Laruens has completed a BA in Theology and Religious Studies (2010) and an MA in Theology and Religious Studies, specialising in Islam (Cum Laude, 2012), and earned his PhD from Durham University in July 2016. His research examines how non-Muslim people in Britain interact with news reports about Islam and Muslims and how that affects their interpretation and conceptualization of Islam and Muslims. This is an interdisciplinary study that discusses the issue of media reports about Muslims and Islam whilst drawing upon areas such as hermeneutics, media studies, philosophy of identity, post-colonial theory and religious studies. He wrote his Master’s thesis on Tariq Ramadan and Islam in the West.

Laurens has spent time at a number of institutions across the globe, these Include: The Graduate School of the Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University in Jakarta, Indonesia (spring 2013), the Religion Department at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, USA (Autumn 2013), The Centre for Religion, Media and Culture in Journalism & Mass Communication Department at the University of Colorado in Boulder, Colorado, USA (spring 2014), and at Brazil’s Fundação Joaquim Nabuco (summer 2016).

In 2017 he was a post-doctoral research fellow at the University of Cape Town for a year, where his research analyses how the media discourse on minorities (particularly Muslims and Islam) affects how they are conceptualized, understood, and treated in South Africa. This work was supported in part by the National Research Foundation of South Africa. He is also a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy since 2016.

Our chair imam Abdul Hafeez Siddique is an experienced, qualified Muslim Chaplain who studied at a traditional Islamic seminary in Bolton. He graduated from the seminary at the age of 17 making him, at the point of qualification, one of the youngest Imam’s in Britain. He is the CEO of The Flowhesion Foundation and a Part-time Chaplain at HMP Wymott.

Abdul has a strong academic background in community cohesion and social capital research. This led him to become the first person in the Northwest to look in to how members of the South-Asian Muslim community in Bolton interpreted the terminology and lexicology surrounding community cohesion. He asked these difficult questions to marginalised members of the bamer community. The research allowed Abdul to undertake an in-depth theoretical study of the evolution of the concept: community cohesion and his in-depth qualitative interviews formed the basis of his study titled ‘A critical analysis of Cantle’s (2001) community cohesion model and its applicability to marginalised elements of Bolton’s south-asian Muslim Community’ that was awarded to him in 2011. In addition, Abdul has over 10 years’ experience working with socially excluded immigrant BAME communities and their representatives in Bolton to promote community cohesion and build social capital.

In 2012 Abdul Undertook an MA in social work at The University of Manchester to further solidify his theoretical and practical knowledge, to be the voice of marginalised diasporas, work effectively to alleviate social issues and promote community cohesion. He is a fellow of the Institute of Leadership and Management, having completed their intensive leadership development programme. More recently he was appointed as a non-executive director at Bridgewater community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, making key decisions on health strategy across Cheshire, Merseyside, Oldham, Hulton and Bolton. He oversees the organisation’s peoples committee and a wellbeing guardian lead.

Currently the Business and Development Manager of Home-Start Central Lancashire, a family support organisation delivering practical and emotional support to families across Central and West Lancashire. Passionate about social mobility and community cohesion and a long-standing Trustee of The Flowhesion Foundation.

I am currently developing training courses for staff, volunteers and families on parenting techniques through empathic practices. I raise awareness of parental burnout and adverse childhood experiences.

Over 20 years’ experience the statutory and third sector, particularly in empowering bamer women on issues around DV/DA/HBV.

Fully qualified Freedom program Facilitator, training course developer and over 15 years’ experience of delivering training to agencies and organisations nationally. Experience in research qualitative and quantitively, analysing data and problem solving.

Paul Delbridge-Smith FRSA has enjoyed a broad and distinguished career and is an accomplished international education professional, with over 25 years experience in international education leadership, management and innovation in both the public and private education sectors in the UK and internationally covering early years to higher education, and most notably in the Middle East, India and Pakistan.

• An experienced, good-humored, professional leader, with a passion for excellence for all pupils. Strong executive and planning skills with a keen interest in the establishment of sound communications, systems and procedures. Calm in a crisis with good lateral-thinking skills and creative problem-solving ability.
• Dynamic Leader with over 15 years of experience in providing the vision and leadership required to ensure a high quality of education for pupils. Recently served a 3 year tenure as a Principal with the Spectra Education group Qatar.
• Successfully transformed schools in need of improvement and in specialmeasures.
• Set up founding schools in the UK and Qatar.
• Vast experience in managing resources and staff to improve educational services, thereby providing pupils and teachers with the best environment to achieve their full potential. Possessing the required enthusiasm, vision, drive and adaptability necessary to manage a modern school.
• Have led National Curriculum of England schools as well as Ministry regulated schools.
• Qualified and experienced in leading a large department in the UK producing outstanding results.
• Able to produce and analyse timetables, SEFs, SIPs with extensive knowledge in Progress 8.
• Completed Council of International Schools (CIS) inspection training as well as BSME – British Schools of the Middle East.
• Lead Inspector with Schools Plus who are leading in-schools inspections in the middle east and now in the UK.