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Among the Mosques: A Journey Across Muslim Britain
'Timely and important' THE TIMES'Considered and nuanced ... A must-read' The Rt Hon. Sajid Javid MP'Compelling and moving' Tom Holland, author of Dominion__________________Islam is the fastest-growing faith community in Britain. Domes and minarets are redefining the skylines of towns and cities as mosques become an increasingly prominent feature. Yet while Britain has prided itself on being a global home of cosmopolitanism and modern civilisation, its deep-rooted relationship with Islam – unique in history – is complex, threatened by rising hostility and hatred, intolerance and ignorance. There is much media debate about embracing diversity in our communities, but what does integration look like on the ground, in places like Dewsbury, Glasgow, Belfast and London? How are Muslims, young and old, reconciling progressive values – of gender equality, individualism, the rule of law and free speech – with literalist interpretations of their faith? And how is this tension, away from the public gaze, unfolding inside mosques today? Ed Husain takes his search for answers into the heart of Britain's Muslim communities. Travelling the length and breadth of the country, Husain joins men and women in their prayers, conversations, meals, plans, pains, joys, triumphs and adversities. He tells their stories here in an open and honest account that brings the daily reality of British Muslim life sharply into focus – a struggle of identity and belonging, caught between tradition and modernity, East and West, revelation and reason.
391 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 10, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
January 3, 2023
I didn't like this very much. He goes to different mosques and talks about serious issues in the British Muslim community like misogyny and lack of integration. He also talks about totally irrelevant "issues". He doesn't like kids in madrassas sitting on the floor the traditional way. Who cares? I went to Buddhist meditation once and they had us sit on the floor. He doesn't like wearing traditional clothes and praises an imam in Western dress. Why should everyone dress the same anyway? If you went to a Gurudwara they'd all be wearing dupattas, turbans, salwar kameez, kurtis, etc. Talking about such silly points takes away from serious ones.
He makes very basic factual mistakes. He says Qutb founded the Muslim Brotherhood - not true, that was al-Banna. He says the English word mosque comes from "mosquito". Totally false, it comes from the Arabic masjid through Spanish. Spanish Muslims called their mosques "masquite".
I didn't like how he would lie about his intentions in visiting mosques and madrassas instead of, "I'm writing a book. Can I do an interview?" It doesn't seem ethical to accost people and then record what they say with potentially identifiable information without their knowledge or permission to villify them. He is basically accusing random mosques, people, schools, and so on of extremism or "caliphism" as he calls it. He assumes other people's intentions. He goes to a Salafi mosque, and talks to a young woman in a niqab. She invites him to go to the mosque's men's halaqa. He says this is her doing dawah to bring in more Salafi converts. Maybe she was just being nice? He literally makes no effort to understand other people's views.
Caliphism is really anything. If a store is selling Islamic books and trinkets, that's caliphism. If a masjid has a women's carnival, that's caliphism!
He wants Muslims to reject Islamic teachings and is pretty forthright about this at the end where he says Muslims can/should integrate in the West by accepting haram things. He praises a woman in a hijab working for an LGBT group. He derides belief in jinn repeatedly.
His understanding of Shi'a Islam is atrocious. He smears all Shi'a as misogynists and extremists. He accuses them of "caliphism" in waiting for the Mahdi. A Caliphate and the return of the Mahdi are two different things. We've already had caliphates without the Mahdi yet. He says the Shi'a should get over Karbala essentially. He has no understanding of faith or tradition or what Karbala means for all Muslims. He comes across as very rude and disrespectful while visiting their mosque and in jaloos. He makes no efforts to represent other people fairly.
The whole book is just filled with dumb and tasteless remarks. He says all the imams in Syria pray for Asad so Muslims should pray for the queen, yeah, because they'll all get shot if they don't. He makes a comment about a woman's bra straps. He sees all veiled women as oppressed, voiceless victims who need to be enlightened by him. When a female friend doesn't want to meet without a mahram he sends her a rude message.
He makes very basic factual mistakes. He says Qutb founded the Muslim Brotherhood - not true, that was al-Banna. He says the English word mosque comes from "mosquito". Totally false, it comes from the Arabic masjid through Spanish. Spanish Muslims called their mosques "masquite".
I didn't like how he would lie about his intentions in visiting mosques and madrassas instead of, "I'm writing a book. Can I do an interview?" It doesn't seem ethical to accost people and then record what they say with potentially identifiable information without their knowledge or permission to villify them. He is basically accusing random mosques, people, schools, and so on of extremism or "caliphism" as he calls it. He assumes other people's intentions. He goes to a Salafi mosque, and talks to a young woman in a niqab. She invites him to go to the mosque's men's halaqa. He says this is her doing dawah to bring in more Salafi converts. Maybe she was just being nice? He literally makes no effort to understand other people's views.
Caliphism is really anything. If a store is selling Islamic books and trinkets, that's caliphism. If a masjid has a women's carnival, that's caliphism!
He wants Muslims to reject Islamic teachings and is pretty forthright about this at the end where he says Muslims can/should integrate in the West by accepting haram things. He praises a woman in a hijab working for an LGBT group. He derides belief in jinn repeatedly.
His understanding of Shi'a Islam is atrocious. He smears all Shi'a as misogynists and extremists. He accuses them of "caliphism" in waiting for the Mahdi. A Caliphate and the return of the Mahdi are two different things. We've already had caliphates without the Mahdi yet. He says the Shi'a should get over Karbala essentially. He has no understanding of faith or tradition or what Karbala means for all Muslims. He comes across as very rude and disrespectful while visiting their mosque and in jaloos. He makes no efforts to represent other people fairly.
The whole book is just filled with dumb and tasteless remarks. He says all the imams in Syria pray for Asad so Muslims should pray for the queen, yeah, because they'll all get shot if they don't. He makes a comment about a woman's bra straps. He sees all veiled women as oppressed, voiceless victims who need to be enlightened by him. When a female friend doesn't want to meet without a mahram he sends her a rude message.
July 24, 2021
This was an interesting book, but it’s one of those things where it’s difficult to critique it since I don’t know that much about the topic. I learnt a lot about Islam which was very compelling, since I didn’t know all that much about it going in. Most of the information about Islam in Britain was brand new to me, so that was interesting. At the same time, I don’t know really whether the author gave every perspective because he was very critical of lots of aspects of the religion and its place in Britain, and it seemed like he chose to focus on mostly negative things. As a British Muslim himself though he was able to give a true first hand account of his research journey and he had a unique perspective. I appreciated that he explained things for readers who don’t have much knowledge going in (and the parts where he explained about prayers and what happens in mosques were my favourite bits because it was just interesting) - although this does make me wonder about his intended audience - it felt like it was for non Muslims but then the whole argument is about how Islam in Britain should be reformed and move away from things like literalism and hard line sects, basically (at least I think that was it ) but I feel like that’s something to be directed at Muslims because idk if people outside a religion should tell people in the religion what to do? Although I guess his point is that wider British culture should try and strengthen its principles to make integration easier so it is directed at non Muslims ?
In terms of the structure of the text I suppose I thought it was a little repetitive and wish he’d been maybe a bit more analytical earlier on because while the narrative sections were, again, interesting (though tbh some of the dialogue seemed altered/ made up because it felt really stilted and weird?), I didn’t always know what his point was. I also wanted him to tell us a bit more about himself and his own personal thoughts/ background because he focused more on his research subjects but it would’ve been nice to understand a bit more of where he was coming from.
I also disagreed with his point that Britain should stop apologising for its colonial past because ‘many other countries have done the same thing or worse’. just because ‘everyone was doing it’ doesn’t make colonialism okay. I think it’s important to continue to recognise the faults of British history (even while we praise other aspects). Ignoring the mistakes of imperialist Britain and her empire ignores the damaging consequences of such actions, many of which are still felt in countries today. We cannot forget and should not stop apologising. Why would we ignore it? To rewrite history and pretend Britain was better than it actually was? Our modern successes are not hampered by apologies, but are strengthened when we acknowledge how far we have come from those imperial days. So went on a bit of a tangent there but that was my main issue.
