'Muhammad' is top male baby name in UK

Arab News, Muhammad again most popular baby boy’s name in UK, 15 Dec 2023 "Statistics from BabyCentre, reported on by The Mirror, show almost two dozen Muslim names for boys and girls among the top 100 for each gender." The listing is here

Wales' Schools and Discrimination

Pupils called 'monkey' and attacked with rocks as shocking scale of racism in Wales' schools. Muslim girls abused and assaulted in other shocking case studies highlighted.

Pupils say the N-word is 'normalised' in schools.https://t.co/PMz3DsTPCX

— Tell MAMA UK (@TellMamaUK) November 28, 2023

The link to the Children's Commissioner's report is here (PDF).

There's also a children's version of the report (PDF).

Bradford Muslim Communities

BBC News, Fewer cousins marrying in Bradford's Pakistani community, 18 November 2023 "The number of people in Bradford's Pakistani community who have married a cousin has fallen sharply in the past 10 years, a study suggests. Higher educational attainment, new family dynamics and changes in immigration rules are thought to be possible reasons."

Gaza Situation

There's full coverage of the Gaza situation on the Virtually Islamic blog and across my X. This includes material on the protests.

Bradford

Anila Baig, Mirror, 'Suella Braverman is wrong - we have always had Muslim neighbours and it's great', 27 Sep 2023 "The Home Secretary gave a speech declaring that ‘multiculturalism has failed’ and complaining that people from certain religious backgrounds live ‘parallel lives’ because they have failed to integrate and, alarmingly, are a threat to national security. Ms Braverman trotted out the usual myths and misinformation about ethnic minorities in the UK." Opinion/analysis

Islam Channel fined

Ofcom, £40k fine for TV channel that broadcast antisemitic content, 28 Sep 2023 "Our investigation found The Andinia Plan, a one-hour documentary that examined a conspiracy theory which originated in a neo-Nazi publication, amounted to hate speech against Jewish people. This antisemitic content was also highly offensive and not sufficiently justified by the context."

Halal Food Festival

Sammy Gecsoylerm, The Guardian, Halal rising: Muslim food marks its UK embrace with a stadium celebration, 24 Sep 2024 "Vendors and diners at the World Halal food festival agree the industry is booming with good reason"

Islamic Centre England

The Centre remains open at the time of writing. Here's some coverage of the protest.

Iranian diaspora fully support the decision of the UK @ChtyCommission to close the Islamic Centre in London.

The Islamic Centre is disguised as a place of worship when in reality it’s a London headquarters of the IRGC and Iran’s Supreme Leader.

The generality of Muslims… pic.twitter.com/8W1RzLyddR

— Omid Djalili (@omid9) July 30, 2023

Liverpool Muslim Institute

Riordan Macnamara, Medium, “At our Allah’s blest abode”: Liturgical Adaptations at the Liverpool Muslim Institute (1887–1908), 16 June 2023

"Did William Quilliam pose a threat as a syncretistic innovator with his adaptations to a Western frame, turning English people away from Christianity and its mission on one side and the Islamic world from Sunni Islam’s orthodoxy on the other?" (tip: Yahya Birt)

The 'Young Imam'

Benedict Tetzlaff-Deas, Mirror, 'I'm one of Britain's youngest Imams - one day I want to have my own TV show', 30 June 2023

"Based at the Baitul Futuh Mosque in South London, Sabah says he enjoys being able to speak to Muslims and non-Muslims from around the world on his Instagram page, where he is known as the 'Young Imam' and has amassed some 11,500 followers."

Moonsighting

The New Arab, New Crescent Society: Meet the Muslim 'moon family' searching Britain's skies for unity, 28 June 2023

""Even for Eid Al-Adha, there's a 10-day gap. There's a kind of drama around Ramadan," says Imad. "You see the moon – you fast. You see the moon – the fast comes to a close. I think, for those reasons, in the psychological landscape of Muslims, it's very, very special."

Birmingham Pride

The Independent, Saima Razzaq: First Muslim woman to lead Pride says life’s mission is to promote inclusivity, 26 June 2023, "An activist, who was the first Muslim woman to lead a Pride parade in Britain, says her mission in life is “to promote the inclusivity of sexuality and gender”."

