Everyday life in London's mosques : Islam, identities, and everyday practices

Abstract

It is often hypothesized that at times of social change and identity confusion, lslamist and reactivist ideologies gain ground. Is this true for British Muslims? Are the difficulties and contradictions experienced in the midst of multidimensional forms of discrimination, creating fertile ground for reactivist ideas to take root? This thesis explored the everyday lives of Muslims in London in their places of worship to answer these questions by employing the ethnographic method. Part of the study analyzes fundamentalist, lslamist, and reactivist texts, along with core Islamic texts such as the Quran and Hadeeth, in order to uncover the points of connection and contention between them. The other part explores the role of Islam and Islamic institutions in informing identity processes and everyday practices on individual, inter-personal, and inter-group levels. The diversity of Muslim communities and Muslims' relationships to Islam is investigated on all three levels. The hypothesis that the situation of Muslims in London is heading towards an upsurge of reactivist ideologies was found not to hold. On the contrary, it was found that local Muslim populations, particularly those born in London, have created ethno-geographical clusters. Within one of these clusters, an emergence of a local British Islam and Muslim community that identifies strongly with its Britishness was found. In addition, the lslamism adopted by this particular community has driven its members towards participation in local politics. In the community's attempts to better its situation, it has built institutions organized according to British models and standards. The thesis concludes that following the failure of reactivist ideologies, British Muslims in London, particularly those that are 2"d (or more) generation, have adopted an lslamism that is a positive force in their integration and advancement within British society. Far from being reactivist, their relationship to Islam still informs every aspect of their lives; private, public, and political.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo