REF2021 UoA27_ICS_A: Stories of Sacrifice: increasing cross-cultural, cross-faith awareness and dialogue through a public exhibition and collaboration with the Armed Forces, Police and schools

Description of impact

Research conducted by Dr Islam Issa has doubled the previous estimate of Muslim soldiers that fought for the Allies during WW1. At a time of increasing Islamophobia, the research and resulting exhibition, Stories of Sacrifice, have:

increased cross-cultural and cross-faith awareness and dialogue in the UK, reaching hundreds of thousands of individuals;

altered perceptions of Muslims in the First World War and of Muslims in general positively, with 75% of visitors surveyed saying the exhibition changed their views about Muslims in Britain;

directly changed the British Army’s Diversity and Inclusion strategies in the North West;

contributed to Greater Manchester Police diversifying its recruitment practices while helping it to combat racial profiling following the 2017 Manchester bombing;

increased Muslim students’ awareness of the Muslim contribution and their sense of belonging, reaching over 2,000 students through lessons and school trips at Key Stages 3 and 4.

Impact date	2015 → 2018
Category of impact	Societal impacts
Impact level	Engagement