July 27, 2004

Young Muslims in the UK

Posted by Chris

The (London) Times is running a series on Muslims in the UK . Not profound stuff, but a useful antidote to the demonization that prevails in parts of the blogosphere. Unsurprisingly, it turns out that young Muslims have views about sex and alcohol (among other things) that resemble in important respects the views that many young Catholics have about contraception.1

1 The article is freely accessible from within the UK, but may require registration from elsewhere. My information about whether those attempting to access from elsewhere need to subscribe varies.

Posted on July 27, 2004 04:35 PM UTC
Comments

In the US, I get “The area you wish to access is behind registration.”

Posted by todd. · July 27, 2004 04:58 PM

Yeah, in the US I always get the requirement for paid subscription.

Posted by Ophelia Benson · July 27, 2004 06:58 PM

For the registration–averse, Bugmenot.com may be of some use.

Posted by peter ramus · July 27, 2004 07:52 PM

They want, I think, money as well as registration. Stupid greedy bastards.

Posted by Andrew Brown · July 27, 2004 08:11 PM

Yuptheydo.

Posted by Ophelia Benson · July 27, 2004 09:24 PM

You can find both articles at
timescoverstory.blogspot.com

Posted by mike · July 27, 2004 10:08 PM

Not profound stuff, but a useful antidote to the demonization that prevails in parts of the blogosphere.

Do you mean the demonization of extremists Chris? Because most of the British Blogosphere (Blogoslice?) I have seen makes a clear distinction between the extremists and the wider Islamic community.

Posted by Anthony · July 27, 2004 10:31 PM

Anthony, I had in mind some of the wilder fantasies (sometimes fuelled by Mark Steyn columns and the like) that one sees in the American blogosphere. Of course, we Brits are far too sensible not to make that distinction. ;)

Posted by Chris Bertram · July 27, 2004 10:49 PM

I also got the registration screen. Fortunately, I have Lexis, so I can cheat.

The articles are interesting, particularly the part about how some of the British seminaries are creating an organic Western Islam. With the Muslim College admitting women, there will apparently be female imams in the near future, and the synthesis of theology, secular studies and practical counseling is reminiscent of Western seminaries (or government seminaries in Tunisia). I sense a Reform Islam in the works.

Posted by Jonathan Edelstein · July 28, 2004 12:51 AM

Pity we don’t have antidote articles for the demonisation of white male gun owners in the UK and Australia.

Posted by ChrisPer · July 28, 2004 02:32 AM

I will try and dig out the series on Muslims that Paul Vallely and I did for the Independent in 1996 or thereabouts. We were finding people talking about an indigenous British Islam then, too.

Posted by Andrew Brown · July 28, 2004 07:41 AM

I dunno about Australia, but I thought there weren’t any white male gun owners in the UK.

Posted by harry · July 28, 2004 02:29 PM

Tsk. And here I was thinking “Muslims in the UK” comprised more than middle-class Arabs, completing a liberal education at a London university.

“Liberal” attitudes among Muslims regarding alcohol are hardly that “shocking”. See Ibn Battuta’s travels, or Ottoman and Mughal history, as well as early Islamic legal literature (especially of the Hanafis). In English, see Enc. of Islam (II) under the entries “khamr” and “masharubat”.

Posted by thabet · July 28, 2004 05:23 PM

“Liberal” attitudes among Muslims regarding alcohol are hardly that “shocking”. See Ibn Battuta’s travels, or Ottoman and Mughal history, as well as early Islamic legal literature (especially of the Hanafis).

Not to mention classical Persian poetry, including at least a quarter of the verses of the Rubaiyat.

Posted by Jonathan Edelstein · July 28, 2004 10:05 PM
Followups

This discussion has been closed. Thanks to everyone who contributed.