In terms of the structure of the text I suppose I thought it was a little repetitive and wish he’d been maybe a bit more analytical earlier on because while the narrative sections were, again, interesting (though tbh some of the dialogue seemed altered/ made up because it felt really stilted and weird?), I didn’t always know what his point was. I also wanted him to tell us a bit more about himself and his own personal thoughts/ background because he focused more on his research subjects but it would’ve been nice to understand a bit more of where he was coming from.
I also disagreed with his point that Britain should stop apologising for its colonial past because ‘many other countries have done the same thing or worse’. just because ‘everyone was doing it’ doesn’t make colonialism okay. I think it’s important to continue to recognise the faults of British history (even while we praise other aspects). Ignoring the mistakes of imperialist Britain and her empire ignores the damaging consequences of such actions, many of which are still felt in countries today. We cannot forget and should not stop apologising. Why would we ignore it? To rewrite history and pretend Britain was better than it actually was? Our modern successes are not hampered by apologies, but are strengthened when we acknowledge how far we have come from those imperial days. So went on a bit of a tangent there but that was my main issue.
February 3, 2021
thanks to netgalley and the publishers for a free copy in return for an open and honest review.
Found this book very interesting looking at modern day Muslim Britain with the author travelling around several cities where he spoke to Muslims and others about their society and communities. The book mixes social political, historical and religious commentary and liked where the author explained more about the religion so people who aren't knowledgeable can understand.
Found this book very interesting looking at modern day Muslim Britain with the author travelling around several cities where he spoke to Muslims and others about their society and communities. The book mixes social political, historical and religious commentary and liked where the author explained more about the religion so people who aren't knowledgeable can understand.
October 12, 2022
"In a 2019 survey, 66% of those polled in the UK said they were worried by Islamic extremism, while in a later survey, 89% said they were happy with their children marrying someone from another faith/race and 93% said that being British was not about being 'white'."
"The UK Govt stated that it monitored 43000 people under suspicion for terrorism."
-----------------------------------------------------------
The author Ed Husain is an observant Muslim who is trying to wean Muslims away from fundamentalism/literalism in all forms. While I have read quite a few books on Islam (and partition of India and Kashmir) , this one was quite interesting to read. Because the author himself is a self-confessed ex-Islamist and an Islamic scholar, he was able to enter mosques and talk about them honestly. And Muslim beliefs and practice are described in their own words.
Despite the fact that he was distressed and risked being called Islamophobic (give the Nobel Peace Prize to the person who hasnt been called it yet !!)
The good part is, he seems to have asked most of the questions I would have asked.
The sad part is, there seem to be no answers. Not easy ones atleast !
-----------------------------------------------------------
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
There are a no. of problems which if you read the news and have an open mind, you are well-aware of. My concern is that like climate-change denial exists in the Right-Wing, denial of Islamism is widespread in the Left-liberals (AKA "liberals" in the USA). Any attempt to speak out attracts the label of Islamohphobic and cancel-culture (which is just extreme intolerance) and allegations of racism. Unfortunately, the Left-liberals have created a massive echo-chamber which they consider as neutral/unbiased and morally superior.
What are the solutions I can offer ?
a) As the author has repeatedly said, punishment for blasphemy/apostasy has to end. There are instances in Islam where the holy Prophet (PBUH) was kind and forgiving towards critics even when he was in power. The Left-liberals have created bizarre Orwellian attempts to justify this behaviour of Muslims, but sorry it just doesnt work. And blasphemy is repeatedly used as a justification of violence - be it Leics or Kolkata or Pakistan or Bangladesh or a no. of places in the world. I was aghast at nobody protesting the "sar tan se juda" (call for beheading) rallies in India.
b) The author pointed out that prayers in mosques routinely call for "humiliation to polytheists and 'enemies' of Muslims". I used to wonder why good, sensible Muslims do not introspect on why hate towards "non-believers" should be a part of prayers. Arent prayers supposed to be about love, grace and compassion ? Why are you systematically dehumanising people of other religions ?
Also, this solves a major puzzle for me. I used to wonder why Muslims talk about Palestine but not about Brunei which severely restricts Christians’ practice of their religion ? Why they talk of Kashmir but not about the systemic discrimination practised by Malaysia/Indonesia ? Why do they have problems with processions of other religions passing on streets with Muslim-majority residences/shops ? I could go on and on...
The good, sensible people in the community should think about this please.
c) On a related note to (b), an appeal to the good, fair-minded Muslims - whenever you feel victimised and provoked by an event - please pause and think. Swap non-believers with Muslims and would you feel the same. If not, arent you being communal ? And please ignore the Left-liberals who spread resentment by their denial. Please think for yourself as a good human being and a good Muslim.
For example - a top Indian Muslim actor - Aamir Khan did a movie in which he blasphemed against Hindu gods. This might be ok but for the fact that he remained silent when the favour was returned. And while crying intolerance in India and Israel, he is happy with the Islamist Turkish President Ergodan. Sorry, please think both ways and be consistent atleast!
d) To the Left-liberals - denial wont work. People are already fed up with your fake-news and intolerance. A result of this is the rise of Right-Wing parties globally. No, people havent turned evil in USA, India, Sweden and elsewhere in Europe, it is just that your lies are clearly visible. Truth and reconciliation might be a much better and much long-lasting approach.
A simple example of fake news - An Indian state enforced the rule on school-uniforms where hijab were not allowed to be worn by children (not adults) in the school class-rooms. This was peddled by the Left-liberals of India as a total/blanket ban on hijab imposed on women everywhere. This was a clear case of malicious fake news being spread.
They should read the author's protests against sexualisation of children in this book.
e) And NO - anecdotes wont help. Friendly integration should be normalised so as to be not newsworthy , not anecdote-worthy. 1 separatist, 1 fundamentalist undoes of the work of a million integrations. Anecdotes are silly and you can find one for everything. If you want to use anecdotes to argue with a holier-than-thou attitude, keep that ratio in mind ALWAYS.
43000 people monitored for terrorism is 1000 times too much !!
-----------------------------------------------------------
Thank you for reading.
ॐ सर्वे भवन्तु सुखिनः सर्वे सन्तु निरामयाः।
सर्वे भद्राणि पश्यन्तु मा कश्चिद्दुःखभाग्भवेत।
ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः॥
_________________________________
May all sentient beings be at peace, may no one suffer from illness,
May all see what is auspicious, may no one suffer.
Om peace, peace, peace !
"The UK Govt stated that it monitored 43000 people under suspicion for terrorism."
-----------------------------------------------------------
The author Ed Husain is an observant Muslim who is trying to wean Muslims away from fundamentalism/literalism in all forms. While I have read quite a few books on Islam (and partition of India and Kashmir) , this one was quite interesting to read. Because the author himself is a self-confessed ex-Islamist and an Islamic scholar, he was able to enter mosques and talk about them honestly. And Muslim beliefs and practice are described in their own words.
Despite the fact that he was distressed and risked being called Islamophobic (give the Nobel Peace Prize to the person who hasnt been called it yet !!)
The good part is, he seems to have asked most of the questions I would have asked.
The sad part is, there seem to be no answers. Not easy ones atleast !
-----------------------------------------------------------
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
There are a no. of problems which if you read the news and have an open mind, you are well-aware of. My concern is that like climate-change denial exists in the Right-Wing, denial of Islamism is widespread in the Left-liberals (AKA "liberals" in the USA). Any attempt to speak out attracts the label of Islamohphobic and cancel-culture (which is just extreme intolerance) and allegations of racism. Unfortunately, the Left-liberals have created a massive echo-chamber which they consider as neutral/unbiased and morally superior.
What are the solutions I can offer ?
a) As the author has repeatedly said, punishment for blasphemy/apostasy has to end. There are instances in Islam where the holy Prophet (PBUH) was kind and forgiving towards critics even when he was in power. The Left-liberals have created bizarre Orwellian attempts to justify this behaviour of Muslims, but sorry it just doesnt work. And blasphemy is repeatedly used as a justification of violence - be it Leics or Kolkata or Pakistan or Bangladesh or a no. of places in the world. I was aghast at nobody protesting the "sar tan se juda" (call for beheading) rallies in India.
b) The author pointed out that prayers in mosques routinely call for "humiliation to polytheists and 'enemies' of Muslims". I used to wonder why good, sensible Muslims do not introspect on why hate towards "non-believers" should be a part of prayers. Arent prayers supposed to be about love, grace and compassion ? Why are you systematically dehumanising people of other religions ?
