Sufis, Salafis and Islamists: The Contested Ground of British Islamic Activism

Description

British Muslim activism has evolved constantly in recent decades. What have been its main groups and how do their leaders compete to attract followers? Which social and religious ideas from abroad are most influential? In this groundbreaking study, Sadek Hamid traces the evolution of Sufi, Salafi and Islamist activist groups in Britain, including The Young Muslims UK, Hizb ut-Tahrir, the Salafi JIMAS organisation and Traditional Islam Network. With reference to second-generation British Muslims especially, he explains how these groups gain and lose support, embrace and reject foreign ideologies, and succeed and fail to provide youth with compelling models of British Muslim identity. Analyzing historical and firsthand community research, Hamid gives a compelling account of the complexity that underlies reductionist media narratives of Islamic activism in Britain. Cover Author Bio Title Copyright Dedication Contents Acknowledgements List of Abbreviations Glossary of Arabic Terminology Foreword Introduction 1. ‘Taking Islam to the People’: The Young Muslims UK 2. ‘Khilafah Coming Soon’: The Rise and Fall of Hizb ut-Tahrir in Britain 3. ‘Returning to The Qur’an And Sunnah’: The Salafi Dawah 4. Sufism Strikes Back: Emergence of the ‘Traditional Islam’ Network 5. Dawah Discourses Understanding the Appeal of the Trends 6. Fragmentation and Adaptation: The Impact of Social Change 7. Contemporary British Islamic Activism Conclusion Notes Bibliography Index