Alwaleed Centre Annual Report 2023-24

The Alwaleed Cultural Network

Over the course of the last 18 months, the Edinburgh Alwaleed Centre has played a leading role in the establishment of the Alwaleed Cultural Network, a ground-breaking network of leading universities, museums and cultural institutions working across three continents. The network was officially launched in December 2022 in the stunning surroundings of Diryah, Riyadh. Since its launch, the network has gone from strength to strength with a steering group meeting monthly to develop collaborative projects and uncover creative synergies. The network's website hosts over 90 digital resources, all free of charge, which over 23,000 website visitors have accessed since the site went live: www.alwaleedculturalnetwork.org

Edinburgh-IIIU Dual Degree Programme

Thanks to funding received from the British Council Indonesia, the Alwaleed Centre and the Indonesian International Islamic University in Jakarta worked closely together to develop a major new dual degree programme bringing together the Alwaleed Centre's MSc in the Globalised Muslim World with IIIU's MA in Islamic Studies. We were delighted that the Indonesian Ministry of Religious Affairs were highly supportive of the programme and, in May 2023, they agreed to fund up to twenty students per year to undertake the dual degree over the next five years. The first cohort of 14 Indonesian students are due to begin their studies in Edinburgh in September 2024. You can learn more about the programme HERE.

Digital Islam Across Europe

The Alwaleed Centre's Director, Professor Frederic Volpi, is Principle Investigator on a major European Research grant exploring the social and religious impact of Online Islamic Environments on Europe’s diverse Muslim communities. Over the course of the last year, the project team based in five different European countries have captured a variety of fascinating data which is starting to reveal some important trends across the continent. The project now has a website which features updates and insights alongside further information on the teams in the UK, Spain, Lithuania, Poland and Sweden: www.blogs.ed.ac.uk/digitalislameurope 

Digital British Islam

Professor Volpi is also Co-Investigator on the ESRC-funded project 'Digital British Islam' led by a multi-disciplinary team aiming to undertake the first-ever exploration of the social impacts of digital activities on the lived experiences of Muslim communities in Britain. The project has already produced a number of important outputs including articles and op eds which can be accessed on the project website: www.digitalbritishislam.com.

 

Multi-Religious Encounters in Urban Settings

The Alwaleed Centre's Lecturer in Muslims in Europe, Dr Giulia Liberatore, is Co-I on the major European Research Council-funded project 'Multi-Religious Encounters in Urban Settings'. This comparative ethnographic project asks how do people of different faiths coexist in cities? It is a collaborative project delivered with University College London, the University of Birmingham and the University of Edinburgh. Over the past year, the project has produced a number of academic outputs  with Dr Liberatore leading workshops at the University of Oxford and co-organising a special panel 'Difference as a space of mediation' at the American Anthropological Association conference in Toronto, Canada. An exciting online and touring exhibition is planned for 2025 which will express the project's finding's through immersive art installation. Further information on the project can be found HERE.

Since January 2023, the Alwaleed Centre has welcomed 8 new colleagues and visiting scholars who have added tremendous value to the Centre's research, teaching and outreach profile.

Dr Kholoud Al-Ajarma

Kholoud was appointed as the Alwaleed Centre's permanent Lecturer in the Gloablised Muslim World in February 2024. In addition to her academic experience in anthropology and religion, Kholoud has worked in the fields of refugee studies, gender, youth development, migration, human rights, and environmental justice in several countries of the Mediterranean region including Palestine, Jordan, Egypt, and Morocco. She was a Chevening visiting fellow at Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies (OCIS) and peace fellow of the MENA cohort fellowship programme of the United Nations Allience of Civilizations (UNAOC). 

Learn more about Kholoud's work HERE.

 

Dr Mira Al Hussein

Mira joined the Alwaleed Centre as an Early Career Fellow in Authority in the Globalised Muslim World in January 2023. She researches and writes extensively on topics related to state-society relations, citizenship, women and migrants in the Arab states of the Gulf. Mira’s research interests and area expertise broadly covers the Middle East, with a focus on the Arabian Peninsula. She is currently researching the migratory patterns and experiences of Arab Gulf citizens, and the formation of diasporic political agency in host countries. She will be teaching a course on Gulf histories, cultures and societies.

Learn more about Mira's work HERE.

