Open Discussions/Gulf Cultural Club
*Dr Muhammad Abdul Bari (Author, community activist)
**Dr Rebecca Masterton(Academic and historian)
***Rev Andrew Thompson (Anglican priest, author)
King Charles recently hosted an iftar in Ramadan, and there were lights wishing a Happy Ramadan in London’s Oxford Street. Some supermarkets had halal food for Ramadan. On one hand, there is now a greater appreciation of Islam in British society away from the negative media stereotypes. On the other hand, Islamophobia is growing and anti-religion sentiments are spreading. The influence of Islam in the UK is evident in politics, finance, fashion, food and discussions on freedom of expression. The speakers will discuss how Islam is contributing to British culture and how British culture is shaping Islam. The question is: is there a healthy symbiosis between them?
Tuesday, 8th April
Chairman: The key word in this discussion is culture because Britain is quite happy to accept all these cultural events because cultural does not challenge the status quo. Just to give you an example of what happened 150 years ago when Britain was trying to conquer Afghanistan. There were three attempts. So the governor or whoever was in charge of Peshawar state saw a huge mass of people coming for Friday prayers. So he asked his adviser what is happening here? Are they just coming for prayers? If they are coming for prayers fine let them pray. So long as prayers and all these religious activities do not challenge the status quo we are very happy. Culture is fine whether it is Eid or Muharram. As long as it does not challenge the status quo.
Rev Andrew Thompson: I returned to London about four years ago after spending 20 years in Kuwait, the UAE and working in other Gulf countries. I was asked by the London Borough of Hillingdon to set up the inter faith community for the area. Covid had closed down the inter faith space and they were looking for people who had a background and experience of people from other faiths.
So I gladly threw myself into the religious environment in the borough of Hillingdon. Twenty years in the Middle East does not prepare you for encountering Islam in the United Kingdom. It was a very different experience. The hospitality however is the same. In Arab culture I grew very fat with the hospitality of the Omanis and the Kuwaitis. The Muslim leaders I encountered in the UK have been famous for their hospitality. In the Church of England you are lucky if you get a biscuit.
I want to reflect a little bit on my experiences in Britain compared to my experience of Islam in the Gulf. I want to comment on the diversity in the United Kingdom. In Abu Dhabi where there are about 400 mosques and they follow the Maliki school of Islam but the sermon is the same. And that is because the government manages the Islamic space through a government ministry and employs the theologians. The theologians write the sermon and the imams have to preach it. If they do not preach it they will get into trouble.
In the UK there are no such restrictions so when you go into a mosque the sermon is written by the individual imam reflecting a variety of traditions. The sectarianism that we see in the British landscape reflects British migrants. We have different waves of communities coming in since the 1960s mainly from the Asian sub continent. So we see the Deobandis and different kinds of Islam from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh being brought into country.
I want to talk briefly about my experiences in Hillingdon Borough because that is the town I live in. We have three mosques. One is Bengali, one is a Somalian mosque and the other is from the Turkish community.
They do not engage at all with the British community in the town. The Somalis have retreated ever since the MP David Amess was killed by a Somali British citizen and there was an outbreak of violence towards the local Somali community. They are now a very embattled community and do not engage with many civic communities at all. They have good relations with the local police but more by way of protection rather than engagement with the wider society.
Different Islamic communities engage with British society at different levels. When it comes to interfaith engagement I have noticed that the Muslim communities which have a contested status within Islam are the ones who are most likely to engage with other faith groups to consolidate their security and their credibility.
For example the Ahmadiyya who define themselves as Islamic are not at popular with mainstream Islam. And the reason we have such a large Ahmadiyya community in Hillingdon is that have faced persecution in the Middle East and in other countries. And they have found that by reaching out to the local civic authorities and the interfaith groups and by sponsoring encounters between interfaith groups they are raising their credibility as a community player in British society.
I have also noticed that the Shia have a long standing tradition of engaging with inter faith communities because of their contested space within main steam Islam. They have a theology of suffering which is notable and shared with other persecuted communities. That is very often the starting point when it comes to discussions between the different religious communities. How do you reconcile your faith when you are persecuted. Where do you go when you are a minority and you are having a tough time when other people are turned against you.
