Review of the Contemporary Literature on Islam and Muslims in the UK through the Lens of Immigration Issues, Civic Participation and International Constraints

Abstract

The following article explores the development of academic scholarship on the presence of Muslims in Britain through the lens of immigration issues, civic participation and international constraints. It intends to identify the key players in the field over the last forty years. In doing so, it will inevitably overlook the historians now working on the earlier presence of Muslims in Britain. However, the article hopes to demonstrate the increasing academic interest in the study of Muslims in Britain and some of the trends and transformations in academic interest. The article does not detail the networking activities of the important Muslims in Britain Research Network established by Jorgen Nielsen when he worked at Selly Oak College in Birmingham in the 1980s or the Centre for the Study of Islam in Britain based at Cardiff University. However, many of the contributors to the study of Muslims in Britain will have benefitted from the work of the Network and the Centre. In some ways the existence of both is an indicator of the growth of the subject area and the role of the study of religion.