FOREWORD:
The contribution of British Muslims to the UK and the World is immense. Muslims have been part of the British fabric for since the 19th century and have been contributing greatly in all different fields. These sections are about that contribution. We wanted to mention it here, as we believe that it is part of justice and fairness to highlight these roles; allowing everyone to fully appreciate this section of society.
The initiative started by listing Muslim’s contributions in society and so, informing the public about the diverse representations and voices of Islam in Britain. It briefly presents facts but also gives certain insights and personal stories. The aim is to give more context and thus ‘life’ to a growing discourse on what it means to be ‘British’ and at the same time ‘Muslim’.
Please note: this article will continuously be updated.
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Introduction
The History of Islam and Britain
Islam and Britain has a long history that stretches back to the medieval period [1], only within 150 years after the death of Prophet Mohammad (Peace and Blessings be Upon Him). In times of colonial expansion and more exposure to different faiths and cultures, Islam began spreading with a number of Victorian and Edwardian converts in the 18th and 19th Century, such as the influential William Henry Abdullah Quilliam.[2] The converts were after some years joined by their brothers in faith from some post-colonial settlements, when the British Nationality Act was passed in 1948. This allowed people from ex-colonies to gain Commonwealth Citizenship (FutureLearn, 2014: 2.3-2.8). Starting with India, sailors arrived as part of their recruitment by the East India Company. The presence of Muslims slowly increased with Bangladeshis from Sylhet working at restaurants, according to records as early as 1873 in London. With growing demands of workers in ports and ships, Muslims from Egypt and Yemen started to arrive and naturally set up their own communities in the UK (BBC Religions, 2009). The settlement patterns thus reflect post-colonial demands for industrial trade and skills of migrants, which means that British Muslim communities are overwhelmingly urban. Drawing from statistic published in the 2001 UK Census, it appears 40% of Muslims live in the South East of England, largely populated in London. For this reason, one tends to find the largest British Muslim communities in city areas with great economic activity of the Midlands (Birmingham, Nottingham and Leicester) and the North (Glasgow, Manchester, Bradford, Sheffield and Leeds) and port-cities (Cardiff, South Shields and Liverpool) (FutureLearn, 2014: page 2.10).
More recent analysis of the 2011 UK Census, published by the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB), reveals that Muslims make approximately 3 million (exactly 2,706,066), which is 4.8% of the British population. Out of the 2,706,066 Muslims in the UK, there are 1,409,290 men and 1,296,776 women. In terms of the age profile, 33% are of the age 15 or under and only 4% are 65 years and more. Most Muslims originate from an Asian/Asian British background(s) and Arabs are the smallest cultural and ethnic group of 178,195 (the MCB, British Muslims in Numbers).
To read the Muslim Council of Britain’s analysis and full publication, click here.
Today, most of Britain’s Muslim population descend from immigrants searching for better life-prospects than ones found in their country of origin, mainly India and Pakistan. The first immigrants were men, leaving their families behind until they saved enough money to go back or re-unite with them. While the Commonwealth Immigration Act limited automatic entry to Commonwealth Citizens, immigration still flourished with Asians coming from Kenya and Uganda in the 1970s (BBC Religions, 2009).[3]
In conclusion, the economic migration of former colonial and commonwealth workers is the primary element in the history of creating the British Muslim identity, undermining present day notions that Muslims are ‘foreigners’ and have not settled and integrated in British society.
Note points:
[1] On their maps, early Muslim cartographers included Britain. Under the Umayyad Dynasty, Islam spread as far as Spain and France (FutureLearn, 2014, page: 2.3).
[2] After his conversion, he made a lot of efforts to publicly promote Islam in the British Empire. This made known by the Ottoman Sultan who gave him the title of ‘Shaikh al-Islam of Great Britain’ and the Amir of Afghanistan who offered him considerable financial resources for investment in the Muslim communities in Liverpool. He was also seen as controversial for being loyal to Britain (who colonised Muslim-majority countries) and yet true to the teachings of Islam.
[3] There was an ‘Africanisation Policy’ that at one time resulted in 60,000 Asians being evicted from Uganda by President Edi Amin (BBC Religions, 2009).
