Islam and Muslims in Victorian Britain: New Perspectives

Description

This book brings together the work of sixteen leading and emerging scholars of Islam in Britain, Western Islam and the history of Christian-Muslim relations to offer fresh perspectives on Islam and Muslims in Victorian Britain. The contributors reveal 19th-century attitudes and beliefs about Islam and Muslims to demonstrate the plurality of approaches to Islam and Muslims in Britain's past – in politics, academia, literature, the press and other forms of popular culture. They also bring to life the stories and voices of early Muslim settlers and converts to Islam to assess their experiences as Muslims in the Victorian period. Cross-cutting themes include religion and religiosity, 'race' and ethnicity, gender, class, citizenship, empire and imperialism, and prejudice, discrimination and resilience. Revealing the stories and experiences of Muslims in the past and their contributions to history is essential to build a full picture of Muslim life in Britain and the growth of multicultural society as it has developed since the 19th century.