Medina in Birmingham; Najaf in Brent

Abstract

Medina in Birmingham; Najaf in Brent: Inside British Islam by Innes Bowen seeks to explain to a mainly non-Muslim readership the complexities and nuances of different Muslim groups that have come to live in Britain since the 1950s. The book aims to be “a guide to the ideological differences, organisational structures and international links of the main Islamic groups active in Britain today” needed in order partly to counter the perception that Muslims form one homogenous mass. It follows in the tradition of ethnographic works begun in the colonial period, that were produced in order to inform the British Government about the thinking and culture of those under its administration and, more importantly, about whether they were planning any uprisings or posed any threat. An example of this approach can be seen in Bowen’s assurances that the Twelver Shi‘a living in Britain do not unequivocally support Iran: The most striking feature of Britain’s Shia community is the lack of influence that the Islamic Republic of Iran exerts over it, despite all of its resources. […] The fact that Najaf school secularism has triumphed over Tehran’s Islamism will be something of a relief to [the] British government. (p. 162) Bowen also remarks on how little Britain’s police force know about the Muslim groups with which they have co-operated: ...