Merryl Wyn Davies


Merryl Wyn Davies is a Welsh Muslim scholar, writer and broadcaster who specializes in Islam, and the co-author of books and articles with Ziauddin Sardar. An exponent of Islamic anthropology, she is director of the Muslim Institute, London.

Biography

Merryl Wyn Davies was born on 23 June 1948 in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales. After reading anthropology at University College, London, Davies began a career in broadcasting and journalism. Following jobs with local Welsh newspapers, and a stint with BBC Radio, Davies spent a decade with BBC TV Religious programmes, working on such award-winning shows as ‘Everyman’, ‘Heart of the Matter’ and ‘Global Report’ and the series, ‘Encounters with Islam’. In 1985 she left the BBC to write independently and to work for the London-based Muslim magazine Inquiry. During the 1990s, she worked as advisor and speech writer for Anwar Ibrahim, the former Deputy Prime Minister and now the Leader of the Opposition; and produced the ‘Faces of Islam’ series for TV3 Malaysia. She returned to the UK in 1996 and became Media Officer for the Muslim Council of Britain. In 2009, she joined the Muslim Institute of London to become its Director.

Thought

A writer on Islam, Davies pioneered a new approach to Islamic anthropology and a highly original critique of America based on Hollywood films.
In her work, Knowing One Another: Shaping an Islamic Anthropology, Davies developed a new mode of inquiry which she described, ‘after ibn Khaldun, as ilm ul umran’: a radical discourse shaped by dialogue between civilisations and cultures and based on an holistic understanding of what it means to be human. Anthropology, Davies argued, is basic to fostering understanding between and amongst people. It equips Muslims with both self-knowledge and the understanding to treat non-Muslims with tolerance. Such knowledge will enable Muslims to play a constructive part in the modern world’s constructive future.
In three books on America, written with Ziauddin Sardar, Davies develops ‘laws of American mythology’ which, she argues, are essential to understand the psychology of America, the security state, its foreign policy and international behaviour.

Books