Also, this solves a major puzzle for me. I used to wonder why Muslims talk about Palestine but not about Brunei which severely restricts Christians’ practice of their religion ? Why they talk of Kashmir but not about the systemic discrimination practised by Malaysia/Indonesia ? Why do they have problems with processions of other religions passing on streets with Muslim-majority residences/shops ? I could go on and on...
The good, sensible people in the community should think about this please.
c) On a related note to (b), an appeal to the good, fair-minded Muslims - whenever you feel victimised and provoked by an event - please pause and think. Swap non-believers with Muslims and would you feel the same. If not, arent you being communal ? And please ignore the Left-liberals who spread resentment by their denial. Please think for yourself as a good human being and a good Muslim.
For example - a top Indian Muslim actor - Aamir Khan did a movie in which he blasphemed against Hindu gods. This might be ok but for the fact that he remained silent when the favour was returned. And while crying intolerance in India and Israel, he is happy with the Islamist Turkish President Ergodan. Sorry, please think both ways and be consistent atleast!
d) To the Left-liberals - denial wont work. People are already fed up with your fake-news and intolerance. A result of this is the rise of Right-Wing parties globally. No, people havent turned evil in USA, India, Sweden and elsewhere in Europe, it is just that your lies are clearly visible. Truth and reconciliation might be a much better and much long-lasting approach.
A simple example of fake news - An Indian state enforced the rule on school-uniforms where hijab were not allowed to be worn by children (not adults) in the school class-rooms. This was peddled by the Left-liberals of India as a total/blanket ban on hijab imposed on women everywhere. This was a clear case of malicious fake news being spread.
They should read the author's protests against sexualisation of children in this book.
e) And NO - anecdotes wont help. Friendly integration should be normalised so as to be not newsworthy , not anecdote-worthy. 1 separatist, 1 fundamentalist undoes of the work of a million integrations. Anecdotes are silly and you can find one for everything. If you want to use anecdotes to argue with a holier-than-thou attitude, keep that ratio in mind ALWAYS.
43000 people monitored for terrorism is 1000 times too much !!
-----------------------------------------------------------
Thank you for reading.
ॐ सर्वे भवन्तु सुखिनः सर्वे सन्तु निरामयाः।
सर्वे भद्राणि पश्यन्तु मा कश्चिद्दुःखभाग्भवेत।
ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः॥
_________________________________
May all sentient beings be at peace, may no one suffer from illness,
May all see what is auspicious, may no one suffer.
Om peace, peace, peace !
September 11, 2021
This book was a strange read. The author, despite being a Muslim himself, seems to deny the presence of Islamophobia in Britain and is pessimistic about the future of Islam in Britain. He fear mongers and talks about Muslims taking over Britain in a way you’d expect someone who reads the Daily Fail to. He says we should stop apologising so much for colonialism and praises Boris Johnson???
June 20, 2021
Ed Husain's travels around mosques in 10 towns and cities in Britain is very revealing of the position of Islam in the country at the moment. Too often he finds the mosques are preaching a hardline calaphist agenda and too many seem to be encouraging their members to lead a life totally un-integrated with the other residents of the town or city. Imams conduct Islamic weddings but are not registered to perform civil marriages and so in the event of a divorce the women have no legal protection as they are technically not married. Having lived and worked in Syria, Egypt and Saudi Arabia Husain is well qualified to draw comparisons and finds some British mosques far less liberal than even Saudi, and their bookshops are often selling books with such extreme views they are banned in other countries. He writes well, the prose flows and you will keep turning the pages - but at the end I was wondering how is this situation to be resolved. Happily not all mosques are preaching hardline views, I was delighted to read that the one near me (I could hear the call to prayer from my terrace when there was less traffic during lockdown) is a model of integration, but it was one of the exceptions. I was also surprised at the number of different factions that Islam seems to have split into, rather like Christianity. His conclusions make sense, but I fear will not be implemented as the establishment is terrified off being thought racist. The book is both fascinating and profoundly depressing.
September 9, 2021
Some sections of the press have attempted to write this book off as somehow fuelling Islamophobia, or for presenting a distorted view of Britain. I would suggest that this serves a very convenient function for many, because if you dismiss the book outright, there’s no need to trouble yourself with the difficult material inside.
Ed Husain has credentials. He even worked as a senior advisor to Tony Blair (If Ed’s clever enough for Tony, he’s clever enough for me). Writing this book, Ed set out in the hope of finding a modern, progressive and essentially ‘British’ style of Muslim culture.
What follows is a kind of Louis Theroux travelogue, in which he is increasingly baffled and horrified to discover the enormous gap between recent British Muslim “monoculture” and the white communities that they live alongside.
Headline claims from the book:
British Mosques stock libraries of books which are banned in countries such as Saudi Arabia for being too radical.
Radical Strains of Islam have propagated across much of the UK, especially in the North of England.
Moderate liberals make up the majority of British Muslims, but the outspoken, radical 5% is in full control of the rest.
Women are not doing well under this.
This takes place because our governments, charities, police, schools, social services etc, remain wilfully ignorant. The authorities have no understanding of what is being said, written, or printed under their noses. It is a William Golding scenario in which the adults are nowhere to be seen, and radicals are fully aware that they can build a destructive subculture without interference.
These radicals are a strong lure for young boys, who are being dazzled by the concept of a coming Caliphate. In twenty years time, when these boys graduate from their Madrasahs, it will be too late to put the Genie back in the bottle (no pun intended).
So what is to be done?
To be fair, the book is worth buying for the conclusion section alone. Husain warns that we will need to be careful, because getting it wrong will lead to what he calls three inevitable outcomes - increasing isolation, increasing hostility and enforced repatriation.
Instead, Husain concentrated on the positive, and looks at the potential for a new form of British patriotism that can take everyone with it. He makes suggestions for “selling” the concept of an inclusive, open and welcoming Britain that would make any immigrant be proud to embrace its culture as their own.
In essence, he argues that we need a new model of Britishness that incorporates everyone. But attaining it will require some quite significant changes on both sides of the divide.
Please buy this book, or at least, get it off the shelves in Waterstones and read the last chapter.
Ed Husain has credentials. He even worked as a senior advisor to Tony Blair (If Ed’s clever enough for Tony, he’s clever enough for me). Writing this book, Ed set out in the hope of finding a modern, progressive and essentially ‘British’ style of Muslim culture.
What follows is a kind of Louis Theroux travelogue, in which he is increasingly baffled and horrified to discover the enormous gap between recent British Muslim “monoculture” and the white communities that they live alongside.
Headline claims from the book:
British Mosques stock libraries of books which are banned in countries such as Saudi Arabia for being too radical.
Radical Strains of Islam have propagated across much of the UK, especially in the North of England.
Moderate liberals make up the majority of British Muslims, but the outspoken, radical 5% is in full control of the rest.
Women are not doing well under this.
This takes place because our governments, charities, police, schools, social services etc, remain wilfully ignorant. The authorities have no understanding of what is being said, written, or printed under their noses. It is a William Golding scenario in which the adults are nowhere to be seen, and radicals are fully aware that they can build a destructive subculture without interference.
“The Deobandis are taking over the Mosques, the Salafis are taking over our university campuses and even the Sufis are becoming mafia bosses.”
These radicals are a strong lure for young boys, who are being dazzled by the concept of a coming Caliphate. In twenty years time, when these boys graduate from their Madrasahs, it will be too late to put the Genie back in the bottle (no pun intended).
So what is to be done?
To be fair, the book is worth buying for the conclusion section alone. Husain warns that we will need to be careful, because getting it wrong will lead to what he calls three inevitable outcomes - increasing isolation, increasing hostility and enforced repatriation.
Instead, Husain concentrated on the positive, and looks at the potential for a new form of British patriotism that can take everyone with it. He makes suggestions for “selling” the concept of an inclusive, open and welcoming Britain that would make any immigrant be proud to embrace its culture as their own.
In essence, he argues that we need a new model of Britishness that incorporates everyone. But attaining it will require some quite significant changes on both sides of the divide.
Please buy this book, or at least, get it off the shelves in Waterstones and read the last chapter.
