Maulana Yusuf Motala

Yahya Birt, Medium, Maulana Yusuf Motala (1946–2019): Founder of the UK’s first Islamic seminary "Maulana Yusuf Motala (may God have mercy on his soul) (1946–2019) passed away last night in Toronto. He was one of the giants of Islam in Britain, and like the Tablighi Jamaat leader Hafiz Mohammed Patel (1926–2016), he had a huge influence upon the development of Muslim communities in Britain in the latter half of the twentieth century and after." Obituary of a significant figure in Muslim life in the UK.

The Deobandis, Episode 2

BBC Radio 4, The Deobandis, Episode 2 "In part two of The Deobandis, the BBC's former Pakistan correspondent Owen Bennett Jones reveals a secret history of Jihadist propagation in Britain."

Masood Azhar

BBC News, Masood Azhar: The man who brought jihad to Britain "Masood Azhar, today the head of one of Pakistan's most violent militant groups, was once the VIP guest of Britain's leading Islamic scholars. Why, asks Innes Bowen."

'The Deobandis'

BBC Radio 4, The Deobandis "The BBC's former Pakistan correspondent Owen Bennett Jones investigates which strands of Deobandi opinion have influence in the UK, speaking to people from within the British Deobandi community, from scholars to missionaries to madrassa students.

"In the first of two programmes he explores claims that Deobandi Islam is intentionally isolationist and that its strict beliefs put it at odds with mainstream British culture, leaving the community segregated from wider British society. Though if true, is that really the fault of Deobandi Muslims?"

This is worth a listen, with some interesting points on religious authority, gender and education.

'The civil war among Muslims in Britain'

opinion piece: Michael Mumisa | Independent Editor's choice Blogs, Independent blogs, The civil war among Muslims in Britain, 1 Dec 2010: "Not wanting to be accused of promoting extremist ideas, soon after the 7/7 bombings most Sunni Mosque committees across the UK imposed a total ban on political discussions in the Mosques. This means that young Muslims are now without an open and safe platform where they can express their political views and have such views examined or challenged by others. They have instead retreated into their bedrooms to search for answers on extremist internet forums."

Darul Uloom Chislehurst

Edna Fernandez, Daily Mail, Inside the Muslim Eton: 20 hour days starting at 3.45am with the aim of producing Muslim elite of leaders, 20 June 2010

"Deobandi Islam had spread and, in some cases, fused with a new violent political ideology. It is a long way from the wind-swept wilds of Peshawar to leafy Chislehurst

"But inside the Kent-based school, the religious ideology remains, even if the rhetoric is moderate by comparison.

"I had come to spend the day at the Eton of Islam. Why the comparison?

"Because Darul Uloom is about creating an Islamic elite who will rule the Muslim world. It is about offering a classical education and its very name inspires awe among the Muslim community."

Read more about the author of the piece here: ednafernandes.com

UK and South Asian Islam

Economist, A single space, 30 Apr 09 "Not just for security types and sociologists, but also for theologians, Britain and its ex-dominions in South Asia are virtually a single entity. Schools of Islam that emerged in India as a reaction to the British raj are now vying for influence in the north of England. The passions generated by the Bangladeshi variety of Islamism are as lively in London as they are in Dhaka. Anybody who hopes for stability and social peace in the Muslim parts of South Asia has to keep an eye on the Islamic scene in Britain. The reverse also applies. The flow of South Asian imams to Britain has recently slowed, but in an internet age there are other ways for ideas to travel."