Centre for the Study of Islam in the Contemporary World

Sunni-Shi'i Relations

Exploring the multifaceted contemporary relationship between Islam's two main sects, with a particular focus on the UK and Europe as well as other Muslim-minority contexts.

Sunni-Shii relations in the UK and Europe remains largely unexplored in the academic literature.

Academic Lead: Dr Elvire Corboz

The UK and Europe remain largely unexplored in the scholarship on contemporary Sunni-Shi‘i dynamics. The Alwaleed Centre's aim is to capture the multifaceted nature of Sunni-Shi‘i relations – the more conflictual aspects but also those characterised more by dialogue, co-operation or indifference – as well as explore the dynamics shaping these relations.

Through its Deputy Director, Dr Elvire Corboz, the Centre will work with academic and non-academic partners across the UK and Europe with the aim of building a network of expertise which will help drive the field forward.

Over the coming years, the Centre will deliver a number of workshops on contemporary Sunni-Shi'a relations in Europe as well as a journal special issue.