Lord Ian Austin

Independent, Muslim Council of Britain concerned over chair of review into Leicester unrest, 1 June 2023

"The Muslim Council of Britain has expressed “deep concern” over the appointment of the Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy to Israel [Lord Ian Austin] as the chair of a review into civil unrest between Muslims and Hindus in Leicester last year."

Powerlifting

BBC, Muslim powerlifter's passion changes sport's dress code "Tahirah Ali makes powerlifting over 135kg (21st 3lbs) look easy, but her journey was challenging."

Noor El-Islam Mosque

ITV Cymru Wales, Vanished Wales, Series 2: Episode 2

After 12'20", there's a short section on Noor El-Islam Mosque in Cardiff, with archive clips.

Maternal Health

HuffPost, 5 Shocking Findings You Might've Missed From Major Black Maternal Health Report

"The Women and Equalities Committee published the report on April 18 to flag the “appalling” disparity in maternal deaths – and to call for more to be done to change the tide for future generations."

Warsi

BBC News, Suella Braverman not fit for office, says Tory peer Warsi, 13 April 2023

"The peer, the UK's first South Asian cabinet minister, claimed the home secretary turns "almost every issue into a cultural race war"."

This is fantastic, from a Tory peer and former Tory party chair! Baroness Warsi 👏👏👏👏👏 https://t.co/uojbdfWRMU

— Jacquie Newton 💙😷🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 (@jacquienewton09) April 11, 2023

Coastal Communities in Wales

Sanjana Idnani, BBC News, Ramadan: Coastal communities help Muslims celebrate 1 Apr 2023, "Cultural awareness of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan is growing in coastal communities, Muslim families have said."

Plants of the Qur’ān

PA, Kew Gardens to host exhibitions exploring Islamic culture, 30 March 2023 Plants of the Qur’ān - Exhibition details here

Gen Z Muslims

Burhan Wazir, Hyphen Online, Exclusive: Young, optimistic and devout — Gen Z Muslims in the UK "Muslims aged between 16 and 24 are buoyant about their economic and social futures, but Islamophobia is a persistent problem." This report is part of wider research undertaken by Hyphen.

Humza Yousaf Wins SNP Leadership Content

BREAKING: Humza Yousaf has won the SNP leadership contest and is set to be named as Scotland's new first minister, replacing Nicola Sturgeon.

Read more: https://t.co/pZCNMJ5MWb

📺 Sky 501, Virgin 602, Freeview 233 and YouTube pic.twitter.com/zQE0e4o7oY

— Sky News (@SkyNews) March 27, 2023

Mosque Fire Attacks: Update

BBC News, Man in court charged with mosque fire attacks in Birmingham and London, 23 March 2023 "A suspect has appeared in court charged with two counts of attempted murder after attacks on men set alight outside mosques in Birmingham and London."

Muslim Hikers

Metro, Adidas team up with Muslim hiking group this Ramadan to make the countryside more inclusive, 20 March 2023 "Ethnic minorities account for only 1% of visitors to national parks, and a diversity review commissioned by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) found that while people from ethnic minority backgrounds valued the natural environment of the countryside, they felt excluded in what was seen as an ‘exclusively English environment’."

Toys

Shuiab Khan, This is Local London, Harrow entrepreneur launches Islamic toy range in superstores, 17 March 2023 " The Desi Doll Company aims to showcase the Islamic faith and culture and has launched the toys ahead of the month of Ramadan which begins next week."

Trial verdict

Robyn Vinter, Guardian, Somaiya Begum: man jailed for life for murder of niece who refused marriage, 15 March 2023 "She had been living at the house with another of her uncles and her grandmother under the terms of a forced marriage protection order, following attempts by her father to force her to marry a cousin in Pakistan “by threat of violence”, a jury heard."