 

Dr Guy Eyre

Guy joined the Alwaleed Centre in June 2023 as Post-Doctoral Research Fellow thanks to a Gerda Henkel Foundation grant. Situated at the nexus of politics, political theory, and methods associated with anthropology, Dr Eyre's work examines the politics of transnational Islamic movements in North Africa that claim they 'don't do politics'. Guy recently worked closely with colleagues at the Alwaleed Centre's sister centre at hte University of Cambridge to deliver an important symposium bringing together scholars and activists to explore transnational Islamic movements across the Middle East nad Europe.

Learn more about Guy's work HERE.

 

Dr Richard McNeil-Willson

Richard joined the Alwaleed Centre in February 2024 as Alwaleed Research Fellow in Global Muslim Studies. He specialises in critical extremism and counter-extremism studies, particularly social movements and Islamophobia within the long 'War on Terror'. Prior to joining the Alwaleed Centre, he held academic positions at the Institute of Security and Global Affairs (Leiden University) and the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies  (European University Institute, Florence). 

Learn more about Richard's work HERE.

 

Dr Sayed Mahdi Mosawi

Mahdi is an Open Society University Network-Alwaleed Fellow, with research interests in gender, masculinities, migration, and issues related to the Muslim diaspora. Having joined the Centre in 2021 as a CARA Fellow, Mahdi successfully secured funding for an additional year-long fellowship from the OSUN which he begain in October 2023. MAhdi's research interests include gender, masculinities, migration, and issues related to the Muslim diaspora. 

Learn more about Kholoud's work HERE.

 

Dr Siti Sarah Muwahidah

Sarah was appointed as Alwaleed Fellow in Contemporary Indonesia as a Global Muslim Society in June 2023. Her academic interests include authority and transnational networks among Indonesian Shiʿi communities, interfaith dialogue, religious conflict and peace building, political theology, and identity politics. Sarah has led the process of creating the Alwaleed Centre's dual degree programme in partnership with the Indonesian International Islamic University in Jakarta which will see up to 20 Indonesian students per year study in Edinburgh over the next five years. Learn more about Kholoud's work HERE.

 

Dr Muhamad Rofiq Muzakkir: IASH-Alwaleed Postdoctoral Fellow

Rofiq joined the Alwaleed Centre and the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities in October 2023 for a ten month visit. He is a lecturer in Department of International Relations, Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta, Indonesia. His research interests span Islamic political and legal thought as well as anthropology. His IASH-Alwaleed project is entitled 'The Impact of Modernity and Colonialism on Islamic Ethics and Legal Thought and will compare the legal scholarship of Khaled Abou El Fadl and Wael Hallaq. Learn more about Rofiq's work HERE.

 

Professor Egdūnas Račius: IASH Alwaleed Research Fellow

Egdūnas joined the Alwaleed Centre and the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities in March 2024 for a three-month visit.  He is Professor of Middle Eastern and Islamic studies at Vytautas Magnus University (Kaunas, Lithuania) and his research interests encompass Eastern European Muslim communities and governance of religion (particularly Islam) in post-communist Europe. His IASH-Alwaleed project is entitled 'From Imperial Muslim Administrations to National Muslim Churches: Trajectories of the Development of Muslim Ecclesiastical Administrations in post-Communist Eurasia'. Learn more about Egdūnas's work HERE.

 

Dr Tayyaba Tahir

Tayyaba joined the Alwaleed Centre in October 2024 as a Visiting Fellow thanks to funding provided by the Pakistani Government. Tayyaba's research focuses on Islamic masculinities, particularly in Pakistan, as well as the relationship between Islam and culture in global contexts.

 

An exciting joint lectureship

Although based in the University of Edinburgh's School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures, the Alwaleed Centre works across the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences to engage with all schools and departments where contemporary Islam and the Muslim world are taught or researched. With this in mind, the Centre embarked on an exciting collaboration with the School of Law to recruit a Lecturer in Law in the Globalised Muslim World. The new lecturer will be based in the School of Law, but will work closely with colleagues at the Alwaleed Centre to bring a legal perspective to the Centre's globalised Muslim world research and teaching strategy. The recruitment should be complete by the end of May 2024, with the new lecturer taking up their role by the start of the 2024/25 academic year. 

Over the past year, the Alwaleed Centre has delivered a number of international conferences and workshops in with a variety of partners and collaborators.

