Back to the Future? Being Muslim in a Strange Land

Prof David Voas

Professor and Head of the Department of Social Science at University College London

Prof Heidi Safia Mirza

Professor of Race, Faith and Culture at Goldsmiths, University of London; Emeritus professor at UCL Institute of Education

Professor Heidi Safia Mirza is a Professor of Race, Faith and Culture at Goldsmiths, University of London and is an emeritus professor at UCL Institute of Education. Much of her research focuses on race, multiculturalism, Islamophobia, and gendered violence.

What happens to the religious identity, belief, and practice of Muslims who settle in the West? We expect immigrants to maintain their religious traditions, but do they, or their children and grandchildren, gradually become more secular? Multiple paths are open to the second generation and choosing can be difficult. Western culture is influential to varying degrees. Some children of immigrants try to follow a ‘real’ Islam that has been purified of culturally specific practices, and public prejudice against Muslims may lead some to react by increasing their own religious commitment.