Wales’s First Muslim Grave

Michael Munnik, Abdul-Azim Ahmed, Islam UK Centre, Wales’s First Muslim Grave, 14 March 2023

"In early March 2023, I visited for the second time Bethlehem Chapel in Pwlltrap, St Clears, a short distance from the town of Carmarthen in West Wales. There, in the picturesque Welsh countryside, is a chapel with a graveyard in which is buried Amelia Kadija Baksh. The grave is, as I mentioned, the first recorded Muslim burial in Wales. Unlike other early burials, such as those in Cardiff, Swansea and Mostyn, it was not a Muslim seaman who was buried there. Nor was it a soldier from the Indian subcontinent, of which there about a dozen in places like the Brecon Beacons. Instead, Amelia’s story is much more unique for her time in history." An interesting slice of local (for me) history.

Kaaba Gold Bar

Here's a piece from the Virtually Islamic blog on the Kaaba Gold Bar, issued by the Royal Mint prior to Ramadan.

Scotland: Soldiers' Memorial

Vidushi Tiwari, The Scotsman, Why is Scotland building a memorial for Indian and Pakistani soldiers?

'Islamophobia' definition issues

Basit Mahmood, Hyphen, The UK government should renew its efforts to define Islamophobia, 3 Mar 2023 "By dropping its work in this area, the government risks being complicit in a surge of abuse of British Muslims"

Council Confusion

Yahoo News, Top Muslim body in extraordinary caution to media after 'Council of UK' confusion "THE Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) has issued an extraordinary statement making clear it has no links to the “unknown entity” of the Muslim Council of the UK after the latter intervened in the SNP leadership campaign." An entity describing itself as the Muslim Council of the United Kingdom" is online (it's unclear if this is the same organisation, so I haven't linked it here). An update on the story is here: Yahoo News, 'FAKE': 'Muslim Council of UK' called out after attacking Humza Yousaf. MCB's response is here: MCB, The MCB clarification on the ‘Muslim Council of the UK’. There's also a Twitter-storm on this.

Shamima Begum Case

BBC News, Shamima Begum bid to regain UK citizenship rejected, 22 Feb 2023 "Shamima Begum has lost her challenge over the decision to deprive her of British citizenship despite a "credible" case she was trafficked. " Substantial online traffic on this issue.

Asylum Hotel

This is one of the most powerful first-person pieces I’ve commissioned — an anonymous asylum seeker who witnessed the far-right riot in Knowsley… from inside the hotel they were violently protesting at: https://t.co/FHSR6T9Si8

— James Besanvalle (@JamesBesanvalle) February 21, 2023

'Islamic Centre of England'

The National, Rishi Sunak urged to act against Iran-linked cultural groups "The UK government has been urged to launch an inquiry into groups posing as charities and cultural centres over their potential links to the Iranian regime." Also see The National, Watchdog opens inquiry into Iran-linked UK centre, 24 Nov 2022 The 'Islamic Centre of England''s website shows their activities and links to related organisations.

Manchester Museum Revamp

Manchester Museum's £15m revamp puts spotlight on South Asian culture - BBC News https://t.co/bN4qEpllsw

— Gary Bunt (@garybunt) February 16, 2023

"A painted Bangladeshi rickshaw, a World War One uniform and flyers from 1970s gay nightclubs are among the exhibits chosen to offer a fresh view of South Asian culture in a new gallery."

Conservative Islamophobia Claim

BBC News, PM's ethics adviser investigates Tory MP Nus Ghani's Islamophobia claim "Rishi Sunak's ethics adviser has taken over an investigation into claims by a Tory MP that she was sacked as a minister for being Muslim."

Turkey Earthquake - Family Impact

Nick Beake, BBC News, Earthquake tears apart a Turkish-British family, 13 Feb 2023

Earthquake response

https://t.co/5vC3t6ygL9
Turkey-Syria earthquake: Man who lost nine relatives helps organise aid as UK community groups inundated with supplies pic.twitter.com/cfJ4Tw7wAH

— Gary Bunt (@garybunt) February 10, 2023

A Muslim Woman’s Faith Experience

Muslim Census Team, A Muslim Woman’s Faith Experience "Muslim Census conducted a study to understand the faith experiences of Muslim women living in the UK. A series of focus groups and a survey, which received 1,200 responses, were conducted as part of this study. Previously, limited comprehensive research existed that explored the challenges Muslim women face while navigating their faith in the UK."

