College News

29 April 2004

'The Infidel Within' Muslims in Britain since 1800: launch at the House of Lords

There has been an explosion of research into the experience of British Muslims, but what has been missing is an integrated and broader history of the Muslim presence in Britain. This is what Royal Holloway Historian, Humayun Ansari, does in 'The Infidel Within'. The book, to be launched at the House of Lords on 5 May, presents an informative and highly readable historical account of Muslim presence in Britain from 1800 to the present day, drawing together a wealth of published research, augmented with Ansari's own archival enquiries and first-hand experience of some of the key themes involved. Among the topics addressed are migration and settlement in Britain before 1945, the evolution of a British Muslim Identity, Muslim women and families, Muslim and education and the growing mobilisation of Muslims in Britain's political, religious and economic life. The result is a broad, integrated history, which is set to become the definitive account of the British Muslim experience.

"Humayun Ansari does an excellent job of providing a historical and country-wide account which is not only descriptive but analytical. It is fluently written and easily accessible to a wide range of readers and has the potential of becoming the initial reference text for people starting research in the area as well as a required text for university courses", says Jorgen Nielsen, Professor of Islamic Studies, University of Birmingham.

"This book impressively charts the transition Muslims from across the Islamic world experienced from transient sojourners - "Muslims living in Britain" - to settled, established permanent citizens who could confidently fight for and embrace their identities and rights as "British Muslims", remarks Dr Fauzia Ahmed, Department of Sociology, University of Bristol.

Dr Humayun Ansari is the Director of the Centre for Ethnic Minority Studies and Equal Opportunities, and a Senior Lecturer in the Department of History, Royal Holloway, University of London. He has conducted extensive research into the history of Muslims in Britain, ethnic studies and race relations, the employment and career opportunities of ethnic minorities, and racial discrimination and disadvantage in society.

In 2002 his report 'Muslims in Britain', also delivered in the House of Lords, tackled discrimination against British Muslims and called for a shake up in the UK Government's approach to its Muslim citizens.

Published by Minority Rights Group International, the report examined social, economic, legal, political and cultural aspects of life for the UK's Muslim community - which numbers around 2 million people - considering Muslims' access to education, employment and housing. Exploring also the issue of Islamophobia and the media, and the experiences of Muslims within the criminal justice system.

For more than twenty years Ansari has worked both to enhance the skills of ethnic minorities and to break down negative attitudes and stereotypes in society. He has advised numerous bodies by: helping people develop the skills to operate effectively in a multi-cultural environment; designing services which are accessible and of equal quality for all, regardless of ethnic origin; and promoting the benefits of diverse workforces to business and to state services. He has served in a voluntary capacity in positions ranging from a committee of the Judicial Studies Board to the chairmanship of the Board of Management of the Slough Citizens Advice Bureau. In 2002 Dr Ansari was awarded the OBE for his work in race relations.

'The Infidel Within' published by C. Hurst Publishers, will be launched at The House of Lords on Wednesday 5 May.

ENDS

For press information contact: Christine Long, Press & PR Officer 01784 443 967 christine.long@rhul.ac.uk

To contact Dr Humayun Ansari: 01784 443685 k.ansari@rhul.ac.uk

Notes for Editors

Dr Humayun Ansari: other publications:
'The Woking Mosque': A Case Study of Muslim Engagement with British Society since 1889, Immigrants and Minorities, Vol. 21, No. 3, November 2003, pp.1-24
Published by Frank Cass, London
'Muslims in Britain', Minority Rights Group, 2002
ISBN: 1 897693 64 8
'Breaking the Mould', in Cracking the Culture Club, Race Relations and Reform in the Civil Service, Public Service Magazine, FDA, June 2002
'Attitudes to Islam and Muslims in Britain: 1875 - 1924'
Indo-British Review, Millennium issue 2001, pp. 54-78
Britain, India and the Diaspora
'Negotiating British Muslim Identity'
Muslim Identity in the 21st Century: Challenges of Modernity
Edited by M.S. Bahmanpour and H. Bashir (2000)
Institute of Islamic Studies, 2000
'The Emergence of Socialist Thought Among North Indian Muslims, 1917 - 1947'
Lahore, 1990
'Employment of Ethnic Minorities in Growth Industries in the Thames Valley',
Employment Department, 1988
'Pan Islam and the Making of Early Muslim Socialists, Modern Asian Studies', vol 20, number 3, 1986
Dainty, ARJ, Bagilhole, BM, Ansari, KH & Jackson, J (2002) 'Diversification of the UK Construction Industry: A Framework For Change', ASCE Journal of Leadership and Management in Engineering
'Managing Cultural Diversity at Work'
Khizar Humayun Ansari and June Jackson
Published in the U.K., Kogan Page, 1995
Translated and published in Indonesia, Gramedia Pustaka Utama, 1997

Centre for Ethnic Minority Studies and Equal Opportunities
The Centre for Ethnic Minority Studies and Equal Opportunities at the Royal Holloway University of London was set up in 1989 to develop applied research and academic work in ethnic minority studies and to provide consultancy, training and research more broadly in the field of equal opportunities and related skills - to translate policy into practice in the day-to-day reality of the U.K. work place. See: www.rhul.ac.uk/EthnicMinority-Studies

Geoffrey Alderman, a past academic of Royal Holloway, University of London wrote Modern British Jewry, Clarendon Press,1992 - a comprehensive history of the Jews in Britain over the last century and a half. Alderman's account explored the concerns and self image of contemporary Jewish communities in Britain and their place in an increasingly pluralist society.

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