September 8, 2023
Engagingly written and taught me a lot I didn’t know about the different sects of Islam but I’m deducting a star because I have seen controversy about the references in that the author didn’t make clear when he was using aliases for his interviewees or not. He also isn’t always upfront with the people he meets about why he’s asking them questions- I hope he got their permission to publish about them!
March 5, 2024
Must read
July 30, 2021
comprehensive and insightful, the right questions being asked about the future of Islam in Britain.
October 11, 2025
Boring and inaccurate.
I get the impression Ed is a complete jerk, and that's from reading his own PoV. He doesn't engage with anyone, but rather asks insulting or leading questions and rejects the answers, all while hiding behind his "I'm not a journalist" line.
I think the peak arrogance is when he enters a Shi'a mosque, a sect he knows little about, and he immediately tells a congregant he's doing a ritual wrong, failing to understand the differences.
I get the impression Ed is a complete jerk, and that's from reading his own PoV. He doesn't engage with anyone, but rather asks insulting or leading questions and rejects the answers, all while hiding behind his "I'm not a journalist" line.
I think the peak arrogance is when he enters a Shi'a mosque, a sect he knows little about, and he immediately tells a congregant he's doing a ritual wrong, failing to understand the differences.
January 11, 2026
I found Husain's Orwell-esque, self-imposed, socially immersive experiment in Britain's Muslim commnuity admirable. He shows good judgement, albeit misguided at times, mixed with insightful linguistic and religious-cultural knowledge from his background. His prose was entertaining given his story-telling quips and razor-sharp wit. I find the bulk of his serious concerns to be resonant with what I understand to be issues across the world. However, there is a lack of nuance at times and a blurring of key concepts of radical Islamism that made it difficult to know what he thought to be inherently problematic, and what would be acceptable in the spirit of what he celebrates as "British individualism".
The triad of issues husain picks out of "communalism, clericalism and caliphism" across the UK is a fair diagnosis of the problems of ethno-religious segregation, religious literalism and authoritarian familial arrangements which drastically negatively impact Women, along with an ideology that seeks the supremacy of Islam as a social and political force. Huseins approach to documenting these issues is ironically mirroring that of an orientalist approach to social inquiry and cross-cultural understanding; notepad and pen and listening and observing without rigorous social analysis or categorisation. It is entertaining to read and follow the experiential arcs of Husein’s travels across these mosques, but it is certainly far from an objective portrayal and absent of academic nuance. For example, Huseins criticism of “caliphist” subculture becomes more deranged when he recalls how a summer fete for muslim girls which included dancing, bouncy castles and BBQs at a nearby girls school with “no boys over 10 allowed”. Is this because of the insistence on “baligh” principle where girls of puberty age cannot mix with boys of the same age? Probably, but how is this practically any different from a private girls school in London? I also do not consider gender segregation in of itself "caliphism" - it seems a step too far in ideological categorisation.
He also repeatedly made reference to how children studying at madrassas sit - as if sitting on the floor was an inherent issue compared to sitting in a chair. Buddhists sit on a floor, we sat on the floor in primary school. I dont see this as an issue of over-emulating the prophet mohammad. Even Husain's criticism of Rukya (Islamic exorcism) as something medieval. It almost sounds like Husain is against the idea of religion himself.
As Husain travels through Bradford, Birmingham and Blackburn, he tells us how the 2011 governor of punjab, salman taseer, killed by Mumtaz Qadri as a gustakh-e-rasool (insulter of the prohpet). A shrine was built for him, which developed into a mosque, in Qadris honour. Most people he asked - in and around British Muslim communities - about whether Qadri was a terrorist murderer failed to give a clear answer, evading Husain’s question or engaged in “sophistry” to give alternative explanations as to why this act was not necessarily terroristic, or they claimed he was a hero. I think this is more a political compartmentalisation of morality that can be attributable to any sub-population or individual. Husain mentions the IRA and “troubles” in Ireland, how many people still view Bobby Sands or the Black and Tans as heroes, despite their wider morality on premeditated killing being otherwise? I think the social analysis here is selecting Muslims as being the only "sophists" worth tackling, as if there is no shortage of "progressive, British people" who explicitly want the death penality re-introduced.
Similarly, he notes how in 1840-50s in Bradford, the Irish catholic community “was subjected to such intense bigotry and racism that riots broke out.” Why is it “prejudice” listed as the cause of inter-communal strife here, but with Muslims the problem of riots is poised as a one-way issue due to self-imposed segregation? I think the misappropriation of history as the history of "genuinely persecuted minorities" versus " problem modern minorities" is intellecual honesty and a myopic view of history.
There are also some mistakes made by Husein, minor, but noticable. The etymological origin of mosque coming from the Spanish, “mesquita”, is wrong, after I did some quick research, it is a common misconnception. He also says Al-Wahhab’s Kitaab al-Tawheed is being removed from shops in Saudi, but the only evidence I found was that its being removed from shops in Afghanistan. There are some explicit errors in this text.
The Edinburgh and Glasgow Mosques and Birmingham mosque trips were beaming with positivity with sermons full of prayer, modern observations, tolerance and need to be gracious. Husain aptly reminds us of the LGBT curriculum protests in birmingham and he speaks to a teacher who states that, supposedly, the content of the schools curriculum were merely about same-sex parents, containing nothing sexual until the children are of an appropriate age. He is told by an LGBT charity that there are 330,000 children in birmingham schools, and 140,000 are muslims, "why was there protests outside only two schools" - he is asked. This is a good point on the actual scope of Islamic opposition to the schools curriculum.
Many minorities throughout history are at the behest of complaints due to not integrating in terms of values, and I do not see comparisons to other minorities as a legitimate or fair comparison as to positive integration given the staunchly conservative background of Islamic countries compared to liberal democracies. I think there is some integration success to be recognised, especially when we consider 50% of Muslims support the legalisation of homosexuality and 50% class themselves as not religious, according to two different surveys, one by Trevor Philips, an ex-Labour cabinet member.
Similarly, it was positive to hear of imams, muftis and shaikhs, such as Mufti Jalal (in his 30s), who is a deputy Imam at one of the largest mosques in London and teaches at the Islamic seminary in Luton. And Abd Al-Qadir who is a hadith specialist. He lists the issues amongst the british Muslim community, notably: Drugs, Domestic violence and Women unable to divorce in illegal marriages, not recognised by the UK courts. Many people he met displayed a great deal of experience, insight and goodwill and it was encouraging and inspiring to hear some of the positive affirmations within the Muslim community and what we can do to delineate positive teachings from draconian ones, especially without critical thinking. A lack of critical thinking was repeatedly raised as key issues in many madrassas.
The triad of issues husain picks out of "communalism, clericalism and caliphism" across the UK is a fair diagnosis of the problems of ethno-religious segregation, religious literalism and authoritarian familial arrangements which drastically negatively impact Women, along with an ideology that seeks the supremacy of Islam as a social and political force. Huseins approach to documenting these issues is ironically mirroring that of an orientalist approach to social inquiry and cross-cultural understanding; notepad and pen and listening and observing without rigorous social analysis or categorisation. It is entertaining to read and follow the experiential arcs of Husein’s travels across these mosques, but it is certainly far from an objective portrayal and absent of academic nuance. For example, Huseins criticism of “caliphist” subculture becomes more deranged when he recalls how a summer fete for muslim girls which included dancing, bouncy castles and BBQs at a nearby girls school with “no boys over 10 allowed”. Is this because of the insistence on “baligh” principle where girls of puberty age cannot mix with boys of the same age? Probably, but how is this practically any different from a private girls school in London? I also do not consider gender segregation in of itself "caliphism" - it seems a step too far in ideological categorisation.
He also repeatedly made reference to how children studying at madrassas sit - as if sitting on the floor was an inherent issue compared to sitting in a chair. Buddhists sit on a floor, we sat on the floor in primary school. I dont see this as an issue of over-emulating the prophet mohammad. Even Husain's criticism of Rukya (Islamic exorcism) as something medieval. It almost sounds like Husain is against the idea of religion himself.
