Dr Abdul-Azim Ahmed

AFHEA

Publication

• Date
• Type

Research

My research focuses on two key themes.

The first is British Muslim civil society. Civil society refers to the spaces in which people organise and associate entirely voluntarily. In terms of British Muslims, the mosque is the most dominant vehicle for civil society, though there are countless other examples. Britain has over 2000 mosques (there are no reliable databases), some are small prayer rooms, others are large and historic institutions. They are semi-public spaces, places of debate, discussion, platforms for other civil society groups to utilise, they allow Muslims to act collectively. This is alongside their core purpose, places of worship and prayer. In my research, I explore how Muslims come together, act collectively, and meet their own communal, spiritual, and social needs. This not only helps us understand contemporary religion, Islam in Europe, and the everyday lives of British Muslims - but it can also help us understand more about to we organise society more widely, and whether there are lessons from British Muslim civil society that can be applied to other parts of Britain. 

My second area is the history of Muslims in Wales. Muslim history in Britain (and Europe) is often reduced to being a modern phenonemon, but in so many cases it stretches right back to the origins of the nation itself. Islam has long been Britian's second religion. Documenting and sharing the story of Islam in Wales I believe is vital for contemporary Muslims to know their place in society, and also for wider society to recognise the common heritage shared between faiths and communities. 

Biography

I hold a BA in Religious Studies, an MA in Islam in Contemporary Britain, and a PhD which explored the role and function of mosques using ethnographic research methods.

Aside from working in academia, I have been involved in policy, research, and project management in the third-sector, as well as launching and editing a quarterly magazine.

Professional memberships

- Muslims in Britain Research Network (MBRN)

- British Association for the Study of Religion (BASR)

- British Association for Islamic Studies (BRAIS)

- Sociology of Religion Research Network (SocRel)

- Association for the Sociology of Religion

- British Sociological Association (BSA)

- Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (AFHEA)

Speaking engagements

Keynotes

• July 2024 – “Islam in Wales: Project Findings”, Conference: Muslims in Britain, 1800‒1970, and Beyond: Historical Approaches & Why, Everyday Muslim and the Muslims in Britain Research Network, University of Westminster, London

National Conferences

• May 2024 – “The Story of Islam in Wales”, Royal Commission of Ancient and Historical Monuments, Online
  Watch here

• February 2024 – “Islam in Wales – Initial Findings”, Government Social Researchers Network, Online

• September 2022 – “Anglophone Islam – A New Conceptual Category”, Muslims in Britain Research Network Conference, Cardiff University

• May 2022 – “Islam in Wales, Early Reflections”, Islam-UK Centre Symposium

• September 2021 – “Islam in the Landscape of Cardiff”, Glamorgan Records Archive

• June 2021 – “Calon Muhammad: The Story of Islam in Wales”, National Library of Wales

• April 2021 – “A History of Muslim Settlement in Wales”, Friends of Cathays Cemetery

• February 2020 – “Mosques, the Congregation, and Anglophone Islam”, Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations, London
  Watch here

• April 2019 – “Thinking Congregationally About British Muslims”, Muslims in Britain Research Network Annual Conference

• January 2019 – “Leadership from Below: Congregations and British Mosques”, Leadership, Authority and Representation in British Muslim Communities
  Watch here

• July 2018 – “Pondering (tadabbur) Perplexity (hayrat), and Polemics (kalam): Communicating Across Boundaries”, Spirituality: Multifaith and Interfaith Perspectives, University of Wales Trinity St David

• May 2018 – “The Utility and Relevance of Shahab Ahmed’s ‘What is Islam?’ to British Muslim Studies”, Islam-UK Centre Symposium
  Watch here

• March 2018 – “Politics of Religious Architecture”, Baroness Warsi Foundation panel discussion, Cardiff

• March 2018 – “Who Needs a Masjid?”, Centre for the Study of Islam in the UK, Spring Public Lecture Series
  Watch here

• September 2017 – “God and Grime: Religious Literacy and British Hip-Hop”, Muslims in Britain Research Network Conference, Birmingham University

• June 2017 – Chair and discussant, “Spaces for Secular Faith” conference, Bristol University

• April 2016 – “Rethinking the Role of Conflict in Peace”, Islam and Peaceful Relations Conference

• September 2015 – “Sacred Rhythms in the Mosque”, British Association for the Study of Religion Conference

• July 2015 – “Sacred Rhythms and the Mosque”, Sociology of Religion Research Network Conference

• September 2014 – Panel speaker, International Association of Religion Journalists’ inaugural British conference, London

• April 2014 – “Discipline and the Mosque”, British Association for Islamic Studies’ inaugural conference, Edinburgh University

• July 2013 – “Narratives of Transgression”, Religion and Media Multidisciplinary Conference, Liverpool Hope University

• March 2013 – “What Makes a Mosque?”, Voice of Humanities Conference, Cardiff University (Awarded second place in “Best Speaker Category”)

• March 2013 – “Ethnography at Home: Challenges and Opportunities”, Spotlight on Social Science, Cardiff University

• October 2012 – “Multicultural in Wales: The Muslim Experience”, Multiculturalism in Wales Interdisciplinary Conference, Cardiff University

• May 2012 – “Rethinking the Theological Diversity of Wales”, Islamic Studies Network of Wales, Aberystwyth University

• March 2012 – “The Forgotten Revival: Cardiff in the 1920s to 1940s”, Spotlight on Social Science, Cardiff University

• October 2011 – “Visual Dhikr: A Photographic Analysis of Mosques in Wales”, “Imagination, Interpretation and Islam”, Cardiff University

International Conferences

• September 2021 – “Civil Society and Bureaucratic Mosques – Models of Resilience”, European Association for the Study of Religion Conference, Pisa, Italy

• May 2018 – “The Interspatial Mosque”, Writing workshop, University of Copenhagen

• December 2017 – “The Mosque in Britain: Rhythmanalysis, Religion, and Recognising Diversity”, “Power of Mosques” Conference, University of Copenhagen

Conferences Organised

• November 2018 – “Resilience to Building Resilience to Extremism and Exploitation”, for Ethnic Minorities and Youth Support Team and Welsh Government

• December 2017 – “Ethical Approaches to Peaceful Co-existence”, University of Wales Trinity St David and Knowledge Exchange Programme (Saudi Arabia)

• March 2017 – “Responding to Violent Extremism: Welsh Perspectives”, Cardiff and Vale College, organised through Muslim Council of Wales

• September 2014 – “Inside Out: Reflexivity and Methodology in Research with British Muslims”, Cardiff University

Supervisions

I am open to supervising students in topics related to my research interests, publications, and methodological approaches. In short - Muslim civil society, British Muslim history, sacred space and community organising. 

Current supervision

Ifthahar Ahmed

Arwa Abahussain

Sheam Khan

Subhan Dalvi