Young, British and Muslim * By PHILIP LEWIS

Abstract

We have seen, especially since 9/11, a spate of studies suggesting the disconnectedness, discontent and the destabilizing potential of radicalizing young British Muslims. Combined with the alarming accounts of Muslim behaviour and imagery in the media, these works have tended to heighten fear and public concern. The impact on policy and relations between Muslim communities and wider society has been considerable as British Muslims have increasingly come to be seen as a threat to national security, public safety and community cohesion. In Young, British and Muslim, Lewis attempts to redress the balance by offering a more nuanced perspective on the challenges and predicaments of young British Muslims. Lewis's concise study, in many ways an update of his mid-1990s Islamic Britain, is a timely and, indeed, overdue antidote to the, arguably, twisted characterization and popular perception of Islam and Muslims in Britain. Drawing on his personal experiences of Muslim communities over two decades, and considerable knowledge of, in particular, South Asian Muslims, Lewis has sought to produce an accessible analysis of the complex dynamics of young British Muslims’ struggle to develop a coherent sense of themselves and their place in British society. To this end, he invites a diverse range of Muslims—academics, novelists, film makers, young religious leaders, as well as community activists—to speak for themselves.