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Muslims in Britain

Module description

In this module you will study Muslim communities and  contemporary, experiences in Britain, Europe and wider Islamic contexts. The class will promote an informed debate about its significance and future. The course aims to provide an understanding of the history of Muslim communities in Britain today and how Muslims define themselves through their faith and in light of historical and contemporary political events and attitudes. The module especially involves an examination of the debate around integration, integration strategies, assimilation and multiculturalism. It will set these against the experience of other migrant groups for comparison.  There are no specific pre-requisite or co-requisite modules for this module, it is suitable for all students, and can be part of an interdisciplinary pathway.

Module aims - intentions of the module

This module aims to study the Muslim presence in Britain today, within its British, European and wider Islamic contexts, in order to promote an informed debate about its significance and future. It aims to provide an understanding of the history of Muslim communities in Britain today and how Muslims define themselves, and involves an examination of the debate around integration, integration strategies, assimilation and multiculturalism. It will set these against the experience of other migrant groups for comparison.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 1. Demonstrate a thorough knowledge of the situation of Muslim communities in Britain, and in comparison with similar groups in Europe.
• 2. Demonstrate an appreciation of the dynamics of social integration and factors that help or hinder it.

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 3. Analyse information, using a statistical, non-biased approach towards the data.
• 4. Apply integration theories to understanding the practical interaction between communities.

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 5. Develop time organisation; analytical writing
• 6. Write clear, grammatical English which is essential.

Syllabus plan

Lectures 1
Definition of 'British Muslims'. History and pattern of migration. Comparison with European Muslim migration.

Lecture 2
Demographic profile of British Muslim communities. Second and later generations. Specific studies.

Lecture 3
Social/linguistic/cultural/theological profile of British Muslim communities.

Lecture 4:
Historical perspective of contacts between Britain and the Islamic world.

Lecture 5:
Assimilation Integration and acculturation. The debate and factors that help or hinder the process. Muslims and the arts as examples of integration. Perceptions of Muslims in the media.

Lecture 6:
Obligations of migrant and receiving society. Comparison with practice in other countries.

Lecture 7:
Racism and islamophobia, origins and social factors in their genesis. Some examples in practice. Comparison with other types of xenophobia.

Lectures 8-9:
Terrorism and Islam. Definition, Islamic teaching on the use of military force. Suicide bombing.

Lecture 10:
The international dimension: links to the situation in Afghanistan, Iraq and Palestine.

Lecture 11:
De-integration and ghettoisation. The prospects for the future.

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Formative assessment

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Re-assessment notes

Reassessment will be based on same methods as assessment.

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

Lewis, Philip, Islamic Britain, IB Tauris, 1994.
Jorgen Nielsen, Muslims in Western Europe, Edinburgh University Press, 2005.
John Rex, The Ghetto and the Underclass, Avebury, 1988.
Thomas Hammar, Democracy and the Nation State, Avebury 1990.
Nabil Mattar, Islam in Britain, Cambridge University Press, 1998.
Humayun Ansari, 'The Infidel Within': Muslims in Britain since 1800, University of Minnesota Press, 2005.
Tariq Modood, The Politics of Multiculturalism in the New Europe, Zed Press, 2005.
Tariq Modood, Multicultural Politics: Racism, Ethnicity and Muslims in Britain, University of Minnesota Press, 2005.
Tahir Abbas (ed), Muslim Britain: Communities under Pressure, Zed Books, 2005.
Tahir Abbas, Islamic Political Radicalism, Edinburgh University Press, 2007.

Key words search

Muslims, Britain, European Muslim migration