Book
Licensed
Unlicensed
Requires Authentication
On British Islam
Religion, Law, and Everyday Practice in Shariʿa Councils
-
John R. Bowen
Language:
English
Published/Copyright:
2016
About this book
On British Islam examines the history and everyday workings of Islamic institutions in Britain, with a focus on shariʿa councils. These councils concern themselves with religious matters, especially divorce. They have a higher profile in Britain than in other Western nations. Why? Taking a historical and ethnographic look at British Islam, John Bowen examines how Muslims have created distinctive religious institutions in Britain and how shariʿa councils interpret and apply Islamic law in a secular British context.
Bowen focuses on three specific shariʿa councils: the oldest and most developed, in London; a Midlands community led by a Sufi saint and barrister; and a Birmingham-based council in which women play a leading role. Bowen shows that each of these councils represents a prolonged, unique experiment in meeting Muslims' needs in a Western country. He also discusses how the councils have become a flash point in British public debates even as they adapt to the English legal environment.
On British Islam highlights British Muslims' efforts to create institutions that make sense in both Islamic and British terms. This balancing act is rarely acknowledged in Britain—or elsewhere—but it is urgent that we understand it if we are to build new ways of living together.
Author / Editor information
John R. Bowen is the Dunbar-Van Cleve Professor in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis. His books include A New Anthropology of Islam and Blaming Islam.
Reviews
"[This book cements] Bowen's reputation as distinguished expert on Islam and anthropology. . . . Bowen . . . [shows] how religious law is socially constructed and how it is less fixed than popular assumptions suggest. This not only has the potential to transform the academic and popular debate allying concerns but also underscores the possibility of social, political, and legal change."---Russell Sandberg, Journal of Law and Society
---
"This is a very well-researched book that accurately tries to portray the everyday life of Muslims and the problems they encounter. It is a welcome addition to the growing literature on the study of Muslims living in the West."---Abdur Rashid Saddiqui, The Muslim World Book Review
---
"On British Islam is the latest installment in Bowen's ambitious comparative ethnographic project. In many respects, it is also the most impressive. Above all, On British Islam is a rich depiction of the deliberations of several British Shari’a councils. . . . The four chapters that constitute ‘Practices’ are an ethnographic tour de force, an exemplary study in legal anthropology, the anthropology of Islam and the ‘anthropology of public reasoning’ in general."---Jeremy Walton, Islamic Law & Society
---
"This is a marvelously crafted ethnography. Bowen makes excellent use of interviews and observation, and skillfully knits together a variety of separate specialties in Islamic jurisprudence, British colonial history, and immigration in contemporary Europe."---Hakan Erdagoz, Sociology of Islam
---
"A very valuable resource for readers interested in the workings of Shari'a councils."---Silke Elrifai, Esq., International Journal of Constitutional Law
---
"Bowen has produced yet another valuable study. . . . [On British Islam] helps combat distorted generalizations about Islam and Muslims."
---
"Honorable Mention for the 2019 Laura Shannon Prize in Contemporary European Studies, Nanovic Institute, University of Notre Dame"
Topics
-
Download PDFPublicly Available
Frontmatter
i -
Download PDFPublicly Available
Contents
vii -
Download PDFRequires Authentication UnlicensedLicensed
Acknowledgments
ix - Part 1. Pathways
-
Download PDFRequires Authentication UnlicensedLicensed
Chapter 1. Why Shariʿa in Britain?
3 -
Download PDFRequires Authentication UnlicensedLicensed
Chapter 2. Transplanting Ties
10 -
Download PDFRequires Authentication UnlicensedLicensed
Chapter 3. Islamic Topographies
25 - Part 2. Practices
-
Download PDFRequires Authentication UnlicensedLicensed
Chapter 4. Background to the Shariʿa Councils
47 -
Download PDFRequires Authentication UnlicensedLicensed
Chapter 5. Improvising an Institution
65 -
Download PDFRequires Authentication UnlicensedLicensed
Chapter 6. Unstable Performativity
88 -
Download PDFRequires Authentication UnlicensedLicensed
Chapter 7. Competing Justifications
103 - Part 3. Variants
-
Download PDFRequires Authentication UnlicensedLicensed
Chapter 8. When Women Rule in Birmingham
123 -
Download PDFRequires Authentication UnlicensedLicensed
Chapter 9. Sufi Encompassments
143 - Part 4. Boundaries
-
Download PDFRequires Authentication UnlicensedLicensed
Chapter 10. Shariʿa in English Law The Argument So Far
173 -
Download PDFRequires Authentication UnlicensedLicensed
Chapter 11. When Can Shariʿa Be British?
194 -
Download PDFRequires Authentication UnlicensedLicensed
Chapter 12. Internal Debates and Practical Convergences
209 -
Download PDFRequires Authentication UnlicensedLicensed
Chapter 13. Conclusions
229 -
Download PDFRequires Authentication UnlicensedLicensed
Glossary
233 -
Download PDFRequires Authentication UnlicensedLicensed
Notes
235 -
Download PDFRequires Authentication UnlicensedLicensed
References
257 -
Download PDFRequires Authentication UnlicensedLicensed
Index
271 -
Download PDFRequires Authentication UnlicensedLicensed
Backmatter
277
Publishing information
Pages and Images/Illustrations in book
eBook published on:
April 11, 2016
eBook ISBN:
9781400881055
Pages and Images/Illustrations in book
eBook ISBN:
9781400881055
Keywords for this book
Islam; Mosque; Khula; Mahr; Divorce in Islam; Sharia; Muslim; Deobandi; Hanafi; Ahl al-Hadith; Solicitor; Arbitration; Fiqh; Birmingham Central Mosque; English law; Hadith; Haitham al-Haddad; Barelvi; Salafi movement; Sufism; Halal; Fatwa; Divorce; Ibn Taymiyyah; Saudi Arabia; South Asia; Pakistanis; Spouse; East London Mosque; Tablighi Jamaat; Usama Hasan; Islamism; Deliberation; Jews; Sunni Islam; Institution; Bangladeshis; Barrister; Madrasa; Civil marriage; Muslim world; Domestic violence; Qadi; Religion; Annulment; Statute; Islam in the United Kingdom; Islamic extremism; Islamic dietary laws; Muhammad; Attempt; Consideration; Secularism; Deoband; Lawyer; Petitioner; Marriage in Islam; Child custody; Seminary; Moral panic; Precedent; Maurice Bloch; Islamic studies; Marriage; Routledge; Protestantism; Madhhab; Family law; Grounds for divorce; Extremism
Audience(s) for this book
For an expert adult audience, including professional development and academic research