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Sections of this Article:
1. Muslims in Sports
2. Muslims in Politics
3. Mosques (Masajid) in the UK
4. Muslim Schools (under construction)
5. Muslims in Law (under construction)
6. Muslims as Health Professionals
1. Muslims in Sports
Britain can pride itself in sport with great dedication from its British Muslims – from Mo Farah who is a sprinter to the famous boxer, Amir Khan.
Mo Farah:
Mohamed Muktar Jama Farah also known as Mo Farah was born on 23rd of March 1983 in Somalia, Mogadishu. His British Somalian father met his mother on holiday in Africa and they lived in Somalia. As civil war broke out in Somalia, the family had to flee to neighbour country Djibouti. At the age of 8, he moved to live with his father in Britain.
Farah holds many records in sprint running – from the European to the Olympic World. He is the second man in history to have won both the double gold victories in both the 2012 Olympics Games and 2013 World Championships.
About his religion, he has said: “I normally pray before a race, I read dua (prayers or invocations), think about how hard I’ve worked and just go for it” (Muslim Writers Awards in Wikipedia). He has also commented on: “the Qur’an says that you must work hard in whatever you do, so I work hard in training and that’s got a lot to do with being successful. [It] doesn’t just come overnight, you’ve got to train for it and believe in yourself; that’s the most important thing” (Cahil, The Independent, in Wikipedia).
Amir Khan:
Amir Iqbal Khan was born on 8th December 1986 in Bolton, Greater Manchester. He has Rajput roots from the Punjab in Pakistan.
Khan’s boxing career began early at the tender age of 11. For his ‘amateur career’, he won three English school titles and impressively moved up to gold at the 2003 Junior Olympics. His other prizes comprise of gold medal at the European Student Championship in Lithuana and he was later known for defeating famous American boxer, Victor Ortiz. In progressing to his professional career, he was soon described as the youngest boxing medalist, winning silver at the age of 17 in the 2004 Athens Olympics. At the age of 22, he was also the youngest to win the WBA Light Welterweight.
Getting rid of that kind of stress is necessary. For Khan, he uses his religious practices to relax: “Mentally, we need a break. It’s almost as if mentally we need to get fat but people think we don’t respect the sport. I don’t drink but I like to stay at home and chill. Sometimes, you need to empty your mind of what you do. Ramadan is good for that. It will be hard for me but I’ve read that it is good to starve the body because it trains the mind. That is why the mosque is important. I sit there, do my prayers and feel free. In the mosque I’m treated as a normal person. Nobody sees me as different. That’s what I love about going there. I am normal. Sometimes, I think I should catch the bus to go” (Rich, The Independent).
Mohamed Sbihi:
Mohamed Sbihi was born in Kingston upon Thames on 27th March in 1988. His father is Moroccan and mother is English.
He was a professional oarsman by the age of 15. Sbihi became especially known as he was part of a team that won the bronze medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. In 2014, he finally won gold medals in the coxless four at the European rowing Championship in Belgrade and the World Rowing Championship in Amsterdam.
For Muslim sports people, it is hard to both train and fast during Ramadan. However, a solution was presented to him in Muslim’s Holy book, the Quran. In there, it says that for every day a believer intentionally breaks his fast, one needs to make up for the days or feed people. Sbihi therefore pledged to feed 1,800 people at Morocco for around £2000. He said: “It gives me a feeling that I’ve done something, although I still hate missing my fast. I enjoy it, the feeling you get, the tradition of it, being around people doing the same. When I’m training and fasting I can still beat a lot of the guys on the ergonometer. The problem is there is a risk of dehydration. As a squad we’re all so close. You don’t want to lose your chance-of-a-lifetime opportunity.” In confronting these dilemmas over fasting, he continued to say. “I hope I am an inspiration to young Muslim kids. Hopefully I can show they can participate in sport and be practising Muslims as well. It’s a privilege but also a shame. It’s great that I’m the first but why should I be? There are plenty more Muslim people in this country who could have done what I’ve done” (Kitson, the Guardian).
Khadija Safari:
Khadija Safara is an English-Italian convert to Islam and decided in her teenage years to live in the UK. While she was pursuing her studies in Graphic Design and Advertising at London College, she tried to occupy her time with another martial arts as she had been practicing Taekwando since the age of 18. She felt in love with Muay Thai.
