On British Islam examines the history and everyday workings of Islamic institutions in Britain, with a focus on shari?a councils. These councils concern themselves with religious matters, especially divorce. They have a higher profile in Britain than in other Western nations. Why? Taking a historical and ethnographic look at British Islam, John Bow

Acknowledgments ix Part 1 Pathways Chapter 1 Why Shari'a in Britain? 3 Chapter 2 Transplanting Ties 10 Chapter 3 Islamic Topographies 25 Part 2 Practices Chapter 4 Background to the Shari'a Councils 47 Chapter 5 Improvising an Institution 65 Chapter 6 Unstable Performativity 88 Chapter 7 Competing Justifications 103 Part 3 Variants Chapter 8 When Women Rule in Birmingham 123 Chapter 9 Sufi Encompassments 143 Part 4 Boundaries Chapter 10 Shari'a in English Law 173 Chapter 11 When Can Shari'a Be British? 194 Chapter 12 Internal Debates and Practical Convergences 209 Chapter 13 Conclusions 229 Glossary 233 Notes 235 References 257 Index 271

"In On British Islam, John Bowen's careful work, informed by anthropological insight and a comparative perspective, puts paid to oversimple stories of a clash of civilizations. Bowen shows that attempts by British Muslims to reach convergence with the wider society have varied, and often successful, results, and how these have been influenced by cultural characteristics unique to Britain versus other European nations. This is essential reading for anyone interested in issues of social integration."—Charles Taylor, McGill University

"Understanding how Muslims can be accommodated in European liberal societies has become an ever more urgent issue, and the topic of shari'a law in particular has been a focus of popular anxieties for nearly a decade. Based on rare access to British shari'a council proceedings and archives of cases, On British Islam combines original source material with John Bowen's expertise as a leading scholar of Islamic law. This elegant book is an invaluable resource and much-needed gold standard for future scholarship on Muslims and Islam in liberal societies."—Maleiha Malik, King's College London

"This is an imaginatively framed, diligently researched book analyzing the public transactions that involve Muslim and civil law in today's United Kingdom. Bowen provides an array of case studies, each etched with consistently engaging, well-crafted interviews. They make his analysis at once broad and incisive. One will learn more about the intra-Muslim dynamics of public reasoning from On British Islam than from any other work to date on Muslims in the United Kingdom."—Bruce B. Lawrence, author of The Qur'an: A Biography

"This book explains in depth how manifestations of Islam in Britain are shaped. It shows that Muslims in Britain are not aiming to construct a separate system, but are desperately trying to reconstruct the existing system on their own terms. Through excellent fieldwork, Bowen examines the key factors driving these various adaptations and clearly presents their complexities."—Werner Menski, emeritus professor of law, SOAS, University of London