Description
Don’t miss this thought-provoking panel discussion on the continued significance of the Caliphate in modern Muslim discourse. Although often viewed negatively in the West as an outdated institution, for Muslims, the end of the Ottoman Empire marked the end of the last Muslim Caliphate, and its legacy still holds a sense of nostalgia and romanticism.
This event will explore debates around the revival of the Caliphate and its relevance in contemporary Islamic politics. Dr Salman Sayyid from Leeds University, AbdoolKarim Vakil from King’s College London, and Dr Mahmood Chandia from the University of Central Lancashire bring their extensive research and knowledge to the discussion.
Together, they will talk about the fall of the last Caliphate and the political vacuum it left in the Muslim world, whether or not it could – or should – be reimagined in the 21st century, and how it shapes contemporary Muslim political thinking.
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About the Speakers
Salman Sayyid
Salman Sayyid is a Professor of Rhetoric and Decolonial Thought and Head of the School of Sociology and Social Policy at the University of Leeds. He has authored major publications, including Recalling the Caliphate, now in its second edition published by Hurst in 2022, and leads a pioneering research programme on Critical Muslim Studies. Sayyid is the founding editor of ReOrient: The Journal of Critical Muslim Studies, and his work has been translated into nearly a dozen languages.
AbdoolKarim Vakil
AbdoolKarim Vakil is a lecturer in the departments of History and of Languages, Literatures and Cultures at King’s College London. His research interests include the intellectual and cultural history of Europe since the nineteenth century, colonial policies and their legacies, and the history and politics of contemporary Muslim communities in Europe. His publications include a study of Portuguese colonial Muslim policies in Mozambique in the context of decolonisation; conceptualising Islamophobia; decolonising Modern Languages; and al-Andalus as a travelling concept.
Mahmood Chandia
After memorising the Holy Quran, Dr Mahmood Chandia pursued Islamic and Arabic Language Studies (1988) at a traditional Muslim Institute of Learning in England: Darul Uloom, Bury, followed by a Bachelor of Arts in Islamic Studies (1990) from the renowned Al-Azhar University, Cairo, and a Master of Arts (1992) and PhD in Middle Eastern Studies (1999) at the University of Manchester. In August 2002, he was appointed as Lecturer in and Programme Leader of Islamic Studies at the University of Central Lancashire, Preston. He is now Programme lead for the MA in Intercultural Business Communication (with professional placement) and is a Senior Lecturer in Religion, Culture and Society. He is also an associate member of the UCLan Cybercrime Research Unit. He lectures on a variety of Humanities and Social Science disciplines and is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.
About the Chair
Remona Aly
Remona Aly is a journalist and broadcaster. She writes for The Guardian, is a regular contributor to BBC Radio 2’s Pause for Thought and a presenter on BBC Radio 4’s Something Understood. She is also an editor and podcast host for various platforms.
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