Annual Conference of the British Association for Islamic Studies (15-16 May 2023)

The Alwaleed Centre acts as the management hub for the British association for Islamic Studies and was delighted to work closely with the Aga Khan University's Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations in London to the deliver BRAIS's Annual Conference on 15 and 16 May 2023. The conference welcomed over 150 delegates to the ISMC's stunning building for two days of keynotes, papers and panels exploring the many sub-disciplines of Islamic Studies. The full conference programme can be viewed HERE. 

Threat Narratives in the Middle East: Ideas, Actors and Policies (27 July 2023)

The Centre partnered with colleagues in the University of Edinburgh's School of Social and Political Science to deliver a two-day symposium exploring 'Threat Narratives in the Middle East'. The symposium surveyed a range of case studies in the region, including Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Israel, Turkey and the Gulf states. It also explored thematic issues, such as the nature and role of conspiracy theories, the concept of ‘fitnah’ and the identification of threats within religious movements. Key questions examined during workshop discussions related to what threat narratives ‘do’; how they change; how public narratives connect to private ones; the identity of target audiences; the translation of narratives and the centrality of threat narratives to the politics and international relations of the Middle East over the past decade. The workshop forms part of a broader research programme on the ideational, material and relational underpinnings of Middle East regional order.

What's Race Got to Do With It (3 November 2023)

Working with colleagues in Social Policy at he University of Edinburgh, the Alwaleed Centre was delighted to be part of an important half-day workshop exploring the importance of race in learning and teaching about social policy. With contributions from Nasar Meer (University of Glasgow), Hakan Seckinelgin (LSE), Fiona Williams (University of Leeds) and Idil Akinci (University of Edinburgh). Further information HERE. 

Rethinking Transnational Islamic Movements within & across the Middle East & Europe (6 March 2024)

In March 2024, the Alwaleed Centre partnered with the Centre for Islamic Studies in Cambridge and the Gerda Henkel Foundation to host a unique symposium bringing together policy-researchers, Islamic activists, and scholars working in a range of disciplines to discuss the changing role and impact of Islamic movements across the Middle East, North African and Europe. The symposium was led by the Alwaleed Centre's Fellow, Dr Guy Eyre, and Dr Imam Dawood of the Cambridge Centre for Islamic Studies. Further information can be found HERE.

Outreach and Projects

Al Muntada

Led by the Alwalee Centre's Outreach and Projects Coordinator, Nadin Akta, the Alwaleed Centre launched a new flagship project in 2024,  'Al Muntada' ('The Forum'). Al Muntada is an inclusive platform that fosters knowledge exchange and cultural integration among Arabic-speaking staff, students, and the local community. The project aims to facilitate diverse interactions and provide a forum for the sharing of experiences to promote educational, professional, and societal across Arabic speaking communities in Scotland. The project delivered its first two workshops in March 2024, both attracting over 40 attendees. The first workshop explored routes into Higher and Further education for High School pupils in Scotland, the second offered advice and guidance to Arabic speaking women looking to (re)enter employment or start their own businesses. For further information about Al Muntada, including how to join the forum, click HERE. 

School Engagement

The Alwaleed Centre continued to work closely with the University of Edinburgh's Widening Participation team to offer engaging sessions and study days on Islam for pupils of all ages. For a second year, we collaborated with the University of Edinburgh's Centre for Research Collections to deliver a wonderful Project Day for the Sutton Trust Summer School exploring the fascinating ways in which cultures travel across the Muslim world. The Centre also hosted a number of visits from schools across Scotland offering students an immersive day at the University of Edinburgh learning from colleagues at the Alwaleed Centre and visiting Edinburgh's Central Mosque. If you think you school would benefit from a visit to, or from, the Alwaleed Centre, please do not hesitate to contact us. Further information is available HERE.

Alwaleed Community Grant Scheme

2024 saw the launch of the Alwaleed Centre's new Community Grant Scheme which offers small grants of up to £5000 to help fund creative and dynamic community projects across Scotland. The hope is that these grants help establish long-term relationships between the alwaleed Centre and organisations across Scotland whose work connects with the Centre's research and outreach agenda. The application deadline for 2024 passed at the start of March, and we will be announcing the the recipients of grants towards the end of April 2024. For further information about the scheme click HERE.

