Lecturer Maria Hussain curates display for Leeds City Museum exhibition

The "trailblazing" contributions of Muslims living and working in the north of England are being celebrated in a new museum display curated by Business School academic Maria Hussain.

Maria Hussain is a Lecturer in Business Management at Leeds University Business School and has recently won a prestigious fellowship at the Leeds Institute of Teaching Excellence (LITE) for her research project entitled: ‘Enhancing the value placed on diversity: from the international classroom to the global workplace’ which explores attitudes towards diversity from both student and employer perspectives.

Maria Hussain’s display ‘Muslims in the North’ disseminates a number of  key findings from her LITE research which explores the perceived value of diversity. The display was launched on 6 March and showcases the trailblazing success of notable Northern Muslims across four areas: commerce, healthcare, law and research. This collaborative project with Leeds City Museum was funded by the Cultural Institute at the University of Leeds and sponsored by Leeds University Business School. 

Objects on display include an Islamic headscarf, necklace and a 2022 Commonwealth Games mascot loaned by Nazir Afzal who was a baton bearer when the games were held in Birmingham.

 

Among the people to feature in the exhibition at Leeds City Museum are Nazir Afzal, the former Chief Crown Prosecutor of North West England, and Dr Mumtaz Patel, a consultant nephrologist and vice president for Education and Training at the Royal College of Physicians.

Ms Hussain said:

The project’s main aim is to showcase the value of cultural diversity and intercultural working within the region.

Read the full article on BBC News.