Cambridge in Sharjah: Building the foundations of research

Parody as resistance, religious broadcasting in the Arab world and China's relationship with the Gulf will all come under scrutiny as academics from Cambridge's Centre of Islamic Studies gather in the Gulf on March 10. We can have conversations that we would not have in Cambridge, with people we might otherwise never meet - and build networks that have foundations all over the world. Yasir Suleiman Attempts to bring the work of the Centre to an ever-increasing global audience will see more than a dozen academics and PhD students travel to the American University of Sharjah, in the United Arab Emirates, for a two-day symposium. The March 10/11 event - Cambridge in Sharjah: Perspectives on Middle Eastern Studies - is the latest attempt to foster new dialogues, partnerships and knowledge exchange beyond the boundaries of Cambridge after previous Centre visits to Sarajevo, Morocco and China. Director Yasir Suleiman believes his approach of 'taking the mountain to Muhammad' is the surest means of building long-standing and meaningful partnerships around the world. He said: "We care about engaging with people on their home turf, not just ours; people who want to come together and work with us as a team. This is all about connections and conversations.