Research

Research is not just a tool; it is an act of listening, healing, and transformation. We believe that research can be a force for justice when it is grounded in ethics, care, and lived experience. Our work is shaped by two key frameworks: Islamic ethics and decolonial thinking. Together, they guide how we ask questions, build relationships, and co-create knowledge with the communities we serve.

Islamic Ethics

We are rooted in the Islamic principle of ihsaan, striving for excellence with sincerity, justice, and compassion. This means approaching our work with humility and intention. We treat every story shared with us as a sacred trust (amanah) and hold ourselves accountable to those who entrust us with their experiences.

We also draw on Islamic Liberation Theology, a spiritual and ethical tradition that calls us to stand with the oppressed and to challenge injustice through faith-informed action. This means our research is not neutral or detached: it is committed, principled, and focused on change. We honour the dignity of survivors and prioritise the voices of those who are often silenced or overlooked.

Decolonial Thinking and Community Leadership

Our approach is decolonial: it challenges systems of power that extract knowledge without responsibility, and instead centres community wisdom, lived experience, and spiritual insight. We believe that Muslim communities are rich in knowledge and resilience and that research should respect and respond to that.

We are committed to community-led research. This means:

• Asking questions with, not about, the community.

• Building long-term relationships rooted in trust and mutual care.

• Valuing multiple forms of knowledge - lived, spiritual, academic, and cultural.

• Ensuring that our work leads to practical tools, protection, and healing.

What This Looks Like in Practice

•  We work in partnership with survivors, community organisations, and scholars.

• We create ethically grounded research spaces that are trauma-informed and spiritually safe.

• We are guided by maqasid ethics - prioritising the preservation of life, dignity, faith, and well-being.

• We focus on research that leads to real-world impact: community training, policy guidance, survivor support, and structural change.

Our research is a form of service: to protect what is sacred, to name what harms, and to walk alongside those working for justice, healing, and change.