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Michael Munnik @michaelmunnik.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Reposted by Islam UK Centre

Late out the door, but here are my reflections on the 25th anniversary of 9/11. It's contoured my professional life, from my final year as a journalism undergrad to my years with CBC Ottawa to my studies and now my work with @islamukcentre.bsky.social blogs.cardiff.ac.uk/islamukcentr...

blogs.cardiff.ac.uk

Remembering 9/11, 25 years on

Exploring the lives of Muslim communities in Britain

Islam UK Centre @islamukcentre.bsky.social · 02/06/2026

Congrats to our Research Associate Riyaz Timol, who has a new article published along with co-authors & friends of the Centre @stphnhwrdjns.bsky.social & @saleemaburney.bsky.social "Does Islam Oppose Science?", examining views of Muslim faith leaders on science & scripture brill.com/view/journal...

brill.com

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BSA Sociology of Religion Study Group @bsasocrel.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

Not long to go now! Have you registered?

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Islam UK Centre @islamukcentre.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

Lovely to see our exhibit out in the wild. It also attracted the attention of Sioned Williams MS, the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice and Equality at the Senedd. So good to have Williams come for the exhibition's opening in May.

Head and shoulders shot of a white woman with long brown hair (framed bottom right) speaking at a microphone. Behind her his a white panelled wall and, to the left of the image, a stained glass window.

A white woman with long brown hair in a dark blue jacket and floral print dress and an Asian man with beard and moustache in a pale shirt and buff coloured jacket stand in an exhibition hall looking down at a glass cabinet. Both lean on the cabinet, with one hand supporting them on its frame. Inside are books, old photos and magazine articles, and other items. Most curious, though hard to make out in the photo, is a Lego reproduction of a white mosque with green details and brown roof. Behind them on the walls and doors are blown up black and white photos, as well as a colourful map of Wales.

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Islam UK Centre @islamukcentre.bsky.social · 23/03/2026

Thursday! Free book launch for an interesting, important new work.

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Glamorgan Archives Archifau Morgannwg @glamarchives.bsky.social · 20/03/2026

Eid Mubarak i bawb sy’n dathlu heddiw Yma gwelwn dathliadau Eid yn Tiger Bay yn y 1940au Daw’r llun o gasgliad Canolfan Hanes a Chelf Butetown sydd wedi ei ddiogelu gan Tiger Bay & the World www.tigerbay.org.uk Rydym yn falch iawn gallu cadw’r casgliad yn yr Archifau ar eu rhan.

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Glamorgan Archives Archifau Morgannwg @glamarchives.bsky.social · 20/03/2026

Eid Mubarak to everyone celebrating today This photo shows Eid celebrations in Tiger Bay in the 1940s It comes from the Butetown History & Arts Centre Collection, preserved by Tiger Bay & the World www.tigerbay.org.uk We’re pleased to hold the collection at the Archives on their behalf

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Islam UK Centre @islamukcentre.bsky.social · 20/03/2026

We had lots of non-Muslim presence as well. Former Wales first minister Mark Drakeford spoke to the gathering. A diverse group of officers from South Wales Police were there. And student journalists from @cujournmedcul.bsky.social spoke with our deputy director @abdulazim.bsky.social.

Shot from inside a crowd, mostly backs and back-of-heads of people in the foreground. At centre, partially obscured, a white grey-haired man in glasses speaks to the crowd. Behind him, a wall of slender trees with new spring leaves forms the background.

Four police officers from South Wales Police gather to chat as the crowd of Muslims in Bute Park for Eid prayers disperses in the sunshine. They are smiling and look relaxed, wearing dark uniforms and day-glo vests. Three female officers have uniform police hats with tight ponytails visible at the back. A fourth wears a dark turban as well as a long beard, suggesting he is a Sikh police officer. Other groups of people, young and old, in various cultural and religious dress, move about the open green field.

Two student journalists interview a man before a tree in a green field. A white female journalist with long wavy brown hair operates a video camera on a tripod whilst a white male journalist with glasses and dark curly hair holds a fluffy shielded microphone. On the other side of the camera and tripod, a young Asian man with beard and short hair wearing a dark grey sweatshirt prepares to speak.

