Islam on Campus

This book is a sophisticated and robust examination of the construction of Islam and the experiences of Muslims on UK campuses, which important shares, not just the perspective of Muslim students, but also that of non-Muslim students and staff ... an important contribution for scholars of Islam in Europe and America or of race and ethnic studies or for higher education leaders and policy-makers. * Daniel Azim Pschaida, Sociology of Religion: A Quarterly Review *
Islam on Campus: Contested Identities and the Cultures of Higher Education in Britain is an extensive and through issue unveiling the public and official discourses about Islam and Muslim identities represented in the changing natureof university life in the UK. * Ozge Onay, Ethnic and Racial Studies *
Islam on Campus is a very important and impressive book that will be vital reading for those interested in the civic and public role of universities, decolonisation of the curriculum, the study of Islam within western systems of knowledge, the nature and implications of the reach of the security agenda across public life, and the terms of debate over gender and Islam. Throughout it provides fresh thinking on often stale-mated debates on gender equality, freedom of speech and religious accommodation, and responses to security risks, and in ways that draw on rather than suppress critical debate. * Professor Therese O'Toole, School of Sociology, Politics and International Studies, University of Bristol *
This ground-breaking work explores the crucial topics of Islamophobia and its impact on Muslim students, and it also explores how the securitization of Muslims on campus has transformed campus life itself, significantly restricting both freedom of expression and freedom of association. This book will be necessary reading for both sociologists of religion and Islam, and legal and political theorists interested in law and religion in liberal democracies generally. * Professor Mohammad Fadel, Faculty of Law, University of Toronto *
Embedding the question of discrimination against Muslim students in the wider context of the changing landscape of university education in Britain, this timely book presents fascinating insights into the role of marketisation of education, shifting social norms and securitised bureaucratic preoccupations in shaping future citizens of the country. The authors do not shy away from complexity; the diversity among Muslims and the paradoxical role played by Islamic Studies as a discipline are given thoughtful treatment here. They do, however, make their detailed and methodologically rich analysis available in lucid and jargon free language. An important study for all concerned about the transformations in the education sector as well as the dangers of schemes like PREVENT for all citizens, and not just Muslims. * Dr Humeira Iqtidar, Department of Political Economy, King's College London *
This fascinating book successfully reviews the attitudes and behaviours confronted by Muslim students in Higher Education. Through comprehensive research, it demonstrates the presence of hidden prejudice that confronts the Muslim students, exposing the hurdles faced in their pursuit of academic success. At a time when intolerance has become the accepted norm, this book is a step forward in putting across ideas based on engagement, communicating well and manifesting a real change and fresh thinking for enhancing the university campus with the Islamic expert's voice. Of particular importance is the co-operation between universities and Muslim colleges. * Dr Mohamed Mesbahi, Director of Education, The Islamic College *
Scott-Baumann, Guest, Naguib, Cheruvallil-Contractor, and Phoenix make a highly original, remarkable, and timely intervention. There is much to think about-and with-here. Islam on Campus will inform lively debates and furnish talking points on a hotly contested topic for years to come, acting as a key step in the re-invention of the university as a space that unites a plethora of ideas and voices. * Professor Ziad Elmarsafy, Department of Comparative Literature, King's College London *
This book uncovers, and shows in words and figures, the hidden prejudices and a climate of unfairness as well as the securitisation of Muslims in Higher Education. It argues for a need to develop more positive and constructive modes of respectful engagement. The book is a valuable addition to understanding the culture of universities in England. * Professor Ataullah Siddiqui, Markfield Institute of Higher Education *
Islam on Campus brings much-needed empirical study to bear on debates about religion, discrimination, and securitization. It casts light on the unexamined secularism of British universities and the costs that are disproportionately borne by Muslim students. * Professor Linda Woodhead, Department of Politics, Philosophy, and Religion, Lancaster University *