Public Events Hosted by the Alwaleed Centre

The Centre welcomes renowned speakers from across the world to deliver public talks and seminars exploring all aspects of the globalised Muslim World. All our public talks are free to attend, and the majority are available to attend online. We try to record as many as possible and make them available to the public HERE. This year, the Centre hosted a rich programme of speakers, and further details can be found below.

Campus Connections and Ruptures: Muslim Students in the United States (March 2024)

Dr Shabana Mir (American Islamic College, Chicago) reflects on the first ethnographic study of Muslim American college students, and one of a few ethnographic works on Muslim Americans.

Eyewitness Palestine: Education and Health in times of Genocide (March 2024)

Featuring Dr Dr Samia Al-Botmeh (Birzeit University) and Dr Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah (British-Palestinian Associate Professor of Surgery and a Plastic & Reconstructive Surgeon). Co-organised with British Society for Middle Eastern Studies Campaigns (BRISMES) and British Committee for the Universities of Palestine (BRICUP) as part of “Campus Voices for Palestine.” Co-sponsored by Edinburgh Centre for Medical Anthropology (EdCMA), Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities (IASH), the Alwaleed Centre, IMES (Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies), PIR-MERG (Middle East Research Group) and RACE.ED.

Islam and the Spice Trade: Towards a New History of Global Commerce (February 2024)

Professor Joel Blecher (George Washington University) tkaes his audience on a journey across the Indian Ocean. DElivered in collaboration with the Edinburgh Centre for Global History in the School of History, Classics and Archaeology.

International law, international institutions, and the continuing betrayal of Palestine (February 2024)

A very speical public lecture by Professor Saul Takahashi (Osaka Jogakuin University and former Deputy Head of Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in Occupied Palestine).

On Muslim Democracy (February 2024)

Andrew F. March (University of Massachusetts Amherst) explains the current realities of modernity, democracy, and ideology using Tunisia as a case study.

Fakes and Forgeries in the Islamic Art Market: A Study of Two Problematic Pieces of Mina’i Ware (February 2024)

Richard Piran McClary (University of York) guides us through the ways in which fakes and forgeries present in Islamic ceramic wares in both public and private collections.

Inheritance without the Heritage: The Fig Trees and the Ecological Effects of Imaginative Attachments to Conquest (January 2024)

A special seminar by Dr Sertaç Sehlikoglu (University College London) delivered as part of the University of Edinburgh's Social Anthropology Department Seminar Series, co-sponsored by the Alwaleed Centre.

Can English convey my Islamic experience? Reflecting on the presence of English in the South African madrasa (November 2023)

Yasmin Ismail (FU-Berlin) discusses her current research exploring the translocal linguistic and ideological entanglements that emerge from the spread of a South-African origin English-language Islamic curriculum. Available to attend in-person and online.

Islamic Art and Science in European Museums (November 2023)

Abeer AlFouti (Alwaleed Philanthropies), Dr Silke Ackerman (Oxford History of Science Museum), Professor Stefan Weber (Museum of Islamic Art at the Pergamon in Berlin) come together for a special online event, delivered by the Alwaleed Cultural Network, assessing the role of museums in the preservation and representation of Islamic art and science. 

Reinventing the Sheikhdom: Clan, Power and Patronage in Mohammed bin Zayed's UAE (October 2023)

Matthew Hedges provides an analysis of Mohammed bin Zayed’s regime and security strategy, illustrating the network of alliances that seek to support his reign and that of his family.

Nine Quarters Of Jerusalem: A New Biography of the Old City (October 2023)

Author and broadcaster, Matthew Teller, shares tales of Jerusalem through the voices of its residents.

Identity and Aspiration: Chinese Muslims in the Arab Gulf (May 2023)

A special online seminar featuring Professor Yuting Wang (American University of Sharjah) and Dr Ruslan Yusupov (Harvard University).

Is there an ‘Islamic world'? A network analysis approach (May 2023)

Professor Peter Henne (University of Vermont) explores the ongoing discourse about whether an “Islamic world”—a unified subset of international relations among Muslims—exists.

Studying Global Muslim Mobilities: Approaches and Experiences (March 2023)

An online discussion offering critical approaches to transnationalism, migration, and global interconnectivity of the globalised Muslim World, and how these elements intersect with issues such as authority, orthodoxy, identity, nationality, gender, and social class. Featuring Dr Sayed Mahdi Mosawi (University of Edinburgh),  Syamsul Rijal (IIIU)  Dr Mira Al Hussain (University of Edinburgh).

