Blog

Mae'r cynnwys hwn ar gael yn Saesneg yn unig.

Abdul-Azim Ahmed – Wales’s First Muslim Grave

14 March 2023

Photo by Mark Bryant The pursuit of “firsts” is always enticing in history as superlative claims help justify the importance of the findings in question. But such claims are always contentious and prone to contradiction.   Given this, it is with some hesitation I’m sharing the story of the first Muslim grave in Wales – at […]

Thomas Sealy – Religion, Race, Culture: Islamophobia and British Converts to Islam

6 March 2023

My interview with Gayle, a white British Muslim convert of 18 years, had ended. It was a pleasant but chilly late winter’s day. About fifty yards up the street was a group of women wearing shalwar kameez, loose shawls and sandals. Gayle remarked how ‘Pakistani dress’ was impractical in Britain, an example of the ‘culturally […]

Mark and Sami Bryant – Our Pastwn for Hanan Issa, National Poet of Wales

20 February 2023

The creators of the pastwn and its recipient: Nancy Collis, Peter Forward, Sami Bryant, Hanan Issa, and Mark Bryant at the Grange Pavilion. Mark and Sami Bryant have known Hanan Issa for several years and were both pleased to hear the news that she had been named National Poet of Wales. At the Muslims in […]

Sophie Gilliat-Ray: Remembering Fatima Cates…a transformational convert of her time

23 January 2023

I can’t quite put my finger on it…but there is something rather compelling about the story of Fatima Cates (1865-1900) one of the first women to convert to Islam in Britain in the late 19th century. I was privileged to attend a commemorative event for Fatima at the Abdullah Quilliam Society Mosque and Heritage Centre […]

Abdul-Azim Ahmed – Muslims in Wales after the 2021 Census

6 December 2022

The Office for National Statistics has released the first information on religious affiliation from the 2021 Census, giving us a glimpse of the unfolding story of faith in Britain. The headline findings are significant but expected for those familiar with the trends. We see the numerical decline of Christianity, the increase in those stating they […]

Mansur Ali – Hope and Fear in Islamic Eschatology (podcast)

25 October 2022

Dr Mansur Ali joined a podcast to discuss the question of end times: what happens at the end of the world? Ed Kessler of the Woolf Institute runs the podcast Naked Reflections as part of The Naked Scientists series. The discussion between Ali, Kessler, and Woolf Institute fellow Beth Phillips look at both hope and […]

Shanon Shah – The making of a good gay Muslim: Navigating (post)colonial politics in contemporary Britain

28 February 2022

Has public debate on Islam and sexual diversity finally come of age, in Britain at least? Judging by the evolving media and pop culture landscape over the past decade, it is tempting to be positive. So much has happened since the groundbreaking “gay Muslim storyline” premiered on EastEnders back in 2009. A brief chronology reveals […]

Discovering Muslims in Britain

17 September 2021

In 2018 the Commission on Religious Education (RE) issued a report concerning the challenges of reaching religions in the classroom, it stressed the importance of representing the ‘lived experiences of individuals and communities’ (2018, p,76). Following this advice, the Islam-UK Centre has developed a fully resourced, free scheme of work for Key Stage 3, which […]

Two videos: Islamic Responses to COVID-19

17 July 2021

Two lecturers on staff at the Islam-UK Centre were among the scholars invited to a day-long virtual conference at the beginning of July. Prof. Gary Bunt, who runs the Virtually Islamic website and studies online expressions of Islam and Muslims, hosted the event at University of Wales, Trinity St David. Including scholars from around the […]

Laura Jones – Radio Programme on Fasting

11 February 2021

Fasting has been a significant practice amongst Muslims since Islam’s inception and remains a common observance today, even amongst Muslims who may not adhere to other practices such as daily prayers. Fasting is most prominent during the month of Ramadan, when healthy, adult Muslims are required to fast from food and drink from sunrise to […]