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Islam UK Centre @islamukcentre.bsky.social · 20/03/2026

Eid Mubarak to all of those celebrating today. Some of our staff joined a large public prayer in Cardiff's Bute Park. It was wonderful to see a diverse and colourful display of people in their Eid finest streaming to the green grass to pray. Development officer Mark Bryant captured some images.

A string of Muslims walking along a concrete path through a park and arboretum - green grass, the shine of sunshine, and a few trees in the foreground and background. Muslims are young and old, male and female, some in religious or cultural dress and some not.

A group of younger and older black men, mostly wearing robes but some also with black jackets for warmth. They are standing on the grass as Muslims gather to pray at the park, and one is speaking on a mobile phone and looking off to the right of the photo frame. Trees and bushes are in the background behind them.

Two men and a young boy stand in a green field in Arabian dress - white long-sleeved robes and red-and-white patterned headscarves held in place with a black circlet. One man holds a reusable grocery bag from Lidl with a picture of frozen berries on it. Behind them, you see other people gathering in a large group for prayer. In the backgound, leafless trees and a couple of conifers rise up, as well as a stand of lights from the cricket stadium.

A black man in white clothing and a yellow cap stands next to a child's pram in a green field. He holds a mobile phone camera and is taking a picture of two black women in colourful African dresses and headscarves, who are posing. One's dress is green and yellow with a turquoise scarf; the other is pink and black with a yellow scarf. A few other people are dotted about the park, and there are leafy trees in the far distance.

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Islam UK Centre @islamukcentre.bsky.social · 16/03/2026

Deputy director @abdulazim.bsky.social launches his new book Muslim Wales: A History in 9 Places later this month. It's a highly anticipated book that fills a gap in our knowledge and conception of Wales. And it's written for a broad audience. Join us 26 March! www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/book-launc...

eventbrite.co.uk

Book Launch | Muslim Wales by Abdul-Azim Ahmed

Join us for the launch of ‘Muslim Wales’ by Abdul-Azim Ahmed at Cardiff University.

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Runnymede Trust @runnymedetrust.bsky.social · 02/03/2026

Since the results of the Gorton and Denton by-election, we have witnessed a barrage of smears against Muslim people in the UK. Voting is a fundamental right. Voting according to political interests is entirely ordinary and is how our democratic system is set up.

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Michael Munnik @michaelmunnik.bsky.social · 01/03/2026

And now National Poet of Wales @hananelizabethissa.bsky.social reciting her poem "Where Two Rivers Meet", commissioned by @islamukcentre.bsky.social for our 20th anniversary in September. Lovely to hear these words out in the world again.

A woman in an orange hijab and a pale blue dress reads from a phone beneath a big red screen.

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Michael Munnik @michaelmunnik.bsky.social · 01/03/2026

Poor photo, but my @islamukcentre.bsky.social colleague @abdulazim.bsky.social killing it at the first national iftar for Wales on St David's Day at Cardiff City stadium.

A bearded man in grey speaks at a lectern beside red banners reading "Croeso" and "Welcome" and under a big screen that reads "St David a Shaykh al-Hakimi: Gwersi o'r Gorfennol. Dr Abdul-Azim Ahmed. Muslim Council of Wales (and Welsh translation) Islam-UK Centre (and Welsh translation).

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Michael Munnik @michaelmunnik.bsky.social · 25/02/2026

Here's my @islamukcentre.bsky.social colleague Mark Bryant (not of this parish) adjusting our History of Islam in Wales display at an iftar at our friendly HE colleagues Cardiff Metropolitan Uni.

A white, bearded man in a cream skullcap, scarf, and robe and a dark blazer adjusts a black poster on a wooden easel in a hall filled with picture displays. The poster has photos and text relating to Islam's history in Wales - this one on the theme of "empire".

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Islam UK Centre @islamukcentre.bsky.social · 17/12/2025

As the university winds down its activity, we're also winding down our social media presence. We hope you all keep safe, and we'll see you back here in January.

