blueoranges's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
4.0
steeluloid's review
5.0
Some sections of the press have attempted to write this book off as somehow fuelling Islamophobia, or for presenting a distorted view of Britain. I would suggest that this serves a very convenient function for many, because if you dismiss the book outright, there’s no need to trouble yourself with the difficult material inside.
Ed Husain has credentials. He even worked as a senior advisor to Tony Blair (If Ed’s clever enough for Tony, he’s clever enough for me). Writing this book, Ed set out in the hope of finding a modern, progressive and essentially ‘British’ style of Muslim culture.
What follows is a kind of Louis Theroux travelogue, in which he is increasingly baffled and horrified to discover the enormous gap between recent British Muslim “monoculture” and the white communities that they live alongside.
Headline claims from the book:
British Mosques stock libraries of books which are banned in countries such as Saudi Arabia for being too radical.
Radical Strains of Islam have propagated across much of the UK, especially in the North of England.
Moderate liberals make up the majority of British Muslims, but the outspoken, radical 5% is in full control of the rest.
Women are not doing well under this.
This takes place because our governments, charities, police, schools, social services etc, remain wilfully ignorant. The authorities have no understanding of what is being said, written, or printed under their noses. It is a William Golding scenario in which the adults are nowhere to be seen, and radicals are fully aware that they can build a destructive subculture without interference.
These radicals are a strong lure for young boys, who are being dazzled by the concept of a coming Caliphate. In twenty years time, when these boys graduate from their Madrasahs, it will be too late to put the Genie back in the bottle (no pun intended).
So what is to be done?
To be fair, the book is worth buying for the conclusion section alone. Husain warns that we will need to be careful, because getting it wrong will lead to what he calls three inevitable outcomes - increasing isolation, increasing hostility and enforced repatriation.
Instead, Husain concentrated on the positive, and looks at the potential for a new form of British patriotism that can take everyone with it. He makes suggestions for “selling” the concept of an inclusive, open and welcoming Britain that would make any immigrant be proud to embrace its culture as their own.
In essence, he argues that we need a new model of Britishness that incorporates everyone. But attaining it will require some quite significant changes on both sides of the divide.
Please buy this book, or at least, get it off the shelves in Waterstones and read the last chapter.
Ed Husain has credentials. He even worked as a senior advisor to Tony Blair (If Ed’s clever enough for Tony, he’s clever enough for me). Writing this book, Ed set out in the hope of finding a modern, progressive and essentially ‘British’ style of Muslim culture.
What follows is a kind of Louis Theroux travelogue, in which he is increasingly baffled and horrified to discover the enormous gap between recent British Muslim “monoculture” and the white communities that they live alongside.
Headline claims from the book:
British Mosques stock libraries of books which are banned in countries such as Saudi Arabia for being too radical.
Radical Strains of Islam have propagated across much of the UK, especially in the North of England.
Moderate liberals make up the majority of British Muslims, but the outspoken, radical 5% is in full control of the rest.
Women are not doing well under this.
This takes place because our governments, charities, police, schools, social services etc, remain wilfully ignorant. The authorities have no understanding of what is being said, written, or printed under their noses. It is a William Golding scenario in which the adults are nowhere to be seen, and radicals are fully aware that they can build a destructive subculture without interference.
“The Deobandis are taking over the Mosques, the Salafis are taking over our university campuses and even the Sufis are becoming mafia bosses.”
These radicals are a strong lure for young boys, who are being dazzled by the concept of a coming Caliphate. In twenty years time, when these boys graduate from their Madrasahs, it will be too late to put the Genie back in the bottle (no pun intended).
So what is to be done?
To be fair, the book is worth buying for the conclusion section alone. Husain warns that we will need to be careful, because getting it wrong will lead to what he calls three inevitable outcomes - increasing isolation, increasing hostility and enforced repatriation.
Instead, Husain concentrated on the positive, and looks at the potential for a new form of British patriotism that can take everyone with it. He makes suggestions for “selling” the concept of an inclusive, open and welcoming Britain that would make any immigrant be proud to embrace its culture as their own.
In essence, he argues that we need a new model of Britishness that incorporates everyone. But attaining it will require some quite significant changes on both sides of the divide.
Please buy this book, or at least, get it off the shelves in Waterstones and read the last chapter.
honestlyrussell's review
4.0
I was provided with an ARC of this book for free via NetGalley in exchange for a review.
Among the Mosques is a non-fiction read were the author visits several mosques around the UK and looks at how Islam is practised in different places and by different religious sects. As someone who was raised as an atheist, this book was not interesting but educational. Prior to reading this book I had only really thought of Islam being practised by Sunni and Shia sects but this book made me realise that it's really the tip of the iceberg.
It's clear that the author has put a lot of work into this book and tried to make it as diverse as possible. Some chapters were longer than others, but I never felt bored and thought that the right amount of time was dedicated to each city.
The only reason I have given this book 4 stars and not 5 is that I think that the author comes across as quite biased towards some aspects of the worship shown in this book but doesn't actually explain why he is against certain things. For example, when reading this I strongly got the impression that the author is against women covering their hair, but he doesn't explain why he feels that way. The author also doesn't explain his personal background, which I think would have given a lot of context to his opinions.
Among the Mosques is a non-fiction read were the author visits several mosques around the UK and looks at how Islam is practised in different places and by different religious sects. As someone who was raised as an atheist, this book was not interesting but educational. Prior to reading this book I had only really thought of Islam being practised by Sunni and Shia sects but this book made me realise that it's really the tip of the iceberg.
It's clear that the author has put a lot of work into this book and tried to make it as diverse as possible. Some chapters were longer than others, but I never felt bored and thought that the right amount of time was dedicated to each city.
The only reason I have given this book 4 stars and not 5 is that I think that the author comes across as quite biased towards some aspects of the worship shown in this book but doesn't actually explain why he is against certain things. For example, when reading this I strongly got the impression that the author is against women covering their hair, but he doesn't explain why he feels that way. The author also doesn't explain his personal background, which I think would have given a lot of context to his opinions.
aquakerwitch's review
informative
reflective
slow-paced
2.0
This book was a strange read. The author, despite being a Muslim himself, seems to deny the presence of Islamophobia in Britain and is pessimistic about the future of Islam in Britain. He fear mongers and talks about Muslims taking over Britain in a way you’d expect someone who reads the Daily Fail to. He says we should stop apologising so much for colonialism and praises Boris Johnson???
stephend81d5's review
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.0
Found this book very interesting looking at modern day Muslim Britain with the author travelling around several cities where he spoke to Muslims and others about their society and communities. The book mixes social political, historical and religious commentary and liked where the author explained more about the religion so people who aren't knowledgeable can understand.
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