Liverpool Hope University has set-up a new interdisciplinary research group to examine the challenges faced by British Muslims in 21st-century Britain.
The Muslims in Britain Research Group was launched by the School of Humanities on Wednesday 29 November.
Its main aims are to develop and share new ideas of research in the field; increase interdisciplinary research; identify areas of collaborative research; organise research seminars and conferences; and seek external funding for collaborative research projects.
The group will also be building partnerships with other research groups and centres and is actively looking to work with local and national Muslim community organisations on collaborative research projects and knowledge exchange partnerships.
Professor Ron Geaves, Honorary Visiting Professor at Cardiff University delivered the keynote address at the launch event.
A former Professor of Comparative Religion at Liverpool Hope, his address focused on the historic origins and significance of the community of Muslims established in Liverpool in 1889 by the enigmatic convert William Henry Abdullah Quilliam (1856-1932) and the establishment of Britain’s first registered mosque in Brougham Terrace.
Professor Geaves also demonstrated how Liverpool’s historic Muslim presence impacts on the city currently and was followed by guest speaker, Dr Leon Moosavi, Senior Lecturer in Sociology, Social Policy and Criminology at the University of Liverpool.
Dr Moosavi underscored the need for academics working on Muslims in Britain to be more engaged with the community, which will be central to the group's work.
If you are interested in joining the Muslims in Britain Research Group, or would like to collaborate with them, please contact the group’s convenor, Dr Salman Al-Azami.