With author Diana Darke on how Islam shaped western skylines

Organised by the Manchester Muslim Forum[MMF] and hosted by Khizra Masjid in partnership:

BOOK DISCUSSION: STEALING FROM THE SARACENS & ISLAMSEQUE

with author *Dr Diana Darke[author of Stealing from the Saracens: How Islamic Architecture Shaped Europe (2020), Islamesque]

*Host and chair: Dr Sadek Hamid [Fellow at Leeds University and the Founder Director of the Manchester Muslim Forum]

Date and time: Saturday 19th 2026, 3pm - 5pm [Prompt start]

Venue: The Khizra Mosque and Community Centre, Main Lecture Theatre , 425 Cheetham Hill Rd, Cheetham Hill, Manchester M8 0PF

ALL WELCOME - FREE ENTRANCE! PRE-REGISTRATION ONLY!

DEADLINE FOR BOOKINGs APPLY after which registrations will close!

Main speaker and author: *Dr Diana Darke is a historian and Middle East cultural expert who wants to set the record straight. Her notable works include Stealing from the Saracens: How Islamic Architecture Shaped Europe (2020), Islamesque The Forgotten Craftsmen Who Built Europe’s Medieval Monuments, and The Merchant of Syria: A History of Survival (2018). In 2005, she purchased a 17th-century courtyard house in the Old City of Damascus, reflecting her deep connection to the region.

Host and chair : *Dr Sadek Hamid is a Fellow at Leeds University and the Founder Director of the Manchester Muslim Forum. Previously he was a Senior Research Fellow, at the University of Edinburgh] and prior he was Head of Research at UKIM and Research Fellow at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David. He has previously held teaching and research positions at the universities of Chester, Liverpool Hope, Cambridge Muslim College and Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies. He has been actively engaged in Muslim communities for more than 30 years and prior to transitioning to academia was a Youth & Community Development professional. He has written extensively on Muslim young people, Islamic activism, religion, politics, and public policy. He is author of Sufis, Salafis and Islamists: The Contested Ground of British Islamic Activism (I. B. Tauris, 2016), co-author of British Muslims: New Directions in Islamic Thought, Creativity and Activism, (Edinburgh University Press, 2018), editor of Young British Muslims: Between Rhetoric and Realities (Routledge, 2016), co-editor of Political Muslims: Understanding Youth Resistance in a Global Context (Syracuse University Press, 2018), Youth Work and Islam: A Leap of Faith for Young People (Sense, 2011) and most recently; Contemporary British Muslim Arts an Cultural Production: Identity, Belonging and Social Change (Routledge, 2023).. He has previously held teaching and research positions at the universities of Chester, Liverpool Hope, Cambridge Muslim College and Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies. He has been actively engaged in Muslim communities for more than 30 years and prior to transitioning to academia was a Youth & Community Development professional. He has written extensively on Muslim young people, Islamic activism, religion, politics, and public policy. He is author of Sufis, Salafis and Islamists: The Contested Ground of British Islamic Activism (I. B. Tauris, 2016), co-author of British Muslims: New Directions in Islamic Thought, Creativity and Activism, (Edinburgh University Press, 2018), editor of Young British Muslims: Between Rhetoric and Realities (Routledge, 2016), co-editor of Political Muslims: Understanding Youth Resistance in a Global Context (Syracuse University Press, 2018), Youth Work and Islam: A Leap of Faith for Young People (Sense, 2011) and most recently; Contemporary British Muslim Arts an Cultural Production: Identity, Belonging and Social Change (Routledge, 2023).

Description supplied by the event organiser.