The focus of this book now turns to the organizations and activities that sustain British Muslims, individually and corporately, in their religious identity and practice. Prefaced by a chapter that provides a socio-demographic profile of Muslim communities, the later chapters explore the ways in which religious identity and individual development are shaped by family life, by education, by religious leaders and institutions, and then by gender. The progress and success of British Muslim media, artistic, sporting, political, cultural and trading initiatives are sketched in the final chapter, and this indicates the many ways in which Muslims have become embedded within, and contribute to, wider British society.

Through this thematic exploration, the dynamics and dynamism of British Muslims are emphasized. These chapters portray the myriad ways in which Islamic traditions have found new expression in Britain through the entrepreneurialism and creativeness of individuals and organizations. Particular attention is drawn to the different ways in which British Muslim youth negotiate not only their cultural inheritance but also their religious identity. At the same time, it becomes evident that many young Muslims are actively participating in the world that is most relevant to them, namely modern (and largely secular) Britain and Europe, without succumbing to either passive assimilation or unquestioning acceptance of exploitative materialism.

Within this dynamism there are nonetheless tensions. Many Muslims, both in Britain and further afield, are engaged in an effort to determine what is Islamically ‘non-negotiable’, while also establishing what may be legitimately subject to change in the light of new circumstances.