The Birth of British Islam: Multiculturalism and the Localisation of Muslim Debates

British multiculturalism is increasingly under attack by politicians across the spectrum, accused of fostering ‘parallel communities’ unwilling to embrace ‘British values’.This book challenges such claims through a decade of research within British Muslim communities, including those most often labelled ‘parallel’.It shows how mosques and dar ul ulooms (Islamic higher education institutions) across the UK are breaking with earlier insular approaches, stressing that British values are not only compatible with Islam but worthy of respect.Among second- and third-generation British Muslims-including the new cohorts of imams trained in British seminaries-there is a clear aspiration to integrate as productive citizens.The book highlights that the small minority of disaffected Muslim youth, frequently amplified in media and policy debates, tend to come from disadvantaged socio-economic or troubled family backgrounds exposing them to negative experiences from the wider society.Rather than bein