Community Empowerment Fund, Birmingham report launch, Winter Gathering, Critical Muslim

View this email in your browser OCTOBER 2026 Critical Muslim 59: Universities is out now.  In this issue Ziauddin Sardar feels hurt and betrayed by the institution he loved deeply; Zain Sardar is pessimistic about the future of the Academy; Alev Adil grades the challenges facing British universities; Salam Ershead stands up for students' right to free speech; Ahmad Kaki represents students and teachers silenced for defending Palestinian rights; Nediyya Khan shuns marriage for further education; Shamim Miah visits old and new libraries; Adis Duderija argues for teaching progressive Islam; Qalandar Bux Memon is inspired by the Urdu bazaar in Lahore; Naomi Foyle outlines the lessons we must learn from the Jason Arday affair; Ali Ahmad recalls his turbulent academic life; and our list of ten things not to do at university. Also in this issue: Robin Yassin-Kassab examines the history of black Muslims in the US; Yahia Lababidi eulogises the first female imam, amina wadud; Aamer Hussein reads the work of the legendary Urdu writer A R Khatoon; Kostas Maronitis grapples with frenzied politics; Hasan Oller Arkan dissects love and silence; Nader Hashemi remembers the Canadian Muslim community leader, Alia Hogben; short story by Reema Kausar Majid; poems by Moham Wang and Rafay Shabbir al-Hashimi; and Nadya Ali's warning on eating too much meat. Edited by Ziauddin Sardar. Published by the Muslim Institute + Hurst Publisher   Launch of 'Birmingham's Muslims', a new report commissioned by the Muslim Institute. The Muslim Institute has published a new report: Birmingham's Muslims: Conversations on grassroots community and change: An analytical overview.  We are holding a public launch of the report in Birmingham this Friday, October 23rd from  5pm-7pm. Venue: Soul City Arts, Port Hope Rd Birmingham B11 1JS.  The report, written by Humera Khan of the An-Nisa Society takes a deep dive into the experiences, concerns, aspirations and emerging trends of those Muslim-led organisations and individuals who are working at a grassroots level across the city.  “You are invited to the launch of this unique and important report, where you will hear from the author, participants in the report and those working at the sharp end of community and voluntary work with the city’s Muslim communities. "Come and listen and take part in this important discussion”. Hassan Mahamdallie, Director, Muslim Institute. A few tickets left via Eventbrite here   The Muslim Institute Winter Gathering 2026 'Muslim Europe and the Curious Case of Amnesia'. The Winter Gathering is open to fellows only. Registration is closed.  The 2026 Winter Gathering confronts a deliberate historical amnesia: the erasure of over a millennium of Muslim presence in Europe and the decisive role Muslim societies and populations played in shaping European civilisation. This is not an obscure academic oversight. It sits at the centre of today’s argument about Western decline, contested values and whether Muslims are internal to Europe or permanently alien to it. Confirmed speakers: Diana Darke, author of Islamesque, The Forgotten Craftsmen Who Built Europe's Medieval Monuments, Tharik Hussain, author of Muslim Europe: a Journey in Search of a Fourteen Hundred Year History,  Professor Fabrizio Boscaglia, Lusófona University, Lisbon, Portugal, Emilio (Emin) Alzueta, vice dean of the College of Languages in Motril (Granada, Spain) and Times newspaper economic editor Mehreen Khan, Dr Abdul-Azim Ahmed, Deputy Director of the Islam-UK Centre at Cardiff University and author of Muslim Wales: A History in 9 Places, and the Muslim Institute Muslim Futures working group. The event is now at capacity. If you are a fellow please email info@musliminstitute.org if you wish to be put on the waiting list. Alternatively if you are a fellow you can book your own accommodation at a hotel nearby and attend the event. Email for more details/cost.  Diana Darke  Winter Gathering 2025  Community Empowerment Fund 2026 Applications for the Muslim Institute Community Empowerment Fund, Stream: Community Wellbeing, are now closed. We have received a large volume of applications, demonstrating the diversity of grassroots organisations across the country working to meet the needs of Muslims and the wider community. The successful applicants will be announced at the Winter Gathering at the end of November.  info@musliminstitute.org  |  www.musliminstitute.org Muslim Institute, 82 Tanner Street, London, SE1 3GN Copyright © 2026 Muslim Institute, All rights reserved. You are on our list because you have volunteered your email to us.

This email was sent to kardasalmir.islam@blogger.com why did I get this?    unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences Muslim Institute · 7-14 Great Dover Street · London, SE1 4YR · United Kingdom