Muslims in Britain, 1800‒1970, and Beyond
We attended a conference! “Muslims in Britain, 1800‒1970, and Beyond”, University of Westminster, 01-02 July 2024
In July, our new Burton: Exploring Without Borders team, Caitlin, Tharik, and Helen alongside work experience student Caitlin, attended the “Muslims in Britain, 1800-1970, and Beyond” conference hosted by the University of Westminster and organised by Everyday Muslim and Muslims in Britain Research Network (MBRN).
This fascinating conference, held over two days and with multiple parallel sessions, showcased the depth and breadth of the current research into Muslim life in Britain. With over 30 speakers and chairs, the conference highlighted the variety, nuance, and diversity, not only of the research field, but of the experiences of Muslims in Britain since the 19th century. Over 130 attendees agreed that this is an area of great interest.
We were excited to attend and engage with cutting-edge research as we continue our project to restore the mausoleum of Sir Richard (1821-1890) and Lady Isabel Burton (1831-1896). Burton: Exploring Without Borders will not only restore the structure of the Grade II* listed mausoleum, but also recontextualise their travels and interactions with Muslim communities in Africa and the Middle East in the 19th century. Tharik Hussain, our Outreach and Education Officer, will be collaborating with professional and academic colleagues throughout this project so this was the perfect event to build connections.
Everyday Muslim Heritage and Archive Initiative (EMHAI) is a fantastic project working towards creating a central archive of Muslim lives, arts, education and cultures from across the UK. The project produces groundbreaking heritage research and public outputs such as archiving the heritage of Britain’s first purpose-built mosque in Woking and the Remembering Partition project. Everyday Muslim has been a key supporter of the Burton: Exploring Without Boundaries project since its early stages.
Muslims in Britain Research Network (MBRN) brings together academics, students, professionals, researchers, journalists and community members from all backgrounds to expand the scope of the field and collaborate in new ways.
Highlighting Women’s Histories
A recurring theme throughout the conference was the need to highlight and centre the experiences of Muslim women. On Day 2 Dr Sariya Cheruvallil-Contractor (Coventry University) launched her new co-edited book: Muslim Women in Britain, 1850-1950: 100 years of hidden history (London: Hurst, 2024).
An interesting point noted by Caitlin, our work experience volunteer, came in the form of a question to the audience. Dr Sariya showed us a photograph of the Taj Mahal and asked us: who was the most influential woman connected to this site? A member of the audience suggested Mumtaz Mahal, the woman the site commemorates. A fair suggestion, but Dr Sariya instead proposed Mahal’s daughter, Princess Jahanara Begum. When Emperor Shah Jahan was consumed by his grief for Mumtaz Mahal, Jahanara took on royal duties and responsibility for running the Mughal Empire. She held an extraordinary amount of power for a princess at this time. This story highlights the importance of looking again at established histories through the lens of women’s history.
The stories of Muslim women are being celebrated at all levels of society. A fascinating personal talk delivered by Dr Nasima Hassan (Star Academies) focussed on the story of her own mother. Her mother, like many Muslim women, travelled to the UK from their homes and cultures in the mid-20th century. Through oral histories, images, and objects, Dr Nasima explored the culture shocks experienced by Muslim women in the UK and the adjustments they made in their new homes. She also discussed the value of studying the everyday and “mundane” aspects of life that add colour and richness to historical research. Crucially, she wants to challenge the way we speak about women of this period: they were not “voiceless”, we have simply not recorded their experiences.
The researchers at this conference are making great strides in promoting the often-overlooked experiences of Muslim women in Britain.
New Directions in Digital Research
Two exciting new projects on groundbreaking digital research were discussed: Digital British Islam and Muslim History Maps.
Digital British Islam: How do Cyber Islamic Environments impact everyday life? is a cross-discipline project exploring the social impact of digital activities on the lives of Muslims in Britain today. They are investigating the emergence of new “Cyber Islamic Environments” and their impacts outside of the digital space. These “CIE’s” are online and digital spaces where Muslims can interact with religious sources, network with other Muslims across the world, engage in activism, and express themselves and their faith.
This project offers new perspectives on everyday life for Muslims in Britain and has an important focus on collecting and preserving resources as an active archive. This process will capture the nuance and diversity of Muslim experiences.
Muslim History Maps is a brand-new initiative and will launch soon! It is in the very final stages and will soon be live for the public to upload their personal stories and memories onto an interactive map. It will have space for contributors to upload images, write their stories, and include links and references to documents. The goal is to create a virtual archive related to physical space and record all areas of British Muslim life.
Connecting these two digital projects is a broader understanding that there is a lack of access to resources. Sources and stories are out there, but they are spread out across the country, difficult to access, or they simply haven’t been recorded yet. Everyday Muslim, Digital British Islam, and Muslim History Maps offer opportunities for stories to be written down and recorded for future generations.
Collaborative Research
Tharik Hussain, our Outreach and Education Officer, gave an excellent presentation on his experience of collaboration and co-creation across his work as an author, travel writer and Muslim heritage specialist. He discussed his experiences traveling through the Balkans in the company of local Albanians and Bosnians for his book, Minarets in the Mountains; a Journey into Muslim Europe (Chesham: Bradt Guides, 2021), and collaborating with British-Muslim academics to create Britain’s first Muslim Heritage Trail in Woking, Surrey.
Tharik explained how his work had been enriched and enhanced through these various collaborations with local communities, experts and institutes:
“It is impossible to try and tell the stories of significance to communities, without the help of those communities. This is why meaningful collaborations are so important in the work we try to do.”
Tharik also used the opportunity to introduce our new project, Burton: Exploring Without Borders, encouraging those in attendance with an interest in such heritage to come forward as volunteers or collaborators. The request bore almost immediate success attracting potential volunteers and collaboration with the University of Westminster.
Working with communities, institutes, academics, and professionals is vital to our research, outreach, and outputs for this project. We are excited to get passionate individuals on board!
The team all had a great time at this event, listening to fascinating presentations and making connections with knowledgeable and passionate researchers. Thank you to Everyday Muslim, MBRN, and the University of Westminster for hosting such an inspiring and thought-provoking event. We look forward to the next one!
Written by
Dr Helen Brown
Conservation & Interpretation Officer at Habitats & Heritage