Sadek Hamid is pleased to announce the publication of my new book Sufis Salafis and Islamists: The Contested Ground of British Islamic Activism. It helps to explain how three globally influential religious paradigms have shaped the religiousity of second and third generation British Muslims as well as contextualising current debates about religious radicalisation:
Contents:
Introduction
1. ‘Taking Islam to the People’: The Young Muslims UK
2. ‘Khilafah Coming Soon’: The Rise and Fall of Hizb ut-Tahrir in Britain
3. ‘Returning to The Qur’an And Sunnah’: The Salafi Dawah
4. Sufism Strikes Back: Emergence of the ‘Traditional Islam’ Network
5. Dawah Discourses: Understanding the Appeal of the Trends
6. Fragmentation and Adaptation: The Impact of Social Change
7. Contemporary British Islamic Activism
Conclusion
Endorsements:
It is a pleasure to recommend this book by one of the leading scholars of Islam in Britain. Sadek Hamid has the perfect combination of personal biography and experience, allied to academic rigour and attention to detail that makes this a nuanced, timely, well-informed contribution to debate about Islam in Britain today.
Prof. Sophie Gilliat-Ray. Author of Muslims in Britain: An Introduction
Sadek Hamid has written an invaluable study illuminating and evaluating the changing landscape of Islamic activism in Britain over the last thirty years. He devotes a chapter each to four faces of activism: reformist Islamist, radical pan-Islamist, Salafi and neo-Sufi. Their transnational origins, history, evolution and mutual rivalries are mapped and assessed in a measured, non-sensational and accessible manner. He also explores the extent to which they are positioned to respond appropriately to the experiences and questions of a new, media savvy generation of British Muslims. Indispensable for policy makers, academics, students and the general reader.
Dr Phil Lewis. Author of Young, Muslim and British
Sadek Hamid’s book is absolutely essential reading for anyone who wishes to further their knowledge of the dynamics of Islamic activism in Britain. It rescues Islamism from the rhetoric of terrorism and highlights the essential differences between ‘islamicisation’ and ‘radicalisation.’
Prof. Ron Geaves. Author of Islam in Victorian Britain: The Life and Times of Abdullah Quilliam
Readership:
Of interest to those who teach courses on Islam in the West, Muslims in Europe and Islam in Britain. It will also appeal to students and scholars of Religious Studies, Sociology, Anthropology and Cultural Studies.