The Aziz Foundation and The University of Manchester hold Muslim Friendly Universities (MFU) II Conference

On 11th May, The Aziz Foundation and the University of Manchester co-hosted the Muslim Friendly Universities (MFU) II conference in Manchester.

The second MFU conference to be held, it invited participants - including EDI practitioners, researchers, community voices and students - to look beyond what we research, and reflect critically on on how we do it, who is involved, and whose voices are heard.

The conference, entitled Researching Equity and Inclusion with Muslim communities, covered themes relating to researcher positionality and reflexivity, working with and against institutional leadership, and risk and precarity in investigating Islamophobia.

The Foundation's match-funded MFU research projects ran sessions, underpinned by audience interaction, reflecting on learnings, opportunities, risks and challenges in education equity research.

The programme included:

• Opening remarks by Professor Nalin Thakkar (Vice President for Social Responsibility, University of Manchester), reasserting the University's commitment to impactful EDI, and the need to acknowledge and defend the progress made in the field
• Keynote Address by Dr Sadia Habib (Senior lecturer in Education, University of Manchester), focusing on moving beyond consultation toward genuinely participatory and community centred research
• Cross-projects panel session chaired by Dr Maisha Islam (University of Southampton), which facilitated discussion on how to avoid extractive research and the best way to secure support from senior management, articulating the value of research with Muslim communities

Joe Dobson, Director of the Aziz foundation, remarked:

"This was a much needed conference, putting Muslim communities at the heart of equity and inclusion research. I am delighted that we were able to convene it with the University of Manchester. Hearing directly from the researchers reaffirmed the importance of collectively working to support Muslim students and towards institutional change"

The day was full of insight, necessary provocations and compelling discussions. We would like to express our appreciation to the speakers, participants, and everyone that supported us in organising this conference. You, collectively, made it a truly inspiring event.