Only connect: can the ulema address the crisis in the transmission of Islam to a new generation of South Asians in Britain?

Abstract

This article identifies the challenges the ulema (community of Muslim scholars) in Britain face if they are to connect with British Muslims from South Asian backgrounds, especially two groups of British Pakistanis; the disaffected, inner-city ‘rude boys’, and students on campus attracted to more radical groups. The diversity of expressions of Islam available on the Internet and in many large cities indicates the extent to which the ulema are but one centre of authority in a proliferating, polycentric, religious reality. Furthermore, British South Asians can now access Islamic groups with roots outside South Asia, whether Wahhabi/Salafi (early generations) traditions funded by Saudi petrol dollars or Hizb at-Tahrir (Party of Liberation), a movement with origins in Palestine. It is clear that the search for relevant expressions of Islam cannot be divorced from ‘identity politics’. Thus, this article explores the dynamics of the latter and its interplay with Islam. Finally, four exceptional British-based ulema are depicted that, in different ways, are seeking to connect. Their different contexts and constituencies are considered. Cumulatively, they indicate both the vitality of their traditions, the pragmatism characteristic of much of their developing interaction with wider society, and the potential and pitfalls of such an engagement.