British Muslims and the British Understanding of Islam

Hussain A. M.

Süleyman Demirel Üniversitesi İlahiyat Fakültesi Dergisi, cilt.18, sa.1, ss.7-14, 2007 (Hakemli Dergi)

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 18 Sayı: 1
  • Basım Tarihi: 2007
  • Dergi Adı: Süleyman Demirel Üniversitesi İlahiyat Fakültesi Dergisi
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Index Islamicus, MLA - Modern Language Association Database
  • Sayfa Sayıları: ss.7-14
  • Marmara Üniversitesi Adresli: Hayır

Özet

This paper, first of all, introduces the reader to the British Muslims and their history during the last 150 years. It identifies the diversity within the British Muslim community as stemming from various strands such as (i) numerous ethnic communities immigrated from their homelands for economical and political reasons during the last 150 years and settled in Britain as ethnic clustered groups (ii); there were different views of Islam within these ethnic groups that made them even more diverse and so mosques and communities were identified not only according to ethnicity and language but also their interpretation of Islam and (iii) the generation the gap created by the difference of identity felt by the younger generation in compared to the older generation which led to an even more diverse interpretation of Islam within the United Kingdom. Thus, you can come across the Barelwi, the Deobandi, the Salafi (various divisions) and numerous other Muslim organizations created after or at the end of the European colonization. However, even with all of these differences, there is a growing trend towards a common British Muslim identity which may be compared to the Turkish or Pakistani Muslim identity. Hence, this article examines the need for the Muslim community of Britain to understand its own background and divisions so as to be able to establish their own independent identity in a Western country. Keywords: British Muslims, Muslim Minorities, Islam, and West.