And that theology of sufferance leads to a building of alliances with the local community. This determines the level of engagement with interfaith communities and the level of integration.
Until recently the majority of imams in the UK came from the host culture. Many of them did not speak English. They had the tradition of following the curriculum in their home countries. They were not at all equipped in engaging with a critical educational space. They were not equipped to engage with critical liberal thinking and they became objects of scorn for the younger generation of British Muslims.
That is changing and we are seeing British educated imams coming to the fore in Hillingdon Borough who are more than able to hold their own in the educational space. We have also seen in Hillingdon a shift where the bubble neighbourhoods which were traditionally defined by one migrant community are changing. Neighbourhoods are becoming more diffuse with different nationalities, ethnicities and races. Once there used to be just the Bangladeshi area or the Turkish area but now they are a more diverse and that means they are forced to engage with the wider community.
We have seen a shift of the more confident members of the Islamic community engaging with local decision making bodies such as the local council. Hillingdon Borough had a Muslim mayor who is a successful business man and he has created and generated tremendous good will towards the Muslim community through his charity work and liaison with various businesses. The London Metropolitan Police Officer who is responsible for liaison with inter faith groups is a devout Muslim and has generated tremendous respect.
There are issues which are getting in the way of integration. The British response to Gaza has been hugely problematic for the Muslim community in Britain causing many of them to withdraw from the public stage despairing about whether they will ever feel at home in this country.
This is understandable in what is perceived to be a very one-sided response to the war in Gaza. This continues to be problematic in the political space. I think of the imam of Liverpool who has spoken up for Gaza and has been an object of suspicion. At the same time he went viral after the murders in Southport when protests targeted the mosques. This was an experience which led him to being invited to Downing Street. He met Keir Starmer and the hate he received from his own community in shaking hands with the British Prime Minister was a salutary warning for any Muslim leader who wishes to engage in British politics. It was appalling.
So this toxic political environment is really tough for British Muslims. We have seen a rise in extremism and continuous negative media coverage. The interview with the leader of the Muslim Council of Britain by the BBC a couple of years ago was appalling because of its stereotyping and racism.
So in the face of these challenges how can British Muslims reconcile their British identity with their Muslim identity? Some have taken some very extreme approaches. For example there have been calls to get rid of all the hadiths and to have a Quranic Islam. The argument is that the hadiths are defined by Arab culture. British Muslims are asked to redefine an Islamic way of life and an identity without being tied down to Arab culture.
We need the Muslim Council of Britain to be taken seriously by the British government. They have been sidelined and ignored particularly by the previous government. The British government has a working group to define Islamophobia which can become policy and then law.
But I have hope as for the evolvement of the British Muslim community in integrating with wider British society. We have seen a number of leaders in the public space such as Sajid Javid Khan, Shabanna Mahmoud, the MP Abtisam Mohammed who was prevented from entering Israel, Nadia Hussain in the cultural space, Mo Farah – the are all popular figures who have made Islamic identity part of the British landscape.
More recently I have seen the Muslim community reaching out to the wider community during Ramadan. There was an iftar hosted by the British parliament which was attended by Islamic dignitaries. Wembley football stadium hosted an iftar as did other football stadiums.
I want to conclude by saying that my experience of Islam in Britain has been truly positive. We are engaging at the local level in working together for a more cohesive and more secure community in London particularly in the wake of the riots last summer.
Dr Rebecca Masterton: One of the elements that inspired me to come into Islam in the late 90s after spending about seven months in Egypt and just seeing the remnants of Islamic civilisation was the feeling that Islam was still enabling society to have the kind of morals ethics and communal awareness that we had lost in a very individualistic, materialistic Western culture or at least British culture under Margaret Thatcher.
I was introduced to people who identify as Sufis, from southern Egypt. When I asked them if they were worried about the Salafia coming into town they said “no we are not worried because we are armed.” These were the kinds of Sufis I encountered.