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Islam UK Centre @islamukcentre.bsky.social · 17/12/2025

With recent news of plans to attack a Cathays mosque & a Welsh Jewish Cemetery, the planned interfaith gathering seems very important. Church in Wales & Darul Isra Mosque host a talk about Mary mother of Jesus. 18th Dec 7.30-9pm Darul Isra Mosque All are welcome Sign-up: forms.gle/yEp8WxqKTDZf...

Poster for interfaith event.
Who is Mary, mother of Jesus, in Islam and Christianity?
Details of registering and description of theme. Photos of two speakers, Dr Abdul-Azim Ahmed and Canon Andrew Lightbown.
Thursday 18 Dec at Darul Isra Mosque CF24 4BG 7:30-9:00 pm, and community logos

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Islam UK Centre @islamukcentre.bsky.social · 16/12/2025

We are a serious academic research centre, but we're not immune to celebrating a little star power. 20 years ago, folk singer Yusuf / Cat Stevens came to Cardiff to open our centre. He wasn't able to join us in September for the anniversary but sent this message of support: youtu.be/GINccE7JzLs?...

Yusuf Islam: 20 years of the Islam-UK

Islam UK Centre @islamukcentre.bsky.social · 16/12/2025

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Yusuf Islam: 20 years of the Islam-UK

Islam UK Centre @islamukcentre.bsky.social · 11/12/2025

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Hear this powerful poem from @hananelizabethissa.bsky.social National Poet of Wales, which we commissioned for our 20th anniversary. "Where Two Rivers Meet" imagines knowledge flowing like a river, rooting our contributions in a place while propelling them into the world. youtu.be/8KfKtk3cjIw?...

Hanan Issa: 'Where Two Rivers Meet'

Islam UK Centre @islamukcentre.bsky.social · 10/12/2025

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The event included the planting of a stone pillar on the grounds of the Temple of Peace honouring victims of the Srebrenica genocide of the 1990s. Ahmed and senior lecturer @michaelmunnik.bsky.social visited the pillar, next to which is a plaque with a commissioned poem by Cardiff poet Abeer Ameer.

Two bearded men stand beside a short stone pillar in a lightly wooded space, looking wet and autumnal. One wears a raincoat of navy and pale grey; the other a dark wool coat with grey scarf and grey hat.

A stone pillar with a conical top, with the inscription "Never say that those martyred in the cause of Allah are dead. In fact, they are alive but you do not perceive it." Under this, it reads "Srebrenica 8372". To the right, a silver plaque that bears a poem.

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Islam UK Centre @islamukcentre.bsky.social · 10/12/2025

Centre staff, including deputy director @abdulazim.bsky.social, attended an event to remember Srebrenica at the Temple of Peace in Cardiff yesterday. Ahmed, as Secretary-General of the Muslim Council of Wales, joined faith leaders, rights advocates, and the Lord Mayor of Cardiff Adrian Robson.

Two bearded Asian men in dark formal clothing stand in a foyer before an information sign for Srebrenica and the Bosnian war. One wears a hat and scarf and leans on a red umbrella.

Three men stand before a podium that bears the poster Remembering Srebrenica. The man on the left is bearded with a hat and scarf over a dark coat; the man centre wears a kippah and a navy suit with vibrant blue tie; the man right is in the black robes with red accents that mark him as a Christian priest. He is speaking at a microphone.

Men standing in conversation in a room with pale walls.

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Islam UK Centre @islamukcentre.bsky.social · 05/12/2025

That same evening, we presented @hananelizabethissa.bsky.social with a pastwn or a stick Welsh bards would use to beat out the rhythm of their poetic recitations. Dev't officer Mark Bryant, MA alum Sami Bryant, and SHARE staff Pete Forward made her one. Read more: blogs.cardiff.ac.uk/islamukcentr...

Five people in a group shot before a red curtain and pale wall. Two to the left are holding a red and yellow woven bag with tassels, and a woman in hijab, patterned dress, and black long cardigan holds a wooden staff in her hands in the middle of the frame. It's hard to see, but the staff is pyrographed with various markings.

