The Centre for the Study of Islam in the UK (Islam UK Centre), based in the School of History, Archaeology and Religion at Cardiff University, is one of the leading research centres in the emerging field of 'British Muslim Studies'. The Director of the Centre is Professor Sophie Gilliat-Ray, and Dr Abdul-Azim Ahmed is the Deputy Director.

Study Programmes

The Centre offers fully-funded scholarships available for PhD/Doctoral research in British Muslim studies supported by the Jameel Scholarship Programme. The Scholarship covers 3 years tuition fees and provides a generous stipend and research grant. Successful applicants are required to do community outreach/ volunteering as part of their scholarship.

A PhD student from the Centre has written the blog post 'Things to consider when applying for a PhD, from a PhD student' that may be helpful for those starting the application process.

Open Access Resources and Events

The Centre has a number of flagship interdisciplinary research projects, on a wide range of subjects connected to the lives of Muslims in Britain. Some highlight projects include: Legacies of Learning: From Turath to Transformation, Understanding British Imams, and Muslim Chaplains.

Further, the ongoing Islam in Wales research project seeks to document and tell the “story” of Islam in Wales and make the history of Muslims in Wales accessible to academics, the wider public, and Welsh Muslims themselves so as to broaden public understanding of a multicultural and multi-religious Wales. As part of the findings of this project, Principal Investigator Dr Abdul-Azim Ahmed, has published a biography of Yemeni Shaykh, Abdullah Al-Hakimi (c. 1900 - 1954) on The Dictionary of Welsh Biography.

The Islam UK Centre runs an annual free public seminar series, hosting leading experts in the field of Muslims in Britain. These events are advertised on the Islam UK Centre Twitter Page and the Centre website. Many of these are uploaded onto the Islam UK Centre YouTube channel shortly after the event has taken place.

The Centre has also developed a free 4-week FutureLearn course on Understanding Mental Health in Muslim Communities, accredited by the Royal College of Psychiatrists. The course explores the distinctive mental health experiences of Muslims and how mental health support can be improved in Muslim communities.

Relevant Literature

Published in 2009, Muslims in Britain by Sophie Gilliat-Ray is one of the core texts in the study of Muslims in Britain.

Click here to read past Dissertations and theses from PhD and MA students at the Centre.