As Husain travels through Bradford, Birmingham and Blackburn, he tells us how the 2011 governor of punjab, salman taseer, killed by Mumtaz Qadri as a gustakh-e-rasool (insulter of the prohpet). A shrine was built for him, which developed into a mosque, in Qadris honour. Most people he asked - in and around British Muslim communities - about whether Qadri was a terrorist murderer failed to give a clear answer, evading Husain’s question or engaged in “sophistry” to give alternative explanations as to why this act was not necessarily terroristic, or they claimed he was a hero. I think this is more a political compartmentalisation of morality that can be attributable to any sub-population or individual. Husain mentions the IRA and “troubles” in Ireland, how many people still view Bobby Sands or the Black and Tans as heroes, despite their wider morality on premeditated killing being otherwise? I think the social analysis here is selecting Muslims as being the only "sophists" worth tackling, as if there is no shortage of "progressive, British people" who explicitly want the death penality re-introduced.
Similarly, he notes how in 1840-50s in Bradford, the Irish catholic community “was subjected to such intense bigotry and racism that riots broke out.” Why is it “prejudice” listed as the cause of inter-communal strife here, but with Muslims the problem of riots is poised as a one-way issue due to self-imposed segregation? I think the misappropriation of history as the history of "genuinely persecuted minorities" versus " problem modern minorities" is intellecual honesty and a myopic view of history.
There are also some mistakes made by Husein, minor, but noticable. The etymological origin of mosque coming from the Spanish, “mesquita”, is wrong, after I did some quick research, it is a common misconnception. He also says Al-Wahhab’s Kitaab al-Tawheed is being removed from shops in Saudi, but the only evidence I found was that its being removed from shops in Afghanistan. There are some explicit errors in this text.
The Edinburgh and Glasgow Mosques and Birmingham mosque trips were beaming with positivity with sermons full of prayer, modern observations, tolerance and need to be gracious. Husain aptly reminds us of the LGBT curriculum protests in birmingham and he speaks to a teacher who states that, supposedly, the content of the schools curriculum were merely about same-sex parents, containing nothing sexual until the children are of an appropriate age. He is told by an LGBT charity that there are 330,000 children in birmingham schools, and 140,000 are muslims, "why was there protests outside only two schools" - he is asked. This is a good point on the actual scope of Islamic opposition to the schools curriculum.
Many minorities throughout history are at the behest of complaints due to not integrating in terms of values, and I do not see comparisons to other minorities as a legitimate or fair comparison as to positive integration given the staunchly conservative background of Islamic countries compared to liberal democracies. I think there is some integration success to be recognised, especially when we consider 50% of Muslims support the legalisation of homosexuality and 50% class themselves as not religious, according to two different surveys, one by Trevor Philips, an ex-Labour cabinet member.
Similarly, it was positive to hear of imams, muftis and shaikhs, such as Mufti Jalal (in his 30s), who is a deputy Imam at one of the largest mosques in London and teaches at the Islamic seminary in Luton. And Abd Al-Qadir who is a hadith specialist. He lists the issues amongst the british Muslim community, notably: Drugs, Domestic violence and Women unable to divorce in illegal marriages, not recognised by the UK courts. Many people he met displayed a great deal of experience, insight and goodwill and it was encouraging and inspiring to hear some of the positive affirmations within the Muslim community and what we can do to delineate positive teachings from draconian ones, especially without critical thinking. A lack of critical thinking was repeatedly raised as key issues in many madrassas.
February 18, 2021
I was provided with an ARC of this book for free via NetGalley in exchange for a review.
Among the Mosques is a non-fiction read were the author visits several mosques around the UK and looks at how Islam is practised in different places and by different religious sects. As someone who was raised as an atheist, this book was not interesting but educational. Prior to reading this book I had only really thought of Islam being practised by Sunni and Shia sects but this book made me realise that it's really the tip of the iceberg.
It's clear that the author has put a lot of work into this book and tried to make it as diverse as possible. Some chapters were longer than others, but I never felt bored and thought that the right amount of time was dedicated to each city.
The only reason I have given this book 4 stars and not 5 is that I think that the author comes across as quite biased towards some aspects of the worship shown in this book but doesn't actually explain why he is against certain things. For example, when reading this I strongly got the impression that the author is against women covering their hair, but he doesn't explain why he feels that way. The author also doesn't explain his personal background, which I think would have given a lot of context to his opinions.
Among the Mosques is a non-fiction read were the author visits several mosques around the UK and looks at how Islam is practised in different places and by different religious sects. As someone who was raised as an atheist, this book was not interesting but educational. Prior to reading this book I had only really thought of Islam being practised by Sunni and Shia sects but this book made me realise that it's really the tip of the iceberg.
It's clear that the author has put a lot of work into this book and tried to make it as diverse as possible. Some chapters were longer than others, but I never felt bored and thought that the right amount of time was dedicated to each city.
The only reason I have given this book 4 stars and not 5 is that I think that the author comes across as quite biased towards some aspects of the worship shown in this book but doesn't actually explain why he is against certain things. For example, when reading this I strongly got the impression that the author is against women covering their hair, but he doesn't explain why he feels that way. The author also doesn't explain his personal background, which I think would have given a lot of context to his opinions.
July 12, 2025
A great book, that is well told. Husain is an interesting character because he appears to be a Muslim in name only, or a liberal Briton's caricature of what they would want a Muslim to be: liberal and progressive, but adopting a Muslim 'identity'. The names he has chosen for his daughters (Camilla and Hannah) is telling.
If you think about it more deeply this makes for pretty grim reading. It seems that most British Muslims are growing up being taught some really bad stuff thanks to the extremist schools of Islamic thought that dominate UK Islam. That doesn't seem to be changing, and this demographic group is increasing. There's also a significant crossover with clannish, tribal, communal, biradari behaviour, that doesn't work well with liberal, individualistic Northern European culture either.
I'm not sure how things are going to end, but the longer that the UK public and its politicans put off some very tough decisions, the harder it's going to be for another generation to sort this mess out. I share Husain's pessimism (which seems more grounded in evidence), not his optimism.
If you think about it more deeply this makes for pretty grim reading. It seems that most British Muslims are growing up being taught some really bad stuff thanks to the extremist schools of Islamic thought that dominate UK Islam. That doesn't seem to be changing, and this demographic group is increasing. There's also a significant crossover with clannish, tribal, communal, biradari behaviour, that doesn't work well with liberal, individualistic Northern European culture either.
I'm not sure how things are going to end, but the longer that the UK public and its politicans put off some very tough decisions, the harder it's going to be for another generation to sort this mess out. I share Husain's pessimism (which seems more grounded in evidence), not his optimism.
December 23, 2024
I thought this book would be an honest look at muslim mosques and communities from a point of view of celebrating as well as critiquing them. Sadly for me it was the complete opposite. I didn't finish this book. I lost interest because the chapters seemed repetitive and I got the gist of what the author set out to do from them and a couple interviews. In an interview with Joe he described it as a 'love letter to Britain' which is fine and dandy but it confirmed to me that the book was in service of a political motive, seeking to perhaps profit from a politically hot-button topic without contributing to it in a thoughtful way. And that is disappointing because that's exactly what I'd like from a Muslim man in a position of privilege.
On to my first sentence of why I didn't like the book. The author meets people and communities completely through the lens of his own warped preconceptions which are partly a result of his own past of flirting with extremist thought. He sees and judges too much and looks out and listens less. So he isn't really experiencing the spirit of the communities he is visiting, and from the chapters I read he doesn't ask them about what they perceive to be issues. It's clear that he sees himself as above the people he is amongst which is ironic only because it is the typical British attitude when actively oppressing said people. In Bradford he talked about the history of the place before and lamented it, but is he not aware of the history of the migrant communities in the places he is visiting? It was a huge struggle for them to come to this country and form said communities making those communities a success.
It's sad because I agree that the topic is vastly important, perhaps overblown but definitely important to millions of people in this country. A better way of approaching it might've been in a round about way, showing the best of these communities and their history, as well as being gently critical in some places. It takes more than a few hours to build this trust, and the author hardly tries to do this, instead speaking to his friends who sometimes have interesting views, and certain imams who unfortunately are probably bound to have questionable views. If the author did this is would better contribute to the national conversation in a productive way, but all this book does is expose the stinky parts of muslim communities and people, which is probably a small minority.