Islamophobia and Lebanon (March 2023)

A return to Edinburgh for former IASH-Alwaleed Fellow, Dr Ali Kassem (National University of Singapore), to launch his new book.

Narrating the Pilgrimage to Mecca as a Sensational Form (March 2023)

Drawing from her new book, Professor Marjo Buitelaar (University of Groningen) explored the deeply emotional experience of Hajj for Muslims across the globe.

Understanding Islam (JAnuary 2023)

A special online launch of Professor Bryan S. Turner’s new book 'Understanding Islam: Positions of Knowledge' examining the historical development of the debate between science and religion through a sociological lens whilst also questioning how positionality affects the understanding of religion.

 

Monographs

Al-Ajarma, K. Mecca in Morocco: Articulations of Muslim Pilgrimage (Hajj) in Moroccan Everyday Life, Edinburgh University Press, 2024 (in press).

Articles, Chapters and Reviews:

Al-Ajarma, K. “Performing Hajj from Palestine: Beyond Barriers to Spiritual Fulfillment” In The Politics of the Hajj in a Comparative Perspective: States, Entrepreneurs, and Pilgrims, edited by Marie Brossier, Muriel Gomez-Perez and Cédric Jourde. New York: Palgrave, (in print, 2024).

Al-Ajarma, K. and M. Buitelaar. 2023. “Studying Mecca elsewhere: Exploring the meanings of the hajj for Muslims in Morocco and the Netherlands.” In Approaching Pilgrimage: Methodological Issues Involved in Researching Routes, Sites and Practices, edited by Mario Katić and John Eade, London & New York: Routledge, (pp.166-182). https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003137764 

Al-Ajarma, K. 2023. “‘Beyond Words’: Moroccan Pilgrims’ Narrations about their Ineffable Hajj Experiences through Stories about the Senses.” In Narrating the Pilgrimage to Mecca: Historical and Contemporary Accounts, edited by Marjo Buitelaar and Richard van Leeuwen. Leiden: Brill, (pp. 277-298). https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004513174_013

Al-Ajarma, K. and M. Buitelaar. 2023. “Mediating Mecca: Moroccan and Moroccan-Dutch Pilgrims’ Use of the Smartphone.” In Narrating the Pilgrimage to Mecca: Historical and Contemporary Accounts, edited by Marjo Buitelaar and Richard van Leeuwen. Leiden: Brill, (pp. 391-421) https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004513174

Al-Ajarma, K. and H. Hussein. 2023. “Exploring the framings of water scarcity in Palestinian textbooks.” Contemporary Levant, 8 (1): 3-15. https://doi.org/10.1080/20581831.2023.2178090

Al-Ajarma, K. 2023. “Jenin Women’s Tobacco Diaries: Women Workers’ lives Between Colonialism, Exploitation, and Survival.” Critical Approaches to Development in the MENA Region Initiative, American University of Beirut. https://aub.edu.lb/critical-development/k-al-ajarma

Al Hussein, M. 2024. 'The Unmoored Lenj: On Being Ajam, Brown and Female', Verge: Studies in Global Asias, Issue 10(1).

Al Hussein, M. 2024. 'How do international student returnees contribute to their home countries? A systematic mapping and thematic synthesis', International Journal of Educational Research, Vol. 125.

Eyre, G, & Trauthig, I. 2023. ‘‘Quietist’ Salafis after the ‘Arab Revolts’ in Algeria and Libya (2011-2019): Between Insecurity and Political Subordination. Mediterranean Politics.

Eyre, G. 2023. Quietist Salafism Between (Neo) Liberal Apprehensions and Convergence, University of Halle/German Institute for Global Studies Paper Series, Volume 5: 1-6.

Eyre, G. 2023. Islamism and the State in Morocco and Algeria: Political Quietism, Contested Sovereignties, and the Politics of Purity. Carnegie Endowment & SEPAD Report.

Eyre, G. 2023. The Godfather and the Heirs: A Sociology of Islamism in Morocco, ALMA Review, University of Freiburg.

Liberatore, G. and Dharamsi, S. 2023. ''Our therapeutic direction is towards Light’: transcendence and a non-secular politics of difference in Islamic Counselling training', Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute, 2023.

