On Wednesday 11th June, the Digital British Islam project, in partnership with the Muslim Council of Wales, held an important event with the Senedd to share findings and policy implications from the 3-year ESRC-funded project. During the event at The Pierhead, Project Investigator Professor Gary Bunt (University of Wales Trinity Saint David) and Research Fellow, Dr Laura Jones (University of Edinburgh) presented the research to Members of Senedd, government staff and third sector representatives.
The event was sponsored by Julie Morgan MS and received cross-party interest with Members of Senedd from Labour, Plaid and the Conservatives in attendance. Staff from the government’s Digital Inclusion and Anti-Racist Wales teams were also represented. Attendees additionally included various third sector groups focused on equality and ethnic minorities, and faith community representatives.
Julie Morgan MS was invited to open the event and highlighted its importance before passing over to Dr Michael Munnik (Cardiff University) who chaired the session. Prof Gary Bunt and Dr Laura Jones from the Digital British Islam project delivered a presentation on the research focusing on project themes of religious authority, gender and political agency. They highlighted the way in which Muslim women felt less safe online than men, encouraging decision makers and community groups to work towards eliminating this gendered digital safety gap. They also discussed how Muslims expressed fears of backlash or surveillance when speaking about issues like the Gaza conflict online.
Additionally, the Digital British Islam team recommended providing further support to religious minority groups to synchronise in-person and digital programming of events – this was seen as advantageous by Muslim organisations and individuals involved in the research as a way to communicate across geographic boundaries. As such, including religious groups explicitly in work towards the Minimum Digital Living Standard in Wales could help ensure they are provided with the necessary training, skills and equipment to facilitate Wales-wide collaboration, strengthening religious communities.
The presentation was followed by a response from Shahinoor Alom, Deputy Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Wales who reflected on the changes in digital engagement and activism after the COVID-19 pandemic. This was followed by a range of questions from the audience covering topics such as interfaith work, digital safety and Islam and Welshness online.
The Digital British Islam team have produced a concise Policy Brief covering key findings and recommendations from the event which have been shared with Members of Senedd and attendees of the event. The Wales Policy Brief (English and Welsh) is also available to view and download below (following event images). The event was covered on BBC Radio Cymru’s religious affairs programme Bwrw Golwg (listen from 13.30).
The Digital British Islam Wales Policy Brief is available to view and download below in English or Welsh: