mbrn.org

Islam and Peaceful Relations
2016-04-05
MBRN conference with the Centre for Trust, Peace, and Social Relations, University of Coventry

Islam has been an important force for peace in the world historically and now. Peace is integral to Islamic theology and Muslim ethos, either as part of the individual’s personal experience or the wider context of maintaining peaceful relations in society. Yet terrorism undermines this discourse around peace and Islam. Recent attacks in France, Lebanon and Bangladesh have once again put Islam at the fore of debates around religiously-motivated conflict. Terrorists constitute a very small proportion of the global Muslim population and their ideology at best represents only a fringe, yet the narratives they propound have a dominating influence in shaping how Islam and Muslims are perceived. This has resulted in an increased focus on radicalisation and preventing violent extremism in policy, media discourse and some academic research around Islam and Muslims in Britain and beyond, subverting most other narratives of Islam and Muslims.
This conference will ‘radically’ depart from this trend. Instead it will focus its discussion about Islam on dialogue, peace and peaceful relations. In doing so it will uncover Islamic theological traditions around peacebuilding, historical precedents of peaceful existence with Muslims and contemporary lived experiences of intra-faith and inter-cultural dialogue, improved societal understanding of difference and peaceful relations. The conference will move the debate beyond simplistic ‘good and bad’, ‘us and them’ binaries to more complex discussions that consider the impact of diverse social factors including, gender, class, economy and geography.
The Faith and Peaceful Relations Research Group at CTPSR explores the role religion can play in achieving more peaceful and just societies. Faith can be a driver of peace, reconciliation and social justice, yet it can also be a source of violence, exclusion and misunderstanding. This conference will build on our research expertise and will explore the positive difference faith and belief, in this case Islam, can make in today’s world and how conflicts relating to Islam can be overcome.
Proposals for papers, panel discussions, workshops and poster presentations that focus on one, or more, of the above themes are invited from scholars, community activists and policy makers. For the purposes of the conference, we do not define the term ‘Islam and Peaceful Relations’, but rather envisage that contributions will broaden our understanding of what this can mean in contemporary plural society.
The conference will explore themes including:
– Theological and sociological constructs and definitions of Islam and peace
– Contemporary debates, including the role of the digital world
– Interfaith and Inter-cultural dialogue
– Intra-faith dialogue across diverse Muslim denominations and traditions
– Local ramifications of international events and initiatives
– Develop a narrative of Islam and peace
Abstracts & Proposals:
To submit a proposal:
– Please submit a title and abstract of no more than 300 words, indicating whether it is a paper / panel / workshop / poster presentation.
– Please include names and short biographies (150 words maximum) of the presenter/s, institutional affiliation/s (if relevant), and contact details.
– Proposals should be sent to the conference administrator Charlotte Martin via email
– Deadline: 5pm on Monday 15th February 2016.
– Successful participants will be notified by 29th February 2016.

Poverty and British Muslims: Identifying Problems and Proposing Solutions
2015-09-16
MBRN event with the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies

Introduction

The Muslims in Britain Research Network, together with the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies, held a joint event in Oxford on Wednesday 16th, September. The thematic focus of the day was ‘Poverty and British Muslims’, and featured a keynote presentation by Professor Anthony Heath, academic responses, and a practitioner panel. The event also included the MBRN AGM, a networking session, and a tour of the OCIS new building. The MBRN Committee were delighted with the event, which had 60 attendees, and very grateful to OCIS and in particular, Dr Asma Mustafa, for hosting.
Post-Event Resources
A blogpost about Professor Heath’s presentation at the MBRN/OCIS Poverty & British Muslims conference in Oxford can be accessed here (website of the Centre for Social Investigation, Nuffield College, University of Oxford).
An excerpt:
We came up with three theories. The first is transitory factors, which is to say that Muslim groups are more recent arrivals to the UK and as such may have lower levels of education (or foreign qualifications that aren’t recognised), and are less likely to be proficient in English – these factors directly influence labour market outcomes. A second explanation might be intrinsic factors to the religion, for example, particular family values may mean lower rates of women going to work and larger family sizes. The third explanatory theory is prejudice and discrimination.
A more in-depth article about Professor Heath’s research, co-authored by Prof Li (University of Manchester), can be found here (‘Review of the relationship between religion and poverty – an analysis for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation’).
Professor Heath’s slides for his MBRN/OCIS presentation are available here.

