Waseelah Smedley

MA GLOBAL HISTORY, UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM

I have been forever fascinated by the contradictions between the practices of a people and their belief systems. Exploring how these are overcome is my starting point into an historical enquiry. As a musician, I am drawn into particularly focusing on art culture across the world and how these reflect the lives and beliefs of people. History is crucial to recontextualising ourselves and our beliefs as Muslims within the legal and historical phenomenon of Islam. By deconstructing the secular and political narrative so often taught of Islam, we can challenge dialogical assumptions leading to more fruitful discussions.