel Scholarship Program.

The Centre currently offers one international PhD Jameel Scholarship and two UK PhD Jameel Scholarships in British Muslim Studies for suitably qualified students with innovative and significant PhD proposals.

The PhD programme is based in the School of History, Archaeology and Religion and supervised by the Islam-UK Centre at Cardiff University.

While many of the Centre’s researchers are based in the UK, the Centre has also welcomed visiting international scholars from Italy, the USA, and Poland.

The Islam-UK Centre at Cardiff University is at the cutting edge of research in the emerging field of ‘British Muslim Studies’, and now has an international reputation as the leading center of excellence for the study of Islam and Muslims in Britain.

Projects

In recent years the Centre’s research has included work on:

• Muslim chaplaincy
• The religious nurture and education of Muslim children
• Islamic environmentalism
• The intersection of religious ‘courts’ with civil family law

Staff

• Professor Sophie Gilliat-Ray – Professor in Religious and Theological Studies, Head of Islam UK Centre
• Dr Michael Munnik – Senior Lecturer in Social Science Theories and Methods, Director of Learning and Teaching
• Mark Bryant – Development Officer for the Centre for the Study of Islam in the UK (Islam-UK)
• Lucy Wilkinson – Project Director
• Professor Matthew Wilkinson – Professor of Religion in Public Life
• Dr Mansur Ali – Senior Lecturer in Islamic Studies & Director of Postgraduate Research
• Dr Abdul-Azim Ahmed – Lecturer in British Muslim Studies
• Dr Asma Khan – Honorary Research Fellow
• Dr Saira Malik – Reader in Islamic Philosophy, History & Culture
• Dr Sarah Marusek – Social Media and Impact Officer (Centre for the Study of Islam in the UK)
• Dr Haroon Sidat – Research Associate
• Dr Riyaz Timol – Research Fellow in British Muslim Studies

Contacts

• Address: Islam-UK Centre, School of History, Archaeology and Religion, John Percival Building, Colum Drive, Cardiff CF10 3EU, UK
• Phone: +44 29 2087 0121
• Email: islam-uk@cardiff.ac.uk
• Website: http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/islamukcentre