I don't know what this author wants to see in muslim Britain. He is guided by ideals but blind to realities. He doesn't know a dot about the communities he is visiting no matter how much he thinks he can just about fit in. He is looking to confirm his opinions and had chosen his side and argument before the book began. Is this book right-wing propaganda? It's a fine line, especially as he doesn't discuss social and governmental causes much. Why is it that you love Britain so much and the communities you're visiting don't? Don't you think you have had different experiences of Britain? His focus on ideals takes away the social realities of how societies work, in my opinion. If he is going to go the route that he went I would at least have appreciated this, but it was not found.
A positive is that it makes the naivety of the author almost funny. More funny if you read a Fredian mechanism going on where the author is horrified at his caliphist young self. What isn't funny is his ideal view of Britain which is in no way related to the state of it as we approach the quarter-mark of the twenty-first century. What's disgraceful is his shameful portrayal of a vulnerable group in this country in relation to many life outcomes. What's even worse is that this is the muslim Britain that outsiders will now have in their minds, and being unlikely that they will see a better side, is only likely to sow discord.
On to my first sentence of why I didn't like the book. The author meets people and communities completely through the lens of his own warped preconceptions which are partly a result of his own past of flirting with extremist thought. He sees and judges too much and looks out and listens less. So he isn't really experiencing the spirit of the communities he is visiting, and from the chapters I read he doesn't ask them about what they perceive to be issues. It's clear that he sees himself as above the people he is amongst which is ironic only because it is the typical British attitude when actively oppressing said people. In Bradford he talked about the history of the place before and lamented it, but is he not aware of the history of the migrant communities in the places he is visiting? It was a huge struggle for them to come to this country and form said communities making those communities a success.
It's sad because I agree that the topic is vastly important, perhaps overblown but definitely important to millions of people in this country. A better way of approaching it might've been in a round about way, showing the best of these communities and their history, as well as being gently critical in some places. It takes more than a few hours to build this trust, and the author hardly tries to do this, instead speaking to his friends who sometimes have interesting views, and certain imams who unfortunately are probably bound to have questionable views. If the author did this is would better contribute to the national conversation in a productive way, but all this book does is expose the stinky parts of muslim communities and people, which is probably a small minority.
I don't know what this author wants to see in muslim Britain. He is guided by ideals but blind to realities. He doesn't know a dot about the communities he is visiting no matter how much he thinks he can just about fit in. He is looking to confirm his opinions and had chosen his side and argument before the book began. Is this book right-wing propaganda? It's a fine line, especially as he doesn't discuss social and governmental causes much. Why is it that you love Britain so much and the communities you're visiting don't? Don't you think you have had different experiences of Britain? His focus on ideals takes away the social realities of how societies work, in my opinion. If he is going to go the route that he went I would at least have appreciated this, but it was not found.
A positive is that it makes the naivety of the author almost funny. More funny if you read a Fredian mechanism going on where the author is horrified at his caliphist young self. What isn't funny is his ideal view of Britain which is in no way related to the state of it as we approach the quarter-mark of the twenty-first century. What's disgraceful is his shameful portrayal of a vulnerable group in this country in relation to many life outcomes. What's even worse is that this is the muslim Britain that outsiders will now have in their minds, and being unlikely that they will see a better side, is only likely to sow discord.
August 4, 2023
Like many other reviewers, I'm left feeling conflicted about this book. As others mention, the ethical standards of the author are woefully lacking. On multiple occasions, he speaks with people who specifically ask not to be named, and then proceeds to name them and give plenty of details to make them identifiable. In other chapters, he literally gives the addresses of the people he speaks to.
Husain makes it clear that he is a writer and not a journalist but given the topic and arguments of this book, he would probably have made more impact if he'd at least attempted to adhere to basic journalistic guidelines. His bias from the outset left me unsure about how much I could trust.
Having said that, this is without a doubt a very interesting and important book. It might be better viewed as a travel journal; a snapshot of Muslim Britain through the eyes of a liberal Muslim. For non-Muslims, and particularly those who don't live close to the areas visited, this is a window into a world we don't ever get to see.
I remember on Fox news a few years ago there was a much derided segment about how pockets of Birmingham are no-go zones for white people. But here is a Muslim visiting those very areas and discovering this isn't far from the truth. This was challenging for me to hear and is one of the main points of the book - that we are quick to dismiss such extreme stories, particularly from far right news outlets because we don't see it in front of our eyes and it feels politically incorrect or potentially racist to believe such things. But by refusing to acknowledge issues around failed integration and growing extremism we are allowing problems to grow.
There's a gut reaction to view this book as fear mongering but also that this should be read by all British leaders and action taken to prevent the issues discussed from becoming more prevalent. It is concerning to hear that while Saudi Arabia is becoming more moderate, parts of Muslim Britain have become extremely conservative and are confidently stripping women and children of their human rights. I 100% agree with Husain that Britain should be working hard towards a fully inclusive society and that cultural diversity brings huge value to the British identity. Any sub culture that actively works against these aims is a big concern and needs to be acknowledged and addressed.
Husain makes it clear that he is a writer and not a journalist but given the topic and arguments of this book, he would probably have made more impact if he'd at least attempted to adhere to basic journalistic guidelines. His bias from the outset left me unsure about how much I could trust.
Having said that, this is without a doubt a very interesting and important book. It might be better viewed as a travel journal; a snapshot of Muslim Britain through the eyes of a liberal Muslim. For non-Muslims, and particularly those who don't live close to the areas visited, this is a window into a world we don't ever get to see.
I remember on Fox news a few years ago there was a much derided segment about how pockets of Birmingham are no-go zones for white people. But here is a Muslim visiting those very areas and discovering this isn't far from the truth. This was challenging for me to hear and is one of the main points of the book - that we are quick to dismiss such extreme stories, particularly from far right news outlets because we don't see it in front of our eyes and it feels politically incorrect or potentially racist to believe such things. But by refusing to acknowledge issues around failed integration and growing extremism we are allowing problems to grow.
There's a gut reaction to view this book as fear mongering but also that this should be read by all British leaders and action taken to prevent the issues discussed from becoming more prevalent. It is concerning to hear that while Saudi Arabia is becoming more moderate, parts of Muslim Britain have become extremely conservative and are confidently stripping women and children of their human rights. I 100% agree with Husain that Britain should be working hard towards a fully inclusive society and that cultural diversity brings huge value to the British identity. Any sub culture that actively works against these aims is a big concern and needs to be acknowledged and addressed.
January 26, 2024
I'm going to have to get the paperback and go through this with a fine tooth comb at some point. The premise is good, but I'm not convinced spending a few days at mosques here and there and aggressively interrogating the Muslims within them is the best way to actually get a good idea what's going on.
His chapter on Belfast is just dripping with a very particular kind of English approach to NI and has a number of small errors that make me question the rigor of the rest of the book. His treatment of Scotland is similar.
At no point does he ever push back on the white people he interviews, he seems keen on Douglas Murray, is deeply invested in British Patroitism, and his conclusion has some of the most rose tinted views of Britain, the Enlightenment, and Christianity I've heard in a long time. By the conclusion he does make it clear that he believe there are more liberal and integrated Muslims than not in Britain, but you'd never guess that from the preceding chapters.
I'm also concerned that he doesn't seem to have clearly gotten informed consent, maybe he has, but he only ever mentions saying he's writing a book when talking to people he's sympathetic too. If he never mentioned it at all, I think it would be less worrying.
There's also a very weird treatment of Islamic denominations in the book. Like being suspicious of the amount of mosques in places and big mosques being emptier than small mosques. He states confusion over this without looking a doctrinal differences, etc, and like look at the big cathedrals etc with more traditional or moderate message versus the more radical evangelical and charismatic churches, its really not that weird. He also seem inherently critical of Islamic aid groups who aren't helping locally, but it's hard to know if he'd be as critical of Christian aid - given they mostly work outside the UK as well.
At the core, I agree we need to be discussing Islam in the UK and integration a lot more, but I'm not sure this book is as helpful as he'd like it to be, nor is it as even-handed as he thinks it is.
His chapter on Belfast is just dripping with a very particular kind of English approach to NI and has a number of small errors that make me question the rigor of the rest of the book. His treatment of Scotland is similar.
