From the Margins to the Centre Shi'a-Led Grassroots Organisations and the Shaping of an Inclusive Muslim Identity in Britain

Abstract

Despite recent scholarly focus on Shi'a minorities in Britain, there has been little exploration of how Shi'a (re)define what it means to be a British Muslim more broadly. Here, we shift the focus away from inward-looking manifestations of Shi'a-specific identity and towards the diverse ways Shi'a Muslims are actively seeking to promote and enact inclusive ways of being Muslim in Britain. Profiling three Shi'a-led grassroots organisations - Who is Hussain, Love Muhammad and The Muslim Vibe - we explore how the younger generations of British Shi'a are invested in creating and sustaining a sense of inclusive British Islam which, by drawing on what we call an 'Islamically-conscious' ethics, seeks to engage Sunni Muslims and wider society in contemporary Britain.