Earlier this month (February 2026) I had the pleasure of going to Amman, Jordan, to spend time at the Applied Sciences University (ASU) as part of the ‘Arab Scholars Research Acceleration Programme’ (ASRAP). It was a rich few days of discussion, mentoring, and scholarly exchange.

A Lecture on the Sociolinguistics of Islam
A highlight of the visit was delivering a lecture on a new research theme I am developing: the sociolinguistics of Islam (see here). The talk explored how we might think more conceptually about the relationship between language and religious life in Muslim contexts (or contexts shaped by Muslimness), going beyond questions of Arabic as liturgical language, to think about vernacular instantiations of the sacred in everyday life, how everyday religious talk shape belonging, and the politics of authenticity.

I shared an early conceptual framing for the idea (developing on talks I’ve given at King Abdulaziz University and Dicle University), as well as ideas for special issues and collaborative research directions. The discussion raised questions about regional variation, Arabic’s role in Muslim communities beyond Arabia, and the methodological challenges of studying religion as lived linguistic practice. There are currently two special issues on this idea currently in the works and you can read some of the articles from those issues here and here. More are being published in coming weeks and months, so please watch out for them.

Mentoring and Presenting at ASRAP
Following the lecture, I served as a mentor and presenter at the three-day Arab Scholars Research Acceleration Programme (ASRAP). The workshop brought together emerging and established scholars for intensive sessions on publishing in international journals, research design and positioning, metrics, indexing, and academic visibility. What stood out most to me was the collective energy in the room. ASRAP is designed not simply to transmit advice about publishing, but to create a space where scholars can reflect on their intellectual trajectories, articulate their research identities, and build networks across institutions and borders. The metaphor embedded in the programme’s name – scholars moving together, like migrating flocks of birds – felt especially appropriate.

Well done to Abdel-Wahhab Khalifa (QUB), Hadeel Saeed (ASU), Renad Issa (ASU), and many others at both institutions for setting this up.