Abstract

This article presents a case study of the Fultoli tradition, an expression of Islam dominant amongst Bangladeshi migrants to the UK, but which in general terms has failed to communicate itself to British-born Muslims. It is also a denominational identity that has been overlooked in academic literature on British Muslims, and regularly mischaracterized. To correct this, the article presents an overview of Fultolir Sahib, the late founder of the tradition, and the theological distinctiveness of his teachings, before considering its movement to Britain. A varied methodological approach is adopted in order to explore the topic, combining a textual exploration of Fultoli sources with qualitative interviews with members of the Fultoli tradition, and also autoethnography drawing upon the authors’ (who were both raised by Fultoli parents) experience of the tradition. The article argues that Fultolir Sahib’s authority is constructed in an idiom that is inaccessible to British-born Muslims and that Fultoli institutions have failed to create leaders capable of preserving the tradition. It concludes that despite the diminishing numbers of Fultolis in Britain, it is still important for academics to recognize their unique role in the landscape of Muslim denominational diversity.

Highlights

  • In accounts of British Muslim denominational diversity, the Fultoli1 tradition, emerging out of Sylhet in Bangladesh, is consistently overlooked

  • Garbin is accurate in his assessment that the Fultoli movement ‘does not appeal to second and third generation British Bangladeshis’ (Garbin 2005, p. 9), and, unlike other Islamic movements that have emerged in the UK, it has no appeal beyond its immediate ethnic group

  • Fultolir Sahib is best-known for founding the Darul Qirat Majidia Fultali Trust Madrasah in Bangladesh, which educated the public in Islamic studies, specializing in the recitation and memorization of the Quran

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Summary

Introduction

In accounts of British Muslim denominational diversity, the Fultoli tradition, emerging out of Sylhet in Bangladesh, is consistently overlooked. The Fultoli tradition provides an important case study for British Muslim denominational diversity, and this article seeks to present a corrective to the under-representation of the Fultoli tradition in academic literature by presenting an empirical description of the theology of its founder (Fultolir Sahib2 ) and Fultoli institutions in Britain. There are a number of ways that this word can be spelt, including: Fultoli, Phultoli, Phultali, Foltali, Foltoli and Fultali. Whilst the latter is more correct as far as the standard Bengali spelling is concerned, the authors have decided to go with the spelling ‘Fultoli’ as this is how it is vocalised by most Bangladeshis. The article concludes with a plea to academics in British Muslim studies to more accurately recognize the specific religious history and identity of Bangladeshi Muslims and the Fultoli tradition

The Absence and Mischaracterization of Fultolis in Academic Literature
Methodology
The Founder
Fultolir Sahib’s Institutions and Scholarship
The Theology of Fultoli Tradition
From to Britain
Fultoli Mosques in the UK
The British Decline of Fultolis
Findings
10. Conclusions

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