Photo of a coin embossed with a dragon like the Welsh flag and with "Wales Cymru" etched at the bottom. The coin is set in wood at the top of a long staff of wood (a pastwn), and the photo has the coin centre frame from above with the staff descending down to the bottom of the frame; a hand is visible holding it, and you see in the blurred background a garage with various bits and bobs and, to the right, stones and gravel from the driveway.

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Islam UK Centre @islamukcentre.bsky.social · 05/12/2025

It's not Hanan's first event with the Islam-UK Centre. Here she is as part of our public seminar series in 2023, talking with Mariyah Zaman of @nowinaminutemedia.bsky.social at the Grange Pavillion about creativity as Muslims in Britain. youtu.be/pnY51p6JFBQ?...

Hanan Issa and Mariyah Zaman

Islam UK Centre @islamukcentre.bsky.social · 05/12/2025

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Poetry for a cold, wet Friday in December? National Poet of Wales @hananelizabethissa.bsky.social shared her memories as a teenager in Cardiff when the Islam-UK Centre opened 20 years ago - "history was being made" - then recited a commissioned poem "Where Two Rivers Meet". youtu.be/8KfKtk3cjIw?...

Hanan Issa: 'Where Two Rivers Meet'

Islam UK Centre @islamukcentre.bsky.social · 04/12/2025

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As our integrity sustains our community relations, so those relations sustain our mission, which as the vice chancellor Wendy Larner noted, aligns directly with that of Cardiff University itself. Both speeches are from our 20th anniversary event in September. youtu.be/hfK0-ANnaFU?...

Professor Wendy Larner: 20 years of the Islam-UK Centre

Islam UK Centre @islamukcentre.bsky.social · 04/12/2025

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Director @sgilliatray.bsky.social speaks about the independence and integrity of the Islam-UK Centre in its relations with partners and funders. This has allowed us to provide research that stands up academically and remains in touch with the grassroots. Full video here: youtu.be/8Vb66SucUEA?...

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Islam UK Centre @islamukcentre.bsky.social · 02/12/2025

Centre director @sgilliatray.bsky.social presents a large woven basket, collecting a series of objects with which she tells the story of 20 years of the Islam-UK Centre. The clip below is an invitation to play "Show and Tell". Unpack the basket on our YouTube channel! youtu.be/8Vb66SucUEA?...

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Islam UK Centre @islamukcentre.bsky.social · 02/12/2025

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Islam UK Centre @islamukcentre.bsky.social · 01/12/2025

This is a key community for the staff and students of our Centre. Save the date, and we hope to see some of you in Nottingham next summer!

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Islam UK Centre @islamukcentre.bsky.social · 27/11/2025

Wendy Larner, vice chancellor of @cardiffuni.bsky.social, calls our centre "a living example of the aspirations we hold here at Cardiff University as we look forward." It's about excellence as well as community partnerships! Full speech here: youtu.be/hfK0-ANnaFU?...

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Islam UK Centre @islamukcentre.bsky.social · 27/11/2025

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Islam UK Centre @islamukcentre.bsky.social · 28/11/2025

Deputy Director @abdulazim.bsky.social was hanging up a display from the History of Islam in Wales project he's been leading on. Hyfred to have these materials in the Senedd as Islamophobia Awareness Month draws to a close.

Easels with posters and also a concertina board with posters in a large, slate-floored mezzanine in the Welsh Senedd. The roof has undulating beams of red cedar, and there are wide windows.

A bearded man in a grey jumper fastens a poster to a grey temporary wall.

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Islam UK Centre @islamukcentre.bsky.social · 28/11/2025

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Islam UK Centre @islamukcentre.bsky.social · 24/11/2025

Our Research Associate @haroonsidat.bsky.social was respondant at the launch for a collection of essays on Islamic Education in honour of Syed Ali Ashraf. Abdul Mabud of the Islamic Academy in Cambridge edited the volume and spoke about Ashraf. @sadekhamid.bsky.social hosted the event in Manchester.

