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

Our aim is for this site to afford visitors the opportunity to explore some of the work done by this unique research center.

The Islam-UK Centre, based in the Department of Religious & Theological Studies at Cardiff University. Launched in 2005 by Yusuf Islam (‘Cat Stevens’) 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 today 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, and we are proud of this partnership. We envisage the Centre 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 features a ‘virtual’ Centre featuring some of our research resources that can be accessible beyond Cardiff, such as dissertations written by past Jameel MA and PhD Scholars & recordings of many of our annual Public Lectures and other events.

Centre Staff

The Staff of the Centre would be very pleased to hear from you about any aspect of our work.

• Maulana Dr Mansur Ali; Jameel Lecturer in Islamic Studies
Mark Bryant; Development Officer
• Prof Sophie Gilliat-Ray; Professor of Religious and Theological Studies, Director for the Centre for the Study of Islam in the UK (Islam-UK)
• Dr Saira Malik; Lecturer in Islamic Studies
• Dr Michael Munnik; Lecturer in Social Science Theories and Methods
• Dr Riyaz Timol; Research Associate in British Muslim Studies

Research

The Islam-UK Centre has a strong track record for undertaking inter-disciplinary 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 about Islam and Muslims within Cardiff University, and thus far we have collaborated with the School of Social Sciences, the School of Music, Cardiff Law School, and the School of Architecture, as well as having 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 in the region of £800,000, while our Jameel Scholarship Program (£1m) supports doctoral and post-doctoral researchers working on a wide range of subjects.

While many of our researchers have been based in the UK, we have 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

• Muftis, Fatwas & Muslims in the UK
• Muslims & Journalistic Training in Britain
• Muslim Chaplains Research Project
• Islamic Gardens in the UK
• Religious nurture in Muslim families
• Islam and Young Bangladeshis

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

Web: http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/islamukcentre