
Dr Abdul-Azim Ahmed
Lecturer in British Muslim Studies, Deputy Head of Islam UK Centre
- ahmedma1@cardiff.ac.uk
- +44 (0)29 2087 5634
- 5.15, Adeilad John Percival , Rhodfa Colum, Caerdydd, CF10 3EU
- Sylwebydd y cyfryngau
Trosolwg
Dr Abdul-Azim Ahmed completed his doctorate in 2016, an ethnographic study of a British mosque. He has since continued his work and research in British Muslim congregational studies, but with a longstanding interest in the history and settlement of Muslims in Wales. He has passion for the public communication of "religion", and is founder and editor of On Religion, a magazine that explores faith and society.
He is Deputy Director at the Centre for the Study of Islam in the UK. Dr Ahmed is currently working towards publication of a book telling the story of Britain's nearly 2000 mosques.
Bywgraffiad
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.
I am currently working towards publication of a monograph on British Mosques.
Aelodaethau proffesiynol
- 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)
Ymrwymiadau siarad cyhoeddus
May 2018 – “The Utility and Relevance of Shahab Ahmed’s “What is Islam?” to British Muslim Studies” at the Islam-UK Centre Symposium
March 2018 – Presented on the “Politics of Religious Architecture” in a panel discussion organised by the Baroness Warsi Foundation, Cardiff
March 2018 - Presented “Who Needs a Masjid?” to the Centre for the Study of Islam in the UK as part of their Spring Public Lecture Series
Dec 2017 – Presented “The Mosque in Britain: Rhythmanalysis, Religion, and Recognising Diversity” at the “Power of Mosques” conference at the University of Copenhagen
Sept 2017 – Presented “God and Grime: Religious Literacy and British Hip-Hop” at the Muslims in Britain Research Network Conference at Birmingham University
June 2017 – Chair and discussant in “Spaces for Secular Faith” conference held in Bristol University
April 2016 – Presented at the Islam and Peaceful Relations Conference on “Rethinking the Role of Conflict in Peace”
September 2015 – Presented at the British Association for the Study of Religion Conference on “Sacred Rhythms in the Mosque”.
July 2015 – Presented at the Sociology of Religion Research Network Conference on “Sacred Rhythms and the Mosque”.
Cyhoeddiadau
2022
- Ahmed, A. 2022. Anglophone Islam: A new conceptual category. Contemporary Islam 16, pp. 135-154. (10.1007/s11562-022-00492-8)
2020
- Ahmed, A. 2020. Little Mosque on the Prairie and the Paradoxes of Cultural Translation, by Kyle Conway [Book Review]. Television and New Media 21(7), pp. 785-787. (10.1177/1527476418822729)
- Ahmed, A. 2020. Thinking congregationally about British Muslims. Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations 31(1), pp. 41-66. (10.1080/09596410.2020.1732171)
2019
- Ahmed, M. and Ali, M. 2019. In search of Sylhet – the Fultoli tradition in Britain. Religions 10(10), article number: 572. (10.3390/rel10100572)
- Ahmed, A. 2019. Conceptualising Mosque diversity. Journal of Muslims in Europe 8(2), pp. 138-158. (10.1163/22117954-12341390)
2018
- Ahmed, A. 2018. The other ethical approval: The importance of being 'Islamic'. Fieldwork in Religion 12(2), article number: 204. (10.1558/firn.35668)
2016
- Ahmed, A. 2016. Sacred rhythms: an ethnography of a Cardiff mosque. PhD Thesis, Cardiff University.
2013
- Ahmed, A. 2013. Faith in comedy: Representations of Muslim identity in British comedy. South Asian Popular Culture 11(1), pp. 91-96. (10.1080/14746689.2013.765232)
Addysgu
I am convenor of "Living Islam - Between Text and People", an undergraduate module part of the Religious and Theological Studies degree programme that provides an overview of the field of Islamic Studies. It is a team-taught by staff from the Islam-UK Centre at Cardiff University.
There are an estimated 2000 mosques in Britain, but the role, function, and everyday activities of these institutions is poorly and understood. My research seeks to shed light on mosques, and highlight the important role they play in civil society. I adopt a social scientific approach to studying religion, and I'm interested in the questions posed by congregational studies (How do people do communal religion? What is the role of religious organisations? How does authority operate?) as well as those from lived religion (In what ways do individuals navigate their personal religious committments? Where does religion manifest itself in everyday life?).
Supervision
I currently co-supervise a PhD student exploring the concept of reform in the writings of Khaled Abou Fadel.
I am interested in supervising PhD students in the areas of:
- Muslim institutions, congregations, and mosques
- Sacred space
- Islam in Wales