Muzakkir, M. Muwahidah, S.M. Utsany, R. and Rohmansyah. 2923. 'Sectarian Tensions, Islamophobia, and Decolonization: Comparing Jasser Auda’s and Jonathan Brown’s Analysis of the Hadiths Concerning Aisha’s Marital Age.' Indonesian Journal of Islam and Muslim Societies 13, no. 2.

Muwahidah, S. 2023. 'Epistemic Disobedience and Cultural Memories Surrounding the Polemics of the Wangsakerta Manuscripts of Cirebon.' in Malay World-making from the 13th to the 21st Century: Re-telling Origins, Islam, Adat and Power through Malay Manuscripts. Ed. Sher Banu A. L. Khan and Maznah Mohammad. Singapore: National University of Singapore Press. (forthcoming 2024).

Volpi, F. & Benzenine, B. 2023. 'Enacting and contesting citizenship in Algeria beyond the Hirak: The strategic uses of exit, voice and loyalty, Citizenship Studies, 1-19.

Academic Conference Papers and Panels

Kholoud Al-Ajarma: “From Iraq to Chile: The Complex Journey of Palestinian Refugees in the Diaspora,” presented at the Second Annual Palestine Forum, organized by the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies and the Institute of Palestine Studies, Doha, Qatar.

Kholoud Al-Ajarma “Negotiating narratives and religious practices: the experience of Palestinian refugees in Chile,” presented at the Biennial Conference of the Dutch Association for the Study of Religion (NGG) on Religion in Motion- Between Borders and Belonging, at Radboud University, Netherlands.

Kholoud Al-Ajarma “Water Songs: Elderly Palestinian Women Celebrating the Environment and Cultural Heritage,” presented at the British Society for Middle Eastern Studies (BRISMES) Annual Conference, University of Exeter, UK.

Kholoud Al-Ajarma:“Studying and Teaching Islam as Insider/Outsider in The Netherlands: Embracing Multiple Entanglements,” at the Annual Conference of the British Association for Islamic Studies, The Aga Khan University, Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations, London, UK.

Kholoud Al-Ajarma: “Zamzam: curative water in the narratives of Moroccan and Palestinian pilgrims,” presented at the 6^th International Seminar on Islamic Civilisation: Islamic Civilisation and Water, organized by the Department of Arabic Language and Culture, National Chengchi University, Taiwan (online).

Kholoud Al-Ajarma: “Tobacco Cultivation in Palestine: Farmers’ Struggles over Land Ownership,” presented at the First Annual Palestine Forum, organized by the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies and the Institute of Palestine Studies, Doha, Qatar.

Kholoud Al-Ajarma: Guest lecture: “Migration, Transnationalism and Diaspora,” for master students of Islam, Politics and Society at Radboud University, Netherlands (online).

Kholoud Al-Ajarma: Panel chair: Indonesian Muslims and the West: Diaspora, Residence, and the Reinvention of Identity, at the Annual Conference of the British Association for Islamic Studies, The Aga Khan University, Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations, London, UK.

Sarah Muwahidah: Chair and discussant for Muslim Spaces in Secular Places panel, the 52nd Annual Conference of the North American Association of Islamic and Muslim Studies (NAAIMS) "Creating Islamic Spaces and Places," 19 October, 2023.

Sarah Muwahidah: Paper Presentation: A ‘Decentring’ Approach to Studying the Globalised Muslim World, BRAIS Annual Conference 2023, London, 15 May 2023.

Frederic Volpi: ECPR Research Network on Mediterranean Politics online seminar 'Tunisia’s failing democracy' 1 February 2024

Frederic Volpi: Institute of Development Studies, Sussex University, workshop on ‘Revisiting the Crisis Concept through Polycrisis’, 13 October 2023

Frederic Volpi: CHANSE conference project 'Digital Islam Across Europe', Tallinn, 1-2 June 2023.

Public Lectures, Policy Papers, and Opinion Pieces by Alwaleed Centre Colleagues

Kholoud Al-Ajarama: 'Refugee Realities: Examining  75 Years of Palestinian Displacement', Yogyakarta, Indonesia

Kholoud al-Ajarma: 'Unyielding Courage: Learning from the Experiences of Palestinian women Human Rights Defenders,” Kholoud at the National Commission on violence against Women, Jakarta, Indonesia.