When I came back to the UK I couldn’t find that kind of spirit of Islamic Muslim culture that I was trying to get to know. It was a time of very intense Salafi activity. So while I was predominantly looking for esoteric knowledge what I was encountering was people of my age who were obsessed with reviving the caliphate. And I remember back then saying to one woman if you have a caliphate framework but you don’t have the character and the right human development at an individual level then any kind of framework for the caliphate is going to fail. You have to obtain knowledge first before you set up that kind of structure.
And then a couple of years ago I read Mark Curtis’s book Secret Affairs Britain’s Collusion with Radical Islam,. He works at Chatham House. It was about the British government’s dealings with a lot of Salafi networks during the last 100 years and how the government was very concerned about Arab nationalism. In the 1960s and 70s there was a trend towards Marxism and so the government preferred to support Salafai organizations above nationalist movements.
Mark Curtis pointed out that the reason the government hosts some of the more prominent figures in the Salafi movement is because that enables networks of communication to remain open between Britain and the Middle East. So I also happened to notice in his book a couple of names that I had encountered around 2000, 2001. I realised that the fathers of some of the girls I had been teaching GCSE English to were in prison because they were responsible for the bombings in Tanzania. I did not discover that until I read Mark Curtis’s book.
When we are thinking about British Islam we need to go beyond what we are seeing at a surface level in terms of culture. London has many kinds of Muslims but the philosophy of London and further afield in the UK is that if you have money you are welcome. Qatar probably owns a third of London. So if you have money you are welcome. Just around the corner on Oxford Street when women from the Gulf countries go shopping on average they spend about £4000 whereas an average Londoner will spend £40.
I had a personal experience in Oxford Street dressed like this and they assume I am from the Gulf and are extremely nice to me and tell me they have a little discount for a face cream – just £600. And then when they hear my accent I am a persona non grata. It is as if I don’t exist. They don’t even want to look at me anymore. Okay fine.
Another interesting point about the Sunni community. In 2002 the late Fuad Nadi who ran Q News wrote a very interesting article about the interfaith scene in the UK. Primarily when we look at the philosophy and the overall purpose of the British elite system we see that of course the British elite system is always thinking about its interests. So anything that it wants to do or wants to gift is going to have some kind of strategy behind it.
The late Fuad Nadi said that the British interfaith scene is quite unique because it is being used to try to manage Muslim communities in Britain.
I was noticing quite a few Shia events had the theme of resilience. And I found out that this ideology of resilience is by British design. I found a whole pdf philosophical study on resilience. It was about 150 pages so I did not have time to read through all of it but it was basically all about the attempts to in calculate resilience among Muslim communities with a view to encouraging passivity and diluting political activity. This became part of the prevent strategy.
I often found that events I was attending or was asked to attend without fail somewhere in the programme were going to have a discussion about resilience. Or they would title their event resilience. They would have to have the word resilience in their event. Then I know where they got their money from to host the event. That makes us question in the Shia community where are we going, what is the direction. Fifteen years ago when there were many conferences and activities going on in Islamic centres and we had a rise of Shia channels and a very enthusiastic youth. It was quite an exciting time and it seemed we were really going in some kind of direction and just becoming more empowered. There were a lot of youth who were very passionate about spirituality and the struggle of the self so there was great enthusiasm for the spiritual path.
What I have seen since then is a lot of people have grown up and have families and are now in their 30s. That movement has fizzled out and what has emerged is a kind of commercialisation of Shi culture. So the main objective of young people now is to get money. They need to pay their mortgage, they need to pay for their kids schools, they need to get a car. There is now the philosophy that the Shia tradition is a really good business opportunity.
So again I wonder what is the long term direction and I do have people of all ages contacting me and asking me the same question. I am trying to open their eyes and ask them the same question. It takes a collective effort to find some kind of answer as to where we are actually going.
Just one point about the king hosting the iftar. To me it looks like just a cosmetic exercise to be honest. The thing about that iftar is that it upset a lot of Christians. And I do wonder again about someone’s strategy when they are trying to be sympathetic to Muslims but they are doing it in a Christian building.
