A landmark volume on the lives of Muslim women across a century of rapid change, restoring lost voices and enriching our picture of British society.

First account of the history and remarkable lives of British converts to Islam during the heydey of Empire.

The history of British Islam and British Muslims is a growing area of interest among historians and the general public. But, whilst Muslim women have featured in some research, their lives and experiences prior to the present day have remained obscure, if not 'hidden', in both academic and popular discussion. Uncovering Muslim women's experiences and contributions to society in past generations is essential for us to build a full picture of Muslim life in Britain, then and now. This is the first book to address that gap, telling the stories of Muslim women who lived in Britain between the mid-nineteenth and mid-twentieth centuries, from Victorian times to the years immediately after the Second World War--just before immigration profoundly affected the size and composition of Britain's Muslim communities. It reveals a rich variety of experiences, including Muslim women who travelled to or away from Britain, and many who converted to Islam within the British Isles. Underpinned by feminist historical approaches, this groundbreaking book aims to make women visible where they have been hidden from or within history. Its fascinating accounts will reinstate Muslim women as actors, storytellers and storymakers who have shaped the history of Britain and of 'British Islam'.

Jamie Gilham collates the work of leading and emerging scholars of Islam in Britain, Christian-Muslim relations and Victorian Studies to offer fresh perspectives on Islam and Muslims in Victorian Britain. The contributors reveal 19th-century attitudes and beliefs about Islam and Muslims to demonstrate the plurality of approaches and representations of Islam in Britain's past. Also bringing to life the stories and voices of early Muslim settlers and converts to Islam, this book examines the lived experience of Muslims in the Victorian period. Sources include political and academic writings, literature, travelogues, the press and other forms of popular culture. Intersectional themes include religion and religiosity, 'race' and ethnicity, gender, class, citizenship, empire and imperialism, and prejudice, discrimination and resilience.

AnyworkonthePlatonicconceptionofreasonhastowrestlewithafew signaldifficultiesoftheproblem.ThefirstisthatPlatohasnoexplicittheoryof 'reason'assuchinanyofhisworks.Thereis, forexample, nonotionofλόγονἔχονin Plato: astrictlyandpreciselydefinedprincipleofcogitativepowerthatmakesa humanbeingtobewhatitessentiallyis.Initsplace, awideandvariedarrayof Greektermsisrenderedby'reason': νοῦς,λόγος,νόησις, andἐπιστήμηallshowup, atsomepointoranother, as'reason'intranslation.Ofalloftheseitisperhapsνοῦς, sometimesalsotranslated'mind', thatcomesclosesttowhatweordinarily understandbytheterm.Thissimilarity, however, isdeceptive.Theproblemwith νοῦςisthatithasitsownregisterofmeaninginthecontextofAncientGreek philosophymoregenerally, throughtheinfluenceofAnaxagoras, forwhomνοῦς wastheἄπειρονprincipleofbeing1.ΝοῦςinthePhaedo(wherePlatoisexplicitly referringtoAnaxagoras)meanssomethingquitedifferentfromνοῦςinthePhaedrus (whereitisthefacultybywhichhumanbeingsapprehendthetruthintheirjourney aroundtheheavens), andbothoftheseinstancesofusagearequitedifferentfrom themodernideaof'reason'.Broadlyspeaking, however, wecansaythatthesetwo dialoguesuse'νοῦς'accordingtotwodifferent, andopposite, acceptations: 'subjective'and'objective'νο

The contributions explore Muslim religious leadership in multiple forms and settings. While traditional authority is usually correlated with theology and piety, as in the case of classically trained ulema, the public advocacy of Muslim community concerns is often headed by those with professionalized skillsets and civic experience. In an increasingly digital world, both women and men exercise leadership in novel ways, and sites of authority are refracted from traditional loci, such as mosques and seminaries, to new and unexpected places. This collection provides systematic focus on a topic that has hitherto been given rather diffuse consideration. It complements historical work on community leadership as well as more contemporary discussion on the training and role of Islamic religious authorities. It will be of interest to scholars in Religious Studies, Sociology, Political Science, History, and Islamic Studies.

The history of British Islam and British Muslims is a growing area of interest among historians and the general public. But, whilst Muslim women have featured in some research, their lives and experiences prior to the present day have remained obscure, if not ‘hidden’, in both academic and popular discussion. Uncovering Muslim women’s experiences and contributions to society in past generations is essential for us to build a full picture of Muslim life in Britain, then and now. This is the first book to address that gap, telling the stories of Muslim women who lived in Britain between the mid-nineteenth and mid-twentieth centuries, from Victorian times to the years immediately after the Second World War—just before immigration profoundly affected the size and composition of Britain’s Muslim communities. It reveals a rich variety of experiences, including Muslim women who travelled to or away from Britain, and many who converted to Islam within the British Isles. Underpinned by feminist historical approaches, this groundbreaking book aims to make women visible where they have been hidden from or within history. Its fascinating accounts will reinstate Muslim women as actors, storytellers and storymakers who have shaped the history of Britain and of ‘British Islam’.