At no point does he ever push back on the white people he interviews, he seems keen on Douglas Murray, is deeply invested in British Patroitism, and his conclusion has some of the most rose tinted views of Britain, the Enlightenment, and Christianity I've heard in a long time. By the conclusion he does make it clear that he believe there are more liberal and integrated Muslims than not in Britain, but you'd never guess that from the preceding chapters.
I'm also concerned that he doesn't seem to have clearly gotten informed consent, maybe he has, but he only ever mentions saying he's writing a book when talking to people he's sympathetic too. If he never mentioned it at all, I think it would be less worrying.
There's also a very weird treatment of Islamic denominations in the book. Like being suspicious of the amount of mosques in places and big mosques being emptier than small mosques. He states confusion over this without looking a doctrinal differences, etc, and like look at the big cathedrals etc with more traditional or moderate message versus the more radical evangelical and charismatic churches, its really not that weird. He also seem inherently critical of Islamic aid groups who aren't helping locally, but it's hard to know if he'd be as critical of Christian aid - given they mostly work outside the UK as well.
At the core, I agree we need to be discussing Islam in the UK and integration a lot more, but I'm not sure this book is as helpful as he'd like it to be, nor is it as even-handed as he thinks it is.
May 4, 2025
Disappointing. I couldn’t read more than 30 pages, Ed seems to be continuously making irrelevant observations and attaching negative commentary to them. This is the first time I have read something so critical of how Islam is practiced, and written by a Muslim.
The agenda of this book is clear. The entirety of this book is Ed reinforcing his own perceptions and beliefs of Islam through how he interprets his surroundings and interactions. This book does not welcome other’s opinions.
Ed points out the ‘irony’ of a woman studying architecture and wearing a niqab, he asks ‘how can she contemplate such ideas of beauty and art when she is invisible’. Repeated comments like these show an overwhelming lack of respect for the Muslim community and lack of understanding of why modesty is practiced. Is Ed’s conclusion that he should be entitled to have access to a woman’s beauty if she wants to contemplate the design and construction of buildings?
He then proceeds to approach a man holding out leaflets who states that preaching/dawah means he will get rewarded by God. Ed’s tasteful response, “so you think God is an accountant who tracks your deeds?” Again, minimising and disrespectful. He then rounds off the Cardiff chapter by tying the events he has witnessed together into a theme of ‘shame’.
These examples are taken from a 2/3 page extraction from the book, I couldn’t read any more. If you are going to read the whole book, good luck, it is a painful read.
The agenda of this book is clear. The entirety of this book is Ed reinforcing his own perceptions and beliefs of Islam through how he interprets his surroundings and interactions. This book does not welcome other’s opinions.
Ed points out the ‘irony’ of a woman studying architecture and wearing a niqab, he asks ‘how can she contemplate such ideas of beauty and art when she is invisible’. Repeated comments like these show an overwhelming lack of respect for the Muslim community and lack of understanding of why modesty is practiced. Is Ed’s conclusion that he should be entitled to have access to a woman’s beauty if she wants to contemplate the design and construction of buildings?
He then proceeds to approach a man holding out leaflets who states that preaching/dawah means he will get rewarded by God. Ed’s tasteful response, “so you think God is an accountant who tracks your deeds?” Again, minimising and disrespectful. He then rounds off the Cardiff chapter by tying the events he has witnessed together into a theme of ‘shame’.
These examples are taken from a 2/3 page extraction from the book, I couldn’t read any more. If you are going to read the whole book, good luck, it is a painful read.
November 8, 2025
Kudos to Ed Husain for allowing me to look at Muslim life in Britain. It felt raw and very honest, sometimes uncomfortably so. Some parts clearly came from a western gaze, although reading those parts forced me to confront and become more aware of my own biases.
This book is heavy and complex. And for the most part, it does not even try to communicate hope or optimism for a better future. The tone is largely somber, gloomy, and at times soaked with internalized Islamophobia. Ed Husain’s research journey itself felt loaded with judgment, and the questions he chose to ask people reflected that.
For non-Muslims, this book might actually be overwhelming. But for Muslims who want to expand their understanding of sects and subcultures beyond the mainstream, I would still recommend it. I grew up understanding only one version of Islam. This book opened my eyes to the sheer diversity and cacophony of practices that exist, and it forced me to temper my assumptions and question the “dominant narrative”.
Overall, it was a challenging yet exciting read. For its historical value and its firsthand account of Muslim life in Britain, I still rate it highly. However, Ed Husain’s inability to maintain neutrality, and especially his normalization of British colonialism and Israel Zionism, were genuinely infuriating to read.
This book makes me think, but it also makes me angry. Maybe that’s exactly why it matters, because it makes me feel things.
This book is heavy and complex. And for the most part, it does not even try to communicate hope or optimism for a better future. The tone is largely somber, gloomy, and at times soaked with internalized Islamophobia. Ed Husain’s research journey itself felt loaded with judgment, and the questions he chose to ask people reflected that.
For non-Muslims, this book might actually be overwhelming. But for Muslims who want to expand their understanding of sects and subcultures beyond the mainstream, I would still recommend it. I grew up understanding only one version of Islam. This book opened my eyes to the sheer diversity and cacophony of practices that exist, and it forced me to temper my assumptions and question the “dominant narrative”.
Overall, it was a challenging yet exciting read. For its historical value and its firsthand account of Muslim life in Britain, I still rate it highly. However, Ed Husain’s inability to maintain neutrality, and especially his normalization of British colonialism and Israel Zionism, were genuinely infuriating to read.
This book makes me think, but it also makes me angry. Maybe that’s exactly why it matters, because it makes me feel things.
July 17, 2025
When White English people think of British Muslims there is a tendency to describe them as a homogenous voting bloc with identikit views of religious and secular issues. If nothing else, Ed Husain's "Among the Mosques" makes it abundantly clear that this view is as ludicrous as stating that Anglicans and Evangelicals are identical. For the uneducated, it provides a description of the major Islamic schools of thought that are present in the UK. There are of course shocking moments which conflict with a traditional liberal view of integration but the book is not unfailingly negative.
Whilst some of his writing seems to be in bad faith, particularly with his treatment of anyone who wants to dress more traditionally, it's clear that the majority of the book stems from Husain's concern over the direction of travel that young British Muslims are taking, influenced by literalists finding fame on TikTok and other forms of social media. Perhaps the most interesting part was Husain's exploration of the difference between the relative modernisation of the Saudi state, in particular its departure from stricter Salafist teachings, and the British youths influenced by Saudi-resident preachers from abroad teaching adherence to centuries-old unaltered hadiths.
Whilst some of his writing seems to be in bad faith, particularly with his treatment of anyone who wants to dress more traditionally, it's clear that the majority of the book stems from Husain's concern over the direction of travel that young British Muslims are taking, influenced by literalists finding fame on TikTok and other forms of social media. Perhaps the most interesting part was Husain's exploration of the difference between the relative modernisation of the Saudi state, in particular its departure from stricter Salafist teachings, and the British youths influenced by Saudi-resident preachers from abroad teaching adherence to centuries-old unaltered hadiths.
February 20, 2023
This is an interesting book. The author visits mosques and madrasas in different cities in the UK and writes about his observations. As an academic I'd think there may be some ethical issues in some of the material in the book, as interviewing people without notifying them that the material may be used in a publication could be problematic. There are also too much focus on attire, clothing, beards etc. of in judging the extent of "modernity" or integration in the communities. I'd think these are very interesting observations and are useful for some questions, but attire may not be at the core of the key issues the book tackles or indeed a good measure for integration or modernity. I also have the feeling that the book gradually changes its style, starting as an objective observation of the places, people, and issues, and slowly the author's own convictions on the matters start showing. Despite these, the book makes the case that there are issues that need to be tackled by the communities the author visits. Overall this is a very interesting read and addresses a gap in our knowledge of the daily lives of Muslim communities across the UK.
June 26, 2022
An interesting look into communities that I don’t know much about. I can’t comment on how biased/unbiased Husain is, as I don’t know much about Islam, but I found his explanations helpful and tone respectful. If you’d asked me to read the conclusion at the very start I don’t think I would’ve understood all of his priorities, but by that point he’d brought those ignorant (like myself) round to his approach. For example, most of the younger brits I know hold a fairly negative view of patriotism, however after hearing the stories and travelling round the UK with Ed I understood why this would be something he’d be wanting to speak to young Muslims about.