Prevent Programme Criticised

BBC News, Prevent counter-terror scheme lambasted in review "The report from the Home Office's hand-picked reviewer says the Prevent strategy has lost its way."

'Prevent' under scrutiny

Arab News, UK officials who oversaw funding of extremist Muslim groups must be sacked: counterterrorism expert "UK Prevent program officials who have overseen the public funding of Muslim groups that promote extremism should be sacked, a counterterrorism expert has said in The Times newspaper."

Imam Pay

Hyphen, Low pay and high demands: the UK is facing a shortage of full-time imams

Interesting article, long-standing issue (going back to my 90s research). "Despite their central role in guiding Muslim communities on religious, spiritual and familial issues — and in some cases, working on financial management of the mosques they are attached to — imams are often paid very little. Many don’t receive the UK’s minimum wage and are expected to supplement their pay with benefits. Some don’t have contracts and most are on call 24 hours a day to serve the community’s needs."

Cardiff Community Coffee

BBC News, Cardiff Barista Training Aims to Boost Confidence

Empire: 28. The Tudors and the Turks

This is an excellent series. Episode 28 - The Tudors and the Turks hold particular relevance in this blog. The link below is for Apple Podcasts, but the series is widely available elsewhere.

"Slave raids in Cornwall. Englishmen spying for the venetians. The East India Trading Companies’ older brother. Join William and Anita this week as they discuss the relationship between Britain and the Ottoman Empire, all of which centre around the Levant Company."

Fatima Cates

BBC News, Fatima Cates: Victorian woman who helped set up UK's first mosque honoured "Born Francess Elizabeth Murray, she is believed to be the first woman to convert to Islam on British soil when she became a Muslim in 1887." Also see Hamid Mahmood and Yahya Birt, Beacon Books, Our Fatima of Liverpool: The Story of Fatima Cates, the Victorian woman who helped found British Islam

Shamima Begum

BBC News, Shamima Begum accepts she joined a terror group, 11 Jan 2023 "In interviews spanning more than a year, Ms Begum - who was stripped of British citizenship as a national security risk - revealed that she was fed detailed instructions by IS members, but also undertook her own planning for the journey in 2015." This is based on a BBC Sounds' podcast "The Shamima Begum Story: I am not a monster". I haven't listened to this yet.

The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Islamic Spirituality

The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Islamic Spirituality has just been published. Congratulations to the editors Bruce B. Lawrence and Vincent J. Cornell for bringing this volume (and team of contributors) together:

"The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Islamic Spirituality is an authoritative reference work comprising twenty-eight scholarly essays that explore the expressive and performative dimensions of Islamic spirituality. Edited by two of its most prominent scholars, and bringing together a stellar cast of contributors, this wide-ranging volume covers religious practices, sacred texts, history and places, gender, music, poetry, the visual arts, and politics."

I was pleased to contribute a chapter on ‘Islamic Spirituality and the Internet’ to the book.

Waheed Arian

BBC, Hardtalk, Waheed Arian: Migration in the Western world iPlayer needed for this. "War and extreme poverty drive millions of people from their homes every year. Some of them try to reach the rich Western world, where such inward migration routinely prompts fear and draconian counter-measures. Stephen Sackur interviews Waheed Arian, who fled war in Afghanistan as a child, made it to the UK and is now a doctor running his own medical charity. Do perceptions change when the story of migration is personalised?"

BA Hijab

The new British Airways uniform includes a Hijab and modest dress. pic.twitter.com/g8d21M28Ra

— Muslim Bants (@muslimbants) January 8, 2023

Prince Harry's book

https://t.co/9x9S4AqTSw
'Crime against humanity' - senior Taliban leader hits out at Harry over '25 kills'

— Gary Bunt (@garybunt) January 6, 2023

Muslim Hikers

“The energy in the video from the first @Muslim_Hikers hike up Snowdon was incredible. I wanted to be part of this. It showed Muslims could enjoy the outdoors and that the mountains belonged to us all.” Read Raadia Imran’s story in our latest issue here: https://t.co/8v8brmlXeu pic.twitter.com/ko1v2i89U6

— Trail magazine (@TrailMagazine) January 6, 2023