British Muslim Identity Project Exploration of British Muslim Identity

Facts & Figures

British Muslims
European Muslims
Originated From
Age & Sex
Places of Worship
Ethnic Groups
Defining Identity
What they Say

Islam: Basics

Profession of Faith
Praying
Social Responsibility
Fasting
Pilgrimage

Research

Muslims in Britain
Impact of Media
Islamophobia
Identity
British & Muslims
Surveys
Interviews
Auto Photography

British & Muslims
How young people feel and think

“Substantial number of Muslim Britons have for some years been experimenting with ways of combining their practice of faith with art and culture. The result has been a flowering of the British Muslim cultural scene in ways that seemed improbable back in the 1990s. Demography has undoubtedly played its part, as the growth is dominated by people who today are in their 20s and 30s.” [26]

The emergence of a new generation of young Muslim ‘leaders’ in business, politics and media is a great sign that Muslims are asserting their influence and are interacting within British society. The 3rd and 4th generation of British Muslims have long detached from ethnic and national identifications of their 1st generational migrant roots. Things like cultural references, language, behaviour, interactions with non-Muslims etc, are already well established. In other words, their now exists a British Muslim identity that is evolving. Among young Muslims, for example, half of those aged 18 to 30 are in post-compulsory education, compared with 38% of the wider population.[27] And in recent years, younger generations of Muslims have been emerging as stars of politics, entertainment, sport and media.

For young Muslims being confident and assertive is the norm in British society today, whereas the 1st generation had to establish themselves in often unfamiliar and sometimes hostile environments when settling in Britain. Young Muslims face a different set of challenges from that of their parents; identity is at the heart all this. There are many ethnic groups that make up the Muslim population in Britain, from Pakistanis, Bangladeshis and Turks. This generation of Muslims do not identify themselves from their ethnic backgrounds but more from their faith, in many ways this is acting as glue that binds all these groups under one identity, that represents many of their commonly shared values.

British & Muslims

Introduction
Objectives
Conclusion