Critical Muslim – Liberty
Presented in partnership with Critical Muslim, this panel discussion explores who defines the liberty we are told we enjoy, and how our world views impact the ways we assert our liberty.
Our panelists include Shanon Shah, an award-winning writer and broadcaster on Muslim and LGBTQ+ issues; Shamim Miah, a senior lecturer in criminology and social policy at the University of Huddersfield; Canon Giles Goddard, a priest in the Church of England and member of the General Synod; and Samia Rahman, a writer and editor with a focus on Muslim identity and culture.
Together, they will delve into questions surrounding individual liberty and social responsibility, freedom of speech, the rights of minorities, state security, and much more.Critical Muslim is a quarterly publication of ideas and issues showcasing groundbreaking thinking on Islam and what it means to be a Muslim in a rapidly changing, interconnected world.
About the Speakers
Dr Shanon Shah
Shanon Shah is the author of The Making of a Gay Muslim: Religion, Sexuality and Identity in Malaysia and Britain. A multiple award-winning singer-songwriter, playwright, and journalist in his native Malaysia, he now balances scholarship and activism on religion, politics and social and environmental justice in the UK.
Dr Shamim Miah
Dr Shamim Miah, is a senior lecturer and the author of four books: Ibn Khaldun: Education, History and Society (due 2023); Race, Space and Multiculturalism in Northern England (co author-2020); Muslims and the Question of Security: Trojan Horse, Prevent and Racial Politics (2017) and Muslims Schooling and the Question of Self-Segregation which received the ‘highly commended’ book award by the Society for Educational Studies’ (2016). Shamim is the co-editor for the Muslim’s in Britain series (Oxford University Press). He is also a senior fellow at the Centre for Postnormal Policy and Futures Studies and an associate editor for the journal Critical Muslim (Hurst)
Revd Giles Goddard
Canon Giles Goddard has been Vicar of St John’s, Waterloo, since 2009. Goddard’s latest book, Exploring Spirit: Finding What Matters in a Broken World, was published by Canterbury Press in 2026. Goddard chairs Faith for the Climate, supporting interfaith work on climate change, and is a former member of the Church of England’s Environment Group. Goddard is also a prominent supporter of LGBTI+ inclusion in the Church.
Samia Rahman
Samia Rahman is a writer, scholar and journalist, whose research focuses on Muslim women, patriarchy and structures of power. She is the author of Muslim Women and Misogyny: Myths and Misunderstandings in 2024 and in 2025 wrote the Centre for Media Monitoring’s report on Muslim Women working in UK media. The former director of the Muslim Institute and former deputy editor of the quarterly Critical Muslim, she is studying for a PhD at Goldsmiths, University of London.
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