MBRN panel at the 2015 British Association of Islamic Studies conference
2015-04-13 - 2015-04-15
MBRN panel at the 2015 British Association of Islamic Studies conference, University of London

BRAIS 2015
THE SECOND ANNUAL CONFERENCE
OF THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION FOR ISLAMIC STUDIES
London, 13–15 April 2015
Senate House, University of London
In Collaboration with the Institute of Commonwealth Studies and Human Rights Consortium, School of Advanced Study, University of London

Muslim Leadership in Britain
2015-04-01
MBRN conference with UCLan, ‘Muslim Leadershi p in Britain’

MBRN conference INSIDE OUT: Reflexivity and Methodology in Research with British Muslims
2014-09-10
MBRN conference with Cardiff University Islam-UK Centre, ‘INSIDE OUT: Reflexivity and Methodology in Research with British Muslims’

The latest MBRN event took place on 10th September 2014 at Cardiff University. It combined a conference exploring the themes of methodology and reflexivity, a roundtable research update and networking lunch, and keynote speech from Professor Ron Geaves, former Chair of MBRN. Many thanks go to Abdul-Azim Ahmed and Riyaz Timol of the Islam-UK Centre at Cardiff University, who organised the day.
The conference element comprised three panels over the course of the day: “Reflexivity in the Field”, “Belonging, Believing, Boundaries” and “Methodological Innovation and Reflexivity”. During the twelve presentations and subsequent panel Q&A, the audience was able to hear about a broad range of issues, problems, strategies and proposals relating to empirical research with British Muslims. Professor Sophie Gilliat-Ray, Chair of MBRN, praised the quality and sophistication of the accounts, and also noted how far the themes of debate within this discipline have developed since the early days of MBRN’s inception.
The standard MBRN research update took place during lunchtime, when the 40 audience members shared their research themes, progress and future plans to the rest of the group, before breaking for the networking lunch. Finally, Professor Ron Geaves, formerly of Liverpool Hope University but now based in Wales, gave a keynote speech on the theoretical problems of the insider/outsider dichotomy, bringing the day to a fitting end.

Showcasing Islamic Studies in the UK, University of Edinburgh
2014-04-10 - 2014-04-11
Three MBRN panels at the inaugural British Association of Islamic Studies conference ‘Showcasing Islamic Studies in the UK’, University of Edinburgh

MBRN meeting, Cambridge Muslim College
2013-09-18

MBRN meeting, Cardiff University Islam-UK Centre
2013-04-29, 2009-01-08, 2007-04-12

Framing Muslims - Reframing the Study of Muslim Diasporas in Britain
2012-09-15
Conference, ‘Reframing the study of Muslim diasporas in Britain’, in collaboration with the Framing Muslims project and SOAS Centre for Migration and Diaspora Studies, SOAS

MBRN meeting, University of Edinburgh
2012-04-20

Joint event with the Islamic Studies Network, University of Leeds
2012-01-10

Multiculturalism and Muslim Leaderships in the UK: New Labour and After
2011-07-07
The conference, ‘Multiculturalism and Muslim Leaderships in the UK: New Labour and After’, University of Bristol

MBRN meeting, University of Liverpool
2011-02-10
MBRN meeting, University of Liverpool: 10 February 2011

Studying contemporary Islam in the UK
2010-01-23
Conference, ‘Studying contemporary Islam in the UK’, in collaboration with the BSA Sociology of Religion study group, Birkbeck College

Two MBRN panels at the British Association for the Study of Religions annual conference
2009-09-09
Two MBRN panels at the British Association for the Study of Religions annual conference, Bangor University

MBRN meeting, Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies
2009-04-02
