Training
Facilitating. Engaging. Empowering.
I believe in the power of education. As a self-convinced life-long learner, I am always on a quest to expand my knowledge, acquire new skills and develop innovative techniques to solve the world’s biggest challenges.
It was my insatiable desire to learn which led me to embark on a PhD in War Studies (King’s College London). My thesis research was mixed methods and took an interdisciplinary approach. I explored the different ways in which individuals and communities react and respond to religious and racial prejudice, internalise stigma and navigate negative stereotypes. As someone with a background in interfaith work, and an MA which enabled me to delve into the study of sectarian identities, it seemed an almost inevitable idea that my doctoral research focus on the case studies of Antisemitism and Islamophobia.
I believe that it is imperative for us to share what we know in order to improve society. Knowledge alone can stagnate. Its true power can only be harnessed through teaching and learning, training and implementing.
Knowledge must be exchanged not only in the traditional sense of ivory tower academia, but through multiple mediums, which make it accessible to wider audiences. The ultimate purpose of knowledge is to inform, enable and empower society as a whole.
Through my current day job as an academic at the Edward Cadbury Centre for the Public Understanding of Religion, University of Birmingham, I have been fortunate enough to be at the forefront of facilitating learning and development of faith leadership.
AHA! Awareness with Human Action
29 March 2021. AHA Town Hall Facilitation
I hosted and facilitated the 4th and final Awareness with Human Action (AHA) project Townhall (virtually) in Islamabad, Pakistan. Topics covered include countering violent extremism and hate speech during Covid-19, with a special focus on interfaith dialogue.
MPA Faith-based Leadership
March 2021. MPA in Faith-based Leadership
I work on the design and delivery for a brand-new, innovative Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree in faith-based leadership. The MPA is in its first year and has broken Birmingham University-wide record time (8 months) of a degree gaining ratification to delivery.
Faith Leaders Training Initiative (FLTI)
2019-2020. I provided training to religious leaders through the Faith Leaders Training Initiative (FLTI). As part of the FLTI core delivery team, I was heavily involved in equipping leaders of faith-based organisations with the skills and techniques required to tackle some of the most difficult social challenges such as child abuse, violence against women and girls, racism, homophobia and sectarianism.
My training fostered stronger cohesion amongst different faith groups. I aided in establishing a diverse network of 250+ interfaith leaders who are equipped to tackle social issues, appreciative of difference, and working alongside services in their local authorities to champion causes that affect us all.
Women Faith and Humanitarian Intervention (WFHI)
2019-2020. I was involved with the AHRC-funded network project Women, Faith and Humanitarian Interventions (WFHI). The network addresses situations of crisis where there is an urgent need for humanitarian strategies to address religious particularities, especially those of women and girls. Key areas for consideration are rights to water and hygiene, as well as resources for mental and emotional well-being. One output of the project is a toolkit resource for activists and practitioners in the field. The WFHI toolkit offers insights to help those working in humanitarian development better understand and account for the significant role played by faith in the daily lives of the women, girls and communities they seek to aid.
Lecturing & Teaching
I am also an experienced lecturer and tutor in Religion and Global Politics; Islam and Feminism; International Relations Theory; Political Analysis Methods; and Migration Studies.