Kholoud Al-Ajaram co-organizer of workshops on “Authoritarian Democracies and Resisting Them” at DAWN Training Insititute for young feminists from the global South, organizd by Development Alternatives with Women for a New Era (DAWN), Bali, Indonesia.

Kholoud Al-Ajarma: 'From  the River to the Sea: Palestinian Refugees and Humanitarian Organizations in the Northern Indian Ocean,” lecture in the department of Political Science, Indonesian International Islamic University (IIIU), Indonesia.

Kholoud Al-Ajarma: 'An Abc to Islam in Palestine: Introduction for Students,” lecture with 300+ students, Pesantren Muhammadiyah Boarding School, Jakarta, Indonesia.

Kholoud Al-Ajarma: Modorator at the Interntional Pspectives on Apartheid and Decolonization in Palestine, organized by Middle East Monitor, London, UK.

Kholoud Al-Ajarma: Panellist at UNESCO event “Building global partnerships in culture and arts education,” Paris, France.

Mira Al Hussein: ‘Hamas popularity explodes in the Gulf’ amid Monarchy passivity towards Israel. L’Orient Today.

Mira Al Hussein: The Gaza War May Radicalise the Gulf. Carnegie Endowment.

Mira Al Hussein. Emirati Women, Peace and Security. Carnegie Endowment.

Sayed Mahdi Mosawi: Presentation of research findings about refugees' sense of welcoming in Scotland at the Scottish Parliament, UK.

Sarah Muwahidah and Tom Lea, 'Establishing a Dual Master’s Degree Programme in Islamic Studies and the Globalised Muslim World: Bridging Jakarta and Edinburgh' in Transnational Education in East Asia: Learnings and Reflections from the Last 25 Years, British Council East Asia Education Insights February 2024.

Sarah Muwahidah: IndoMalay Global Vision - From the Sultanates until Today, in the Islamic Circle Symposium From The Fall Of The Ottomans To The OIC - Reflections, Dreams And Aspirations Of Muslim Power, Islamic Circle UK, London, 1-2 March 2024.

Sarah Muwahidah: Workshop on Sunni-Shi’i Sectarianism: Theories and Critiques, Indonesia International Islamic University, 12 December 2023.

Sarah Muwahidah: Establishing UK-Indonesia Global Academic Partnership, in the Symposium for UK-Indonesia Higher Education Collaboration, East Java/Hybrid. Kings College London, University of Indonesia, East Java Province, and British Council Indonesia, 23 October 2023.

Sarah Muwahidah: Public Lecture: 'Ramadan in a Western Land: Navigating Cross-cultural Challenges'. Indonesian Muslims Society in United Kingdom (KIBAR), 18 March, 2023.

Sarah Muwahidah: Public Lecture: 'Sunni and Shi’i Dynamics in Indonesia: Between Sectarian Tensions and Ambiguity'. Religion & Global Society Series, London School of Economics and Political Science, London, 8 February 2023.

Richard McNeil-Willson: The Problems of Banning Hizb ut-Tahrir Britain | International Centre for Counter-Terrorism - ICCT

Richard McNeil-Willson: The problems of banning Hizb ut-Tahrir Britain | Religion and Global Society (lse.ac.uk)

The Alwaleed Centre's new MSc The Globaslied Muslim World programme entered its third year in 2023/24, with a new cohort of students joining us in September. This unique programme explores the inherent diversity of the world's Muslim societies whilst encouraging students to critically analyse some of the major global, international and transnational trends and movements that cut across borders and connect Muslims across the world. We look forward to welcoming a large cohort of new students in September 2024, with many from our new Dual Degree programme with the Indonesian International Islamic University in Jakarta. For further information about the programme CLICK HERE.

Alwaleed Centre colleagues delivered a number of fascinating courses as part of the programme which attracted large numbers of students from a variety of subject areas across the University of Edinburgh's College of Arts, Humanities and Scoial Sciences. Courses included:

• Regional Perspectives in a Globalised Muslim World
• International, Transnational and Globalised Dynamics of the Muslim world

• Muslim Africa in Global Perspective

• Muslim Society in Southeast Asia
• Muslims in Europe
• Islamic Africa
• Unfolding Afghanistan in a Globalised Context

• Gulf Histories, Cultures, and Societies

• Research and Dissertation Methods on the Muslim World