A book cover, facing the camera but perched on a stack of more books, with a blurred background showing a man in a beard and classes speaking to someone else just inside the frame. The book is Education of the Interior: Essays in Honour of Professor Syed Ali Ashraf, edited by Shaykh Abdul Mabud.

Three men of South Asian ethnicity stand before a banner and an upturned table and before a table with stacks of books and, to the right, a microphone. All are bearded: the man on left is in a tan coat and pale scarf, the man central is in trousers and a white shirt with a grey jacket overtop, and the man at right is in a smart slate-blue suit with white shirt and pale silver tie.

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Islam UK Centre @islamukcentre.bsky.social · 24/11/2025

Warm words from Wendy Larner, vice chancellor for @cardiffuni.bsky.social, about our Centre for the Study of Islam in the UK on the occasion of its 20th anniversary. Her welcome speech in full is available here: youtu.be/hfK0-ANnaFU?...

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Islam UK Centre @islamukcentre.bsky.social · 21/11/2025

Vice Chancellor Wendy Larner speaks about how the Islam-UK Centre aligns with @cardiffuni.bsky.social's priorities as a global-civic institution. This was from our 20th anniversary celebration event in September.

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Islam UK Centre @islamukcentre.bsky.social · 21/11/2025

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Islam UK Centre @islamukcentre.bsky.social · 21/11/2025

For the full speech from the vice chancellor, check out our YouTube channel. You're welcome to subscribe for more content on British Muslim Studies. youtu.be/hfK0-ANnaFU?...

Professor Wendy Larner: 20 years of the Islam-UK Centre

Islam UK Centre @islamukcentre.bsky.social · 11/11/2025

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Our research associate @haroonsidat.bsky.social was in Turkey recently and spoke about Muslims in Britain with television station TVNet. His packaged piece is up on YouTube - the narration and captions are in Turkish but Haroon's comments (from 2:15) are in English. www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_Rr...

youtube.com

Avrupa İslam’ın yeni merkezi mi?

YouTube video by TVNET X

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Michael Munnik @michaelmunnik.bsky.social · 05/11/2025

As Civic Mission Lead for my school and a staff member with @islamukcentre.bsky.social I'm glad to share this video on the same day as Cardiff Uni's Global-Civic Conference. I think our work epitomises the principles of partnership (and our vice chancellor thinks so, too) youtu.be/miHedozIUt8?...

20 years of the Islam-UK Centre

Islam UK Centre @islamukcentre.bsky.social · 04/11/2025

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A lovely look back at our 20th anniversary event from the start of the academic year. Please watch and share! www.youtube.com/watch?v=miHe...

youtube.com

20 years of the Islam-UK Centre

Islam UK Centre @islamukcentre.bsky.social · 28/10/2025

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Job opportunity in Glasgow! There's a vacancy in the Sociology department with a focus on social justice and inequalities.

Islam UK Centre @islamukcentre.bsky.social · 28/10/2025

Last month, we celebrated 20 years as the first research centre dedicated to understanding Muslims in Britain in sociological perspective. One of our current PhD students, Nancy Kemal, has written up her reflections on the event and its significance for her. blogs.cardiff.ac.uk/islamukcentr...

A row of seven people seated behind and around a long tale covered with a red tablecloth. The front reads Centre for the Study of Islam in the UK and its translation in Welsh, along with logos for Cardiff University and the centre itself. The people are mostly older. A woman to the right in a white jacket and skirt holds a microphone and reads from comments on a paper.

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Islam UK Centre @islamukcentre.bsky.social · 28/10/2025

Mabrouk and llongyfarchiadau to our colleague @karinwahlj.bsky.social of @cujournmedcul.bsky.social as the newly incoming president for @icahdq.bsky.social

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Islam UK Centre @islamukcentre.bsky.social · 24/10/2025

For more on mosques in the UK, check out The Contemporary British Mosque by our deputy director @abdulazim.bsky.social It's a sociological study, informed by his doctoral research. AND the paperback comes out next week! 10% off @bloomsburyacad.bsky.social www.bloomsbury.com/uk/contempor...

bloomsbury.com