Found it quite difficult to read so many stories of the widespread oppression of women in these communities. Obviously these are stories that need to be heard (and much more widely!) however would recommend reading slowly and practicing self care as I found it easy to be overwhelmingly despairing at times.
Found it quite difficult to read so many stories of the widespread oppression of women in these communities. Obviously these are stories that need to be heard (and much more widely!) however would recommend reading slowly and practicing self care as I found it easy to be overwhelmingly despairing at times.
February 14, 2023
I found this both fascinating and alarming. I read and enjoyed Ed’s memoir of being caught up in Islamic fundamentalism as a young man, so when I saw this I was interested to try it.
I live in an area without a significant Muslim community but am aware of worries expressed in other parts of England about Muslim ghettos and fundamentalism being taught in schools and mosques.
I had hoped that Ed as a Muslim was going to show me the other side and show me mosques doing good works and getting involved in local communities. There was a little bit of that but much more evidence of literalism and khalifism and the politics of Pakistan and the Middle East being of more interest to be the community than what was going on on their doorstep.
His overall message is that we need to get more serious about integration and show more pride in British values or we run the risk of conflict or apartheid. I take this much more seriously coming from a Muslim.
I live in an area without a significant Muslim community but am aware of worries expressed in other parts of England about Muslim ghettos and fundamentalism being taught in schools and mosques.
I had hoped that Ed as a Muslim was going to show me the other side and show me mosques doing good works and getting involved in local communities. There was a little bit of that but much more evidence of literalism and khalifism and the politics of Pakistan and the Middle East being of more interest to be the community than what was going on on their doorstep.
His overall message is that we need to get more serious about integration and show more pride in British values or we run the risk of conflict or apartheid. I take this much more seriously coming from a Muslim.
October 24, 2024
Ed Husain is clearly a well read, intelligent person who knows far more about Islam than I could ever profess to.
His book is well written with a casual ambling style, as he travels through Muslim Britain guided by his connections and relevant recent (ish at times) events.
Despite this his methodology is flawed, his context is largely none existent and his centrist politics shine through his work in an obvious manner.
His main contention is that ‘wokeism’ has stopped us from pointing out all that is bad in the Islamic community of Britain. This in turn, according to Ed, has led to our current state of divided communities and poor “integration” because Muslims in this country no longer take on, “British values”.
In addition, he suggests that the UK should stop focusing on the bad parts of our past history and get on with celebrating all that is good with the UK.
He largely ignores the evidence for Islamophobia and the recent rise of the far right, going so far as to avoid cities such as Luton (why Ed?) and he effectively decontextualises any perceived issues with Muslim communities in the UK, usually placing them at the doors of Masjids and Imams.
I would have given this book 2.5 stars but the good reads app doesn’t allow half stars.
His book is well written with a casual ambling style, as he travels through Muslim Britain guided by his connections and relevant recent (ish at times) events.
Despite this his methodology is flawed, his context is largely none existent and his centrist politics shine through his work in an obvious manner.
His main contention is that ‘wokeism’ has stopped us from pointing out all that is bad in the Islamic community of Britain. This in turn, according to Ed, has led to our current state of divided communities and poor “integration” because Muslims in this country no longer take on, “British values”.
In addition, he suggests that the UK should stop focusing on the bad parts of our past history and get on with celebrating all that is good with the UK.
He largely ignores the evidence for Islamophobia and the recent rise of the far right, going so far as to avoid cities such as Luton (why Ed?) and he effectively decontextualises any perceived issues with Muslim communities in the UK, usually placing them at the doors of Masjids and Imams.
I would have given this book 2.5 stars but the good reads app doesn’t allow half stars.
October 5, 2025
At first I was going to give this 4 out of 5 stars simply because I felt that it was a fairly decent book, but not perfect. However, finishing this book could not have come at a more ample time with what happened in Mancester on Yom Kipur.
Much like the resurgence of fundamental Christianity in the U.S., fundamental Islam is growing in the U.K. Having grown up in a Christian fundamentalist household, some of the interviews and experiences Ed detailed were near parallels to the environments I experienced as a child and young adult. It is important to have these conversations now to prevent worse things from happening, as both fundamentalist Christians and fundamenalist Muslims cast a negative viewpoint of what the true nature of the religions are: love, acceptance, and peace.
Much like the resurgence of fundamental Christianity in the U.S., fundamental Islam is growing in the U.K. Having grown up in a Christian fundamentalist household, some of the interviews and experiences Ed detailed were near parallels to the environments I experienced as a child and young adult. It is important to have these conversations now to prevent worse things from happening, as both fundamentalist Christians and fundamenalist Muslims cast a negative viewpoint of what the true nature of the religions are: love, acceptance, and peace.
September 5, 2023
While the narrative itself is engaging and Ed can clearly write the title is not accurate. It is in fact Among Certain Mosques: A Journey Across Handpicked Areas of Britain.
Ed has a narrative and he selects his data and stories accordingly. In no way does this represent a full story of a modern British Muslim experience, one that it would appear the author is claiming ownership of. Ed paints himself, rather patronisingly as having reached some form of liberal enlightenment whereupon he judges others that don't meet the standard.
In short, Ed is deeply selective about the mosques and Muslims he speaks to during the book to paint a story of a narrowminded British Islam.
Ed has a narrative and he selects his data and stories accordingly. In no way does this represent a full story of a modern British Muslim experience, one that it would appear the author is claiming ownership of. Ed paints himself, rather patronisingly as having reached some form of liberal enlightenment whereupon he judges others that don't meet the standard.
In short, Ed is deeply selective about the mosques and Muslims he speaks to during the book to paint a story of a narrowminded British Islam.
November 9, 2023
A very thought-provoking book. The picture that Husain draws, of the influence of the mosques on Muslim communities in various British cities, is very concerning in several ways - particularly the wide dissemination of very conservative forms of Islam, with the consequences that this has foe the position of women, the nature of education, and integration with the wider community.
As it happens, I have very recently visited Dewsbury, and can vouch for the vey separate nature of the Muslim community there.
Anyone interested in the long-term social issues in the UK would find a lot to ponder in this book.
As it happens, I have very recently visited Dewsbury, and can vouch for the vey separate nature of the Muslim community there.
Anyone interested in the long-term social issues in the UK would find a lot to ponder in this book.
February 21, 2024
A pretty interesting read.It gives you a decent- but not so complete- glimpse of how Islam is growing in Britain and how Britain perceives the growth.
It is a sort of book which leaves you with a bitter feeling when it ends- at least that was the case with me.There are no grey areas in the tone of the book.Writer speaks of a freedom of practices in Britain but ends up judging simple choices of clothing, books or even sitting on the floor while praying.
He asks the right questions but I believe he misinterprets the answers to most of those questions.He subtly tells a story about race wars but a very one sided story.
It is a sort of book which leaves you with a bitter feeling when it ends- at least that was the case with me.There are no grey areas in the tone of the book.Writer speaks of a freedom of practices in Britain but ends up judging simple choices of clothing, books or even sitting on the floor while praying.
He asks the right questions but I believe he misinterprets the answers to most of those questions.He subtly tells a story about race wars but a very one sided story.
February 7, 2022
It is very interesting that early on in the book, Ed mentions that the very word “mosque” is derived from the Spanish word for mosquito, as many in that time used to swat out mosquitoes. A simple Google search will find that theory dispelled. In that sense, many “facts” used in this book are a Google search away from being dispelled too. Far too negative about a religion expelling positivity. Taking the few to mean all in just the same way as some famous British newspapers. Only saving grace for this book was its conclusion and that too was “Meh!” at best.
April 16, 2024
A fascinating, critical insight into the layers of the British Muslim society, across the four 'kingdoms' that make the UK. As a 'born Muslim' in a majority-Muslim country, I was prepared to contextualise Muslims in Britain with their 'migrant Muslim' nature going into this book, but I wasn't prepared for the depth and breadth of issues that the community has been faced with. Issues that have recently escalated to violence. The level of nuance in this book is breathtaking: the easter-egg on Malaysia at the end says it all. #iykyk
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