I noticed some years ago Prince Charles visited the Catholic Cathedral in Westminster when he went over everybody’s head and decided to have a performance of the 99 names of Allah and there were Catholics outside protesting. I didn’t like the high handed approach. And the point was made are mosques going to do the same. Do they have an Easter Service within their walls?
So I don’t know if hosting an iftar is very helpful. The monarchy has done a lot to sell arms to Saudi Arabia and they have been instrumental in taking a part in the arms trade and we have videos of Arabs doing some kind of traditional dance in Saudi Arabia. So again the question arises as to what ethical comprises Muslims are willing to make in order to get what they feel is some kind or recognition from the British elite.
I feel there is so much corruption in this country. The judiciary is corrupt from top to bottom. If you are a Muslim you will automatically be judged in a certain way and not given justice in the courts. Ninety nine percent of the judiciary are Masonic. They are involved in the Free Masons in some way and they are pro Israel. That is not getting addressed.
So really I wonder about the role of Muslims in the UK. Is it just to be able to buy what we think is halal food really to implement the fundamental ethics of Islam which is to campaign against corruption and to really implement an ethical society from the roots up and clean out and clean up the corruption to establish a fair society. The society is rapidly becoming less fair and more and more people are becoming homeless. These are just some of my thoughts.
Dr Muhammad Abdul Bari: Muslim links with Britain are historical. King Offa of Mercia (died 796), an Anglo-Saxon King, had coins minted with the inscription of the Kalimah (the Muslim declaration of faith) in Arabic, indicating diplomatic and commercial ties with Muslims in Spain and North Africa. The Ox-Bridge Universities established Chairs of Arabic in the 1630s, and scholars in Britain relied heavily on translations from the Arabic in the fields of mathematics, astronomy and medicine throughout the medieval period and the Renaissance. The Qur’an in English was produced by Alexander Ross in 1649.
By the 19th century many Muslim seamen had settled in most of the ports of England, Wales and Scotland. Organised Muslim activities in London owe much to the Indian Muslim, Justice Syed Ameer Ali, who came to live in England after his retirement in 1904. He was the first Muslim Privy Councillor, and along with other prominent Muslim and non-Muslim personalities of the day, established the London Mosque Fund in 1910 that later became the East London Mosque in Whitechapel.
However, bigger Muslim presence is comparatively recent, with its roots in immigration particularly from South Asia after the WW2 when Britain needed people from Commonwealth countries for its economic reconstruction. The Muslim communities started establishing their own businesses, schools, charities, purpose-built mosques and community centres.
Most Muslims still live in a number of inner-city conurbations and symbolises their relative poverty and diversity in terms of language, culture, ethnicity and religious and social trends. The Muslim population, estimated at about 4 million now, is influencing various sectors – from politics and finance to fashion, food, and discussions on freedom of expression. At the same time, British culture is also shaping the way Islam is practiced and understood within the country.
Recent developments—such as King Charles’s public dealings with Muslims, Ramadan lights in Oxford Street, and some supermarkets selling halal food—indicate a growing appreciation of Muslim need. Muslim achievements and contribution to Britain in economy, charity and health sectors are being recognised. However, these positive shifts exist alongside rising Islamophobia in media depiction of Muslims. The wider issue is how Islam is impacting on British culture and vice versa, and whether a healthy symbiosis exists between them.
For Muslims issues that are still discussed are:
- What internal and external challenges are they facing in their efforts towards a more positive social engagement with other Britons, and how are they coping?
- How can they ethically navigate through the challenges and come out as fuller participants of society without losing core Islamic principles?
Muslim role in British Politics
Muslims have been an integral part of British political life for decades. With an increasing number of Muslim MPs in Parliament, as well as mayors, councillors, and policymakers, British politics is gradually becoming more reflective of the country’s diverse population. Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, is perhaps the most prominent example.
