Contemporary Islamic Studies

Prof. Maryam Alemzadeh in Session 1: Intra-Muslim relations and Geopolitical Transformation, at a November 2024 Contemporary Islamic Studies Oxford/SEPAD, Lancaster University workshop: Transnational Islamic Movements: Global and Local Realities. Professor Maryam Alemzadeh speaking on “Iran is Far Less Interested in Resistance than You are Made to Believe”. Guest speaker contributing to the 1-day workshop: Transnational Islamic Movements: Global and Local Realities, held on Friday 29 November 2024. Professor Alemzadeh spoke in Session 1, Intra-Muslim relations and Geopolitical Transformation, chaired by Professor Eugene Rogan. The workshop was co-convened Professor Raihan Ismail of the Contemporary Islamic Studies Programme, St Antony’s College, University of Oxford in collaboration with Professor Simon Mabon, of the SEPAD Project (the Sectarianism, Proxies and De-Sectarianization project), Richardson Institute, Lancaster University. The workshop explores the evolving roles of Islamic movements and their transnational dynamics, with a particular focus on developments following the events of 7 October 2023. It examines how regional actors exploit diverging intra-Muslim identities and the ways in which these divides are leveraged as tools for geopolitical advantage. Additionally, the workshop analyses the growing significance of Islamist resistance movements, focusing on how grassroots initiatives and armed struggles challenge existing political structures and foster transnational solidarity among Islamic movements.

By situating Islamic movements within the shifting power dynamics at local, regional, and global levels, the workshop seeks to provide another layer of understanding of the interplay between these movements, intra-Muslim relations, and resistance. Particular attention will be given to how recent events have redefined the political, religious, ideological, and geopolitical landscape.

Various guest speakers contributed to 3 sessions during the day culminating in a roundtable discussion chaired by Professor Pascal Menoret, and edited audio recordings of some of the other guest speaker presentations are also available within this podcast series. Other guest speakers included: Dr Susann Kassem, speaking on “Israel’s War on Lebanon: Social and Political Ramifications”; Professor Inna Rudolf, speaking on “The Nuances within Iraq’s Islamic Resistance”; and Dr Somdeep Sen, speaking on “Hamas and the Global Dialectics of Resistance?”.

Dr Hisham Hellyer contributing to Session 1: Intra-Muslim relations & Geopolitical Transformation at a November 2024 Contemporary Islamic Studies Oxford/SEPAD, Lancaster University workshop: Transnational Islamic Movements: Global and Local Realities. Dr Hisham Hellyer speaking on “The ‘Day After’ October 7 and Geopolitical Transformations in the Wider Arab World Region”. Guest speaker contributing to the 1-day workshop: Transnational Islamic Movements: Global and Local Realities, held on Friday 29 November 2024. Dr Hellyer spoke in Session 1, Intra-Muslim relations and Geopolitical Transformation, chaired by Professor Eugene Rogan. The workshop was co-convened by Professor Raihan Ismail of the Contemporary Islamic Studies Programme, St Antony’s College, University of Oxford in collaboration with Professor Simon Mabon, of the SEPAD Project (the Sectarianism, Proxies and De-Sectarianization project), Richardson Institute, Lancaster University. The workshop explores the evolving roles of Islamic movements and their transnational dynamics, with a particular focus on developments following the events of 7 October 2023. It examines how regional actors exploit diverging intra-Muslim identities and the ways in which these divides are leveraged as tools for geopolitical advantage. Additionally, the workshop analyses the growing significance of Islamist resistance movements, focusing on how grassroots initiatives and armed struggles challenge existing political structures and foster transnational solidarity among Islamic movements.

By situating Islamic movements within the shifting power dynamics at local, regional, and global levels, the workshop seeks to provide another layer of understanding of the interplay between these movements, intra-Muslim relations, and resistance. Particular attention will be given to how recent events have redefined the political, religious, ideological, and geopolitical landscape.

Various guest speakers contributed to 3 sessions during the day culminating in a roundtable discussion chaired by Professor Pascal Menoret, and edited audio recordings of some of the other guest speaker presentations are also available within this podcast series. Other guest speakers included: Dr Susann Kassem, speaking on “Israel’s War on Lebanon: Social and Political Ramifications”; Professor Inna Rudolf, speaking on “The Nuances within Iraq’s Islamic Resistance”; and Dr Somdeep Sen, speaking on “Hamas and the Global Dialectics of Resistance?”.

This talk is the closing plenary address given by Professor S Sayyid, University of Leeds the final part of a 2-day online academic conference convened on 15-16 August 2023 by Dr Usaama al-Azami. This talk is the closing plenary address given by Professor S Sayyid, University of Leeds the final part of a 2-day online academic conference convened on 15-16 August 2023 by Dr Usaama al-Azami on the topic of "Prospects for Democracy and the Muslim Subject: Reflecting on the Raba'a Massacre Ten Years On". Dr al-Azami gathered together 15 guest speakers to particate in 3 panels and 1 roundtable discussion. Panel 1 explored "A Decade of Counterrevolution". Panel 2 considered "Making Sense of Violence and Trauma"; and Panel 3 covered "Islamism and Muslim Subjectivities in the Aftermath of Raba'a". The Roundtable Discussion on the afternoon of Day 2, considered "Conceptualizing and Locating Islamophobia". The 2 days culminated in Professor Sayyid's presentation after which followed an audience Q&A. A plenary discussion brought the conference to a close.

In light of the Power and Protection Exhibition at the Ashmolean Museum of the University of Oxford, this talk addresses the fundamental principles of faith, and how the Islamic tradition deals with and defines superstition. Tariq Ramadan is an invited guest speaker of the Museum as part of the Power and Protection Exhibition: Islamic Art and the Supernatural, which is on public display from 20 October 2016 until 15 January 2017.