Britain's First Muslim Peer of the Realm: Henry, Lord Stanley of Alderley and Islam in Victorian Britain

Abstract

Much has been written about Britons who converted to Islam abroad between the sixteenth and early nineteenth centuries. These studies have suggested that, with the rise of British imperialism, conversions petered out. However, this article shows that the consolidation of the British Empire in India in the late 1850s coincided with the conversion to Islam of Henry Stanley, eldest son of an English Peer of the Realm. Stanley returned to Britain a Muslim and was the first Muslim convert to live and die on British soil. He also became, in 1869, the first Muslim member of the House of Lords. Yet, despite his historical importance, especially to the history of Islam in Britain, Stanley's life has been neglected. This article redresses the imbalance by reconstructing Stanley's life for the first time. It investigates why he converted to Islam and how his compatriots responded; considers how far Islam affected his life; and evaluates his religious commitment. It is argued that Stanley was a maverick to convert to Islam in the age of high imperialism, but was a timid public Muslim figure in practice. His privileged lifestyle nevertheless enabled him to sustain his religious commitment for more than 40 years.