Muslim engagement in politics is not limited to representation. They are also actively involved in political discourse such as lobbying for policies that address social justice, human rights, and anti-discrimination laws. This engagement is shaping national conversations on issues such as refugee rights, counter-terrorism policies, and religious freedoms. However, there are huge challenges, especially in the current political climate. The rise of populist politics has, at times, fuelled anti-Muslim sentiment, making it difficult for Muslim politicians and activists to navigate the political space without facing discrimination.
The report by the Citizens UK Commission into Islam, Participation and Public Life in 2017, Chaired by former Attorney General Dominic Grieve – The Missing Muslims: Unlocking British Muslim Potential for the Benefit of All focuses comprehensively on addressing the challenges and underrepresentation faced by British Muslims in various areas of public life, including politics, education, and employment.
Islamic Finance
The UK has positioned itself as a global hub for Islamic finance, demonstrating how British economic institutions are adapting to Islamic principles. Islamic banking that operates on principles such as profit-sharing and the prohibition of interest, though criticised for inadequacy by some for its shortcomings, has found a good foothold in the UK.
The British government embraced Islamic finance in 2014, issuing the first sovereign sukuk (Islamic bond) outside the Muslim world. The inclusion of sharia-compliant financial products in some mainstream banks highlights how British financial markets are trying to accommodate diverse consumer needs. This, in turn, is shaping how Muslims engage with financial systems, allowing them to align their economic activities with ethics and religious values while contributing to the broader economy.
Fashion Trends: Modesty Meets Modernity
The fusion of Islamic principles with contemporary fashion is another visible aspect of Islam’s presence in British culture. Modest fashion, once considered niche, has gained widespread acceptance, with some major brands offering modest wear collections. The UK has also produced successful Muslim designers who blend Islamic aesthetics with Western fashion sensibilities, demonstrating how cultural exchange can foster creativity.
At the same time, British culture has influenced Muslim fashion by encouraging individual expression. Many young Muslims blend traditional Islamic dress with modern trends, creating a unique hybrid style that reflects both their faith and British identity. Social media influencers, particularly hijabi fashion bloggers, have played a key role in normalising modest fashion within the mainstream industry.
Culinary Delights
Food is often a bridge between cultures, and the rise of halal food in Britain exemplifies how Islamic dietary laws are impacting on British culinary habits. Major supermarket chains such as Tesco, Sainsbury’s, and Morrisons now offer a wide range of halal products, catering not only to Muslim consumers but also to a growing number of Britons who appreciate halal food.
Restaurants across the UK, from high-end eateries to fast-food chains, have incorporated halal options, making it easier for Muslims to dine out without compromising their dietary restrictions. At the same time, British cuisine has influenced the way Muslims in the UK eat, leading to the fusion of traditional Islamic dishes with local ingredients and cooking styles. Nadiya J Hussain, rose to fame as author and TV personality after winning BBC’s The Great British Bake Off in 2015.
This cross-cultural exchange has given rise to creative culinary innovations, such as halal versions of classic British dishes like fish and chips.
Freedom of Expression
One of the most complex areas of interaction between Islam and British society is the debate over freedom of expression. Britain has a long tradition of free speech, but this has sometimes clashed with the sensitivities of Muslim communities, particularly on issues such as depictions of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), media portrayals of Islam, and public debates on religious practices.
At the same time, Muslims have contributed to the discourse on free speech by advocating for responsible media representation and challenging stereotypes. Initiatives such as the Muslim Council of Britain’s media engagement strategy seek to ensure that Muslims are portrayed fairly, while interfaith organisations promote dialogue between different communities. Despite massive challenges, these debates are shaping a new understanding of how diverse groups can coexist while upholding both freedom of speech and religious sensitivities.
Art and Literature: Bridging Cultures
Islamic art and literature have enriched British cultural life, contributing to a broader appreciation of Muslim heritage. British Muslim authors such as Leila Aboulela have gained international recognition for their novels exploring themes of identity, migration, and faith. Meanwhile, some visual artists are using street art to merge Islamic calligraphy with contemporary urban aesthetics, creating a unique fusion of British and Islamic artistic traditions.
