Welcome to the Muslims in Britain Research Network (MBRN)
Promoting the multidisciplinary study of Muslims in Britain among academics, researchers, and professionals
The Muslims in Britain Research Network (MBRN) was established by a group of academics in 1992 to encourage and promote the scholarly study of Muslims and Islam in Britain. Its main aims are to promote and share academic research in the field of British Muslim Studies and to build connections between academics, students, professionals, researchers, journalists and community members from all backgrounds with an interest in this subject.
The Muslims in Britain Research Network (MBRN) was established in 1992 by a group of academics led by Professor Jorgen Nielsen, to promote the scholarly study of Muslims and Islam in Britain. The network aims to foster multidisciplinary research and build connections among academics, researchers, activists, professionals, and community members interested in the study of Islam and Muslims in Britain. MBRN organizes conferences, workshops, and seminars to share research findings and discuss various aspects of Muslim life in Britain.
Our conferences have explored various topics, all of relevance to diverse British Muslim communities and always in collaboration with non-academic partners. Our conferences have focussed on topics such as Islam and Leadership, British Muslims and Poverty, Muslim responses to Covid and Islam and Peaceful Relations. The network also maintains a mailing list and social media presence to keep members updated on recent research, events, and opportunities for collaboration.
MBRN’s chairs have all been leading figures in the study of Islam and Muslims in Britain – Professor Jorgen Nielsen, Professor Ron Geaves, Professor Sean McLoughlin, Professor Alison Scott-Baumann and Professor Sophie Gilliat-Ray.
Photo Credit: ‘Rooful Ali / rooful.com’
Upcoming Conference
Call for Papers
Muslim Converts in Britain and Beyond: Transitions and Transformations
9th January 2025, Cardiff University
The Islam-UK Centre, Cardiff University & MBRN (Muslims in Britain Research Network) invite submissions for academic papers and professional contributions to a one-day conference about Muslim converts in Europe. This interdisciplinary conference is open to academic scholars, non-academic professionals and practitioners, and members of religious communities.
We will showcase contemporary research and practice in relation to Muslim converts in Britain, and identify topics for future research and practice by addressing the following questions:
What impact have British Muslim converts had on Muslim communities and wider British society?
What resources do British Muslim converts use to create progress and change in their own lives, and more widely?
What are the challenges and needs faced by British Muslim converts in the contemporary context, and how can research help to identify and address these?
State of knowledge
Over the past 20 years, conversion to Islam has captured the attention of academic scholars as well as practitioners and policy-makers from the criminal justice system, health and social care, religion professionals, and the media. In many European societies, conversion can be seen as controversial due to anti-Muslim prejudice and Islamophobia. For converts themselves, whilst conversion can be a joyous and fulfilling experience, it can also create tensions in their inter-personal relationships and in the wider public sphere, including in education and the workplace (Vroon 2014).
Research in Britain, and across Europe, has tended to focus on conversion experiences and the challenges Muslim converts can encounter (Alyedreessy 2016; Brice 2010). Specifically, conversion has been analysed in relation to: ethnicity, race and racialisation (Moosavi 2015; Piela & Krotofil 2023); gender and sexuality (Suleiman 2013, 2016; Van Nieuwkerk 2006); and, incarceration and terrorism/counter-terrorism (Flower 2013; Mullins 2015).
Conversion to Islam in Europe is most often characterised as a sudden and radical move to a ‘foreign’ religion. In contrast to this popular characterisation, research shows that conversion is a longer transformative process, motivated by a spiritual quest involving cumulative knowledge acquisition and a gradual shift in identity boundaries (Al-Qwidi 2002; Midden 2023). Scholarly attention has also been paid to historical evidence of Britain’s early encounters with Muslims and conversion, to counter such narratives (Ansari 2004; Gilliat-Ray 2010). Furthermore, the extent to which converts are shaping a specifically British or European Islam has been conceptualised as the ‘indigenisation’ of Islam (Zebiri 2014).
Convert Muslims have been described as ‘ambassadors of Islam’ in Europe (Van Es 2017). From this perspective, White Muslim converts can act as ‘bridges’ between born Muslims from minority backgrounds and non-Muslim majority populations (Roald 2004; Suleiman 2013). However, convert Muslim communities are ethnically diverse and a focus on whiteness can lead to further marginalisation of Muslim converts of other ethnic groups in both research and the practice of ‘convert care’ (Birt 2022). It is also important to note that converts’ positionality is complicated by colonial and historical legacies (Gallonier 2015).
More recently, scholarly interest in conversion has shifted to examine life (long) after conversion. The ‘Transformational: Muslim Converts in British Life’ is one such study, being conducted at the Islam-UK Centre Centre in collaboration with the Convert Muslim Foundation. This study aims to document and conceptualise the impact of leadership and changemaking activities of Muslim converts in Britain.
Conference Themes
We welcome contributions related to the following (non-exhaustive list of) themes:
Leadership and changemaking among Muslim converts
Second or third generation of converts
Intercultural integration
Conversion and Islamophobia
Conversion and social activism
Converts’ politics
Converts and (changing) religious authority
Converts’ long-term spiritual journeys
Evolved convert organisations
Gender
‘Race’, ethnicity and other dimensions of converts’ diversity
(Media) narratives on conversion
Conversion and da‘wah cultures
Other themes relevant to the conference questions
Submission guidelines
Please submit your abstract or description of your 15-minute presentation (300 words) addressing one or more of the conference questions, along with a short bio (50 words) using this online form: https://forms.office.com/e/bwKkwzHqDB
This call for papers will close on 31st October 2024.
You will be notified of acceptance by mid-November 2024.
Conference organisers
Centre for the Study of Islam in the UK: Sophie Gilliat-Ray and Asma Khan
Muslims in Britain Research Network: Sariya Cheruvallil-Contractor; Laura Mora, Qudra Goodall.
Connect with MBRN’s mailing list
The MBRN mailing list exists so that members may share their recent research and activities, ask questions about research issues, put ideas forward for evaluation, and participate in discussions.
To join the mailing list, please visit the MBRN JISCMail page and click on the ‘Subscribe or Unsubscribe’ button. Please make sure to include a short statement about yourself in order to establish eligibility to join the Network.
