Britain and beyond: discovering Islamic heritage

Due to the planned Tube drivers’ strikes taking place on 19 May, we have made the difficult decision to postpone our discussion.

Our expert panellists will discuss the geographical and historical threads linking Britain to Islamic worlds, the significance of material culture in telling these stories, and how Islamic heritage is being documented in Britain today.

Reflecting on Islamic collections within the Society and other institutions, built heritage and everyday living heritage, we consider the different ways in which links between Britain and Islam are exposed throughout history and in contemporary times.

About the speakers

Sadiya Ahmed is a Freelance Heritage Consultant. She established Everyday Muslim Heritage and Archive Initiative in 2013 in response to the lack of representation of the Muslim narrative in archives, museums, and education in Britain.

There are three archive collections comprising oral history interviews, personal documents, photographs, and ephemera, held across five archive repositories in London and the South-East. In addition, the Everyday Muslim website hosts a considerable collection of educational materials, videos, and podcasts.

Currently, Sadiya is developing a digital history map of Muslim history in Britain.

Tharik Hussain is an award-winning author, historian, travel writer and Fellow at the Centre of Religion and Heritage at the University of Groningen (Netherlands), specialising in Muslim heritage and culture. His latest book Muslim Europe: A Journey in Search of a Fourteen Hundred Year History was published to critical acclaim in December 2025 and his previous book Minarets in the Mountains (2021) was longlisted for the Baillie Gifford Prize, shortlisted for the Stanford Travel Book of the Year and won the Adele Evans Award.

Tharik's books have been translated into several languages including German, Chinese (Mandarin) and Arabic, and he has also written several guides for Lonely Planet. His next publication, Muslim Britain and Ireland: a Travel Guide to Sites of Islamic Heritage and Culture is the first mainstream guidebook to focus on the Muslim heritage and culture of the British Isles and will be published by Bradt Guides in October 2026.

Imran Mulla (Chair) is the UK political correspondent at the Middle East Eye, covering both British foreign policy and domestic politics. He has written for BBC Hindi, Conservative Home, The Critic and Varsity among other publications. His first book, The Indian Caliphate: Exiled Ottomans and the Billionaire Prince, has been published by Hurst.

In 2025, he was honoured at the Press 30 Under 30 Awards.

Booking information

• Advance booking for this event is required. In order to book you will need an account on our website. If you already have an account you will be prompted to log in when you click 'book now'. Please create an account if you do not have one yet (you do not need to be a member of the Society to create an account).
• Free in-person student tickets: We want as many people as possible to be able to enjoy an inspiring evening at the Society, so for this event we are offering free in-person student tickets with the code PANELSTUDENT at checkout.

Attending in-person

• We do not issue tickets (electronic or physical) for this event. Instead your name will be on a list at the door. Please use the Society's entrance on Exhibition Road.

Attending online

• If you are attending the event online, the joining instructions will be included in your confirmation email.

If you have any questions or require assistance with your booking, please email events@rgs.org

Accessibility at our events

We want everyone to feel welcome at our events. Key accessibility features of this event include:

• Step-free access to the event
• Accessible toilets
• Assistance dogs are welcome
• Hearing loop

For full details, please visit our accessibility page. If you have any questions or specific access requirements, feel free to get in touch with us on access@rgs.org