Poetry, which has deep roots in both Islamic and British traditions, has also been a space for cultural exchange. The rise of spoken-word poetry among young Muslims reflects their engagement with social issues and their ability to navigate multiple identities. This creative expression allows for a reimagining of what it means to be both British and Muslim.
Education and Community Empowerment
Education has been a key area of Islamic presence in Britain. Muslim schools, both independent and state-funded, provide education rooted in Islamic values while integrating the national curriculum. Higher number of home-grown Muslim students in the universities are impacting on educational progress of British universities. At the same time, they are attracting students from across the Muslim world who contribute to intellectual discussions vis a vis Islam.
Muslim organisations and charities also play a significant role in community empowerment, addressing social issues such as poverty, mental health, and youth engagement. Initiatives such as the Ramadan Tent Project, which hosts open iftars for people of all backgrounds, illustrate how Muslims are fostering community spirit and intercultural dialogue.
Challenges and Opportunities
While the integration of Islam into British culture has brought many positive developments, multiple challenges remain. Islamophobia is a persistent issue, affecting everything from employment opportunities to personal safety. Hate crimes against Muslims have risen in recent years, fuelled by misinformation and political rhetoric.
Conclusion
The relationship between Islam and British culture is dynamic and evolving. Islam is impacting in profound ways on British politics, finance, fashion, food, and artistic expression. Meanwhile, British culture is also impacting on the practice of Islam, creating new expressions of faith that are uniquely British.
While challenges exist, there is strong evidence of a symbiotic relationship that, if nurtured, can lead to a more inclusive and vibrant society. By embracing diversity and fostering mutual respect, Britain can continue to be a place where different cultures not only coexist but also enrich one another. The future will depend on continuing meaningful dialogue, challenging stereotypes, and celebrating the shared values that bind them together.
*Dr Muhammad Abdul Bari is a Bangladeshi-born British physicist, writer, teacher, and community leader. He is a former secretary of Muslim Aid, a former chairman of the East London Mosque, and a former Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain. He also served as the president of the Islamic Forum of Europe (IFE) in its early years when it was formed to organize Bangladeshi diaspora professionals in Europe. In addition to consultancy work, he has written for publications including The Huffington Post and Al Jazeera, and has authored numerous books. He now writes and works on contemporary social issues such as family, parenting, youth, identity and civic activism.
**Dr Rebecca Masterton converted to Islam in 1999 and became a Shia Muslim in 2003. At SOAS, she received a BA in Japanese, an MA in Comparative East Asian and African Literature, and a PhD in the francophone and Islamic mystical literature of West Africa. Her academic work focuses on West African Sufism, Shia spirituality, colonialism, and modernity. She has previously taught at Birkbeck College and the University of London. Masterton has appeared on Islamic media programs at Sahar TV, Press TV, Hadi TV, and on the Ahlulbayt TV. She set up the Centre of Shia and Cultural Studies whose courses include early Shia history and Islamic trends in African History. She has travelled extensively in the Middle East and Muslim world and has recently returned from a trip to Syria and Lebanon. She has also published her book of short stories Passing Through the Dream… To the Other Side.
***Rev Andrew Thompson is an Anglican priest, who has done extensive religious work with churches throughout the Middle East and North Africa region. He was ordained in Derby Cathedral by Jonathan Bailey in June 2000. Rev Thompson was chaplain at St Paul’s Church, in Kuwait from 2006 – 2010 and was made an Honorary Canon of Bahrain Cathedral. He sparked controversy when a newspaper article recorded a statement, in which he declared that it “was easier to be a Christian in the UAE than in the UK”. In 2010, Rev Thompson became the chaplain at St Andrew’s Church, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, which is part of the Diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf. In 2020, he was appointed Team Vicar of St. Margaret’s Church in Uxbridge, London Diocese. Rev Thompson is author of Christianity in Oman: Ibadism, Religious Freedom, and the Church (Christianities of the World), Celebrating Tolerance: Religious Diversity in the UAE, Jesus of Arabia and Christianity in the United Arab Emirates.
