Towards Building a British Islam: New Muslims' Perspectives

203 Pages·2011·0.639 MB·English

by  Haifaa A. Jawad

Towards Building a British Islam:
New Muslims’ Perspectives
Despite the current negative image of Islam in the European
context there has been a steady growth of converts to Islam
over the past few decades, especially in Britain. British con-
verts are a highly diverse group, with different social, economic
and educational backgrounds. In recent years this group, or
community, has grown in confidence and become increasingly
active in influencing positive Islamic discourse in Britain. The
book sheds light on the intellectual and spiritual contribu-
tions of some of the prominent figures of this group of ‘new
Muslims’ and assesses their efforts in shaping Islam in British
society; among those the study looks at are Martin Lings, Gai
Eaton, Tim Winter and Hamza Yusuf.
The research also investigates the potential benefit ‘new
Muslims’ can bring to bridge the gap between Muslim commu-
nities and wider British society, thus helping in the process of
building mutual trust, greater coo peration and positive under-
standing among all parties in Britain. The work will help read-
ers to become aware of the evolution of a ‘British Islam’ that
is more open, rooted in British values and spiritual traditions,
and forms a part of the continually changing British religious
landscape.
Also available from Continuum
European Muslims, Civility and Public Life, Ihsan Yilmaz and Paul Weller
Muslim Youth, edited by Fauzia Ahmad and Mohammad Siddique Seddon
Understanding Christian-Muslim Relations, Clinton Bennett
Young, British and Muslim, Philip Lewis
Towards Building
a British Islam
New Muslims’ Perspectives
Haifaa A. Jawad
Continuum International Publishing Group
The Tower Building 80 Maiden Lane
11 York Road Suite 704
London, SE1 7NX New York, NY 10038
www.continuumbooks.com
© Haifaa A. Jawad 2012
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or
transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical,
including photocopying, recording, or any information storage or
retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from
the publishers.
Haifaa A. Jawad has asserted her right under the Copyright,
Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as the author of this work.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN: HB: 978-0-8264-9684-3
e-ISBN: 978-1-4411-1433-4
Library of Congress Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
Jawad, H. A.
Towards building a British Islam: new Muslims’ perspectives/Haifaa A. Jawad.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-8264-9684-3 (hdbk.)
1. Muslim converts--Great Britain. 2. Conversion--Islam--Case studies.
3. Muslims--Great Britain. 4. Islam--Great Britain.
I. Title.
BP65.G7J38 2011
297.5’740941--dc23 2011019461
Typeset by Deanta Global Publishing Services, Chennai, India
To Little Anas with that angelic face,
rest in peace with the Spirit
vi
Contents
Foreword viii
Acknowledgements ix
Introduction 1
Chapter 1: Islam in Europe 17
Chapter 2: Early British Convert Community
(or Native British Converts to Islam): An Overview 43
Chapter 3: Native British Converts: Post-World War II Era Onwards 73
Chapter 4: Post-World War II Case Studies:
Case Study I – Martin Lings or Abu Bakr Siraj al-Din 85
Chapter 5: Post-World War II Case Studies:
Case Study II – Gai Eaton or Hasan Abdal Hakim 101
Chapter 6: Contemporary Case Studies:
Case Study I – Tim Winter or
Shaykh Abdal Hakim Murad 115
Chapter 7: Contemporary Case Studies:
Case Study II – Mark Hanson or Shaykh Hamza Yusuf 131
Conclusion 143
Notes 147
Bibliography 169
Index 179
Foreword
By Dr. Khaled Abou El Fadl, Alfi Distinguished Professor of
Islamic Law, UCLA School of Law
Despite the critical importance of the subject, the history and growth of Islam
in Britain have received scant attention in Western scholarship. More particu-
larly, the history of conversions to Islam in Britain, why people convert, and
what impact converts have upon British life have been a neglected subject.
Haifaa Jawad has done the scholarly community an immeasurable service
by writing this wonderfully inspired, informative and well-written book. At
a time when most of what is published about Muslims in Europe, and
especially about converts, does not rise above the level of alarmist bigotry or
pitiful apologetics, Jawad presents the first sociologically grounded and
morally balanced study of the stories of British converts to Islam and the
multifaceted and diverse roles that they play in their native societies. Jawad’s
study is invaluable in that it carefully and sympathetically allows the subjects
of her study to present their own narratives, in their own unique voices,
without treating her study either with presumptuous skepticism or uncriti-
cal indulgence. This book, however, is not about exemplary case studies of
some notable Muslim converts and their reasons and impact. Jawad’s
contribution is of far greater import and significance. In this concise and
poignant book, Jawad offers an engaging introduction to the religion of
Islam as it is understood and practised by its followers, and also an overview
of the history of Muslims and Europe. Not surprisingly, this book will be of
great value to Muslims and non-Muslims alike, to academics and scholars
and most of all, to any reader who is interested in the future of Islam and
the West. Jawad’s scholarship calmly but steadfastly unpacks so many stereo-
types held by both Muslims and non-Muslims about converts, their reasons
and roles in Britain. In my view, those who give Jawad’s scholarship its due
and read her work carefully will discover that the greatest contribution of
this book is that, perhaps unwittingly, it offers hope: hope for a world of
shared humanity, shared values and understanding and tolerance.
Acknowledgements
I am grateful to the following people for their help and support in the pro-
cess of working on this book. Yahya Birt for his valuable time to accommo-
date my requests to interview him many times and discuss with him certain
aspects of British Islamic history and the works of some prominent British
converts; his kind and valuable advice was extremely helpful. Yasin Dutton
for his encouragement, Laura MacDonald for her swift response to my
queries, Ian Draper for his time to discuss issues on the convert community,
Tim Winter for his recommendation to some valuable sources, Reza Shah
Kazemi for his valuable comments on the chapter on Martin Lings and
Hamza Yusuf for giving me some of his valuable time to discuss certain issues
related to Islam in Britain. My last acknowledgement goes to my sister Suzan,
and brothers Jamal and Emad for their support and understanding.
October 2011