Safari is the first female Muslim instructor in kickboxing and has a black belt in Muay Thai. She was taught by her own husband who was a World Champion in this sport discipline, Master Karim Safari.
In the lifestyle magazine EMEL, she comments on why she choose kickboxing as her favourite sport: “My love for the sport is matched by my desire to help my sisters and all women realise their potential, learn new skills and keep fit and healthy. The end result is immensely rewarding, and of course it’s a plus being able to spend time with like-minded women.” Although she is not pursuing the sport professionally, she is very excited as: “The 2012 Olympics will be the first time that women’s kickboxing is being entered as a sport, and it is also the first time that Muslim women will be competing, which is fuelling my desire to run more classes and encourage more women to join” (EMEL, 2010).
Zesh Rehman:
Zeeshan ‘Zesh’ Rehman was born on 14th October 1983 in Birmingham. He is from a Pakistani background.
His football talent was spotted when he was just 12 years old and moved with his family where he joined the Fulham Academy in London. After successful years of progression, he signed his first professional contract with Fulham. In football, his position is known as the defender. His youth career with Fulham continued to 2003.
In his senior career, he played over 300 games with four different nations, all located in Asia: Thailand, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Pakistan. For his country of origin, he participated in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Cup.
In encouraging more young people to follow in his footstep and viewing ethnicity and religion as important, he established his own charity organisation known as the Zesh Rehman Foundation. On its wesbite it further explains its purpose and so that it is working to: “….help change perceptions and myths surrounding British Asians in football by providing more opportunities in disadvantaged communities – combating cultural and religious barriers associated with communities which have a high number of South Asians” (ZRF).
Moeen Ali:
Moeen Munir Ali was born on 18th June 1987 in Birmingham. Ali is of Pakistani origin from Kashmir.
Like most recognised sports personalities, he was discovered at an early age. From the age of 15 up to year 2006, he successful played for England’s under 19s against Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and India. He continued to impress the world with his performance at Worcestershire and later could be seen on the international arena by being included in the English Squad for the 2014 ICC World Twenty20 in Bangladesh. For this tournament, he scored many runs against the West Indies.
By holding his religious principles dear to him, he openly supports the idea of a ‘Free Palestine’. In fact, for one of his games he wore a wristband that said ‘Save Gaza’. In sports, football players are not allowed to send messages related to political, religious or racial activities and causes. The England Wales and Cricket Board however ruled that his indirect statement was humanitarian rather than political in nature. His long beard and ‘Islamic appearance’ have also contributed to some not viewing Ali as ‘English’. The Telegraph published an article with the title, “You are playing for England, Moeen Ali, not your religion” (Henderson, the Telegraph). For those comments, Ali has said: “It doesn’t bother me too much, to be honest with you.” And then continues: “Some of the stuff is quite funny. People have their opinions about everything. I’ve been called worse.” For him, the beard is part of his identity and he would like to remove stereotypes about Muslim men who choose to grow one: “Yeah, definitely. That’s whole beauty of it. If I can play, and change the mind of one person about being a Muslim player and having a beard, then I’ll feel as if I’ve done my job” (Hasan, the Huffington Post).
2. Muslims in Politics
Muslims in Britain have participated in many political processes – from the activist grassroots levels to higher political ones. This section begins with Muslim MP’s and moves on to mention journalists, campaigners, community leaders who have all left their ‘political fingerprints’ in society and contributed positively across the UK.
Members of Parliament
From 2010 to 2015, there were eight Muslim MP’s in the Parliament, three of them were Muslim women (all from the Labour Party), out of the elected 650.
Sadiq Khan
Sadiq Aman Khan was born to a family of Pakistani origins on 8th October 1970 in London.
He was elected a British Labour Party politician and has been working as an MP since 2005, for Tooting in South London. He was also appointed Minister of State for Communities by former Prime Minister, Gordon Brown. He was also the Minister of State for Transport and then he was chosen to fulfill the role as Shadow Secretary of State for Justice and then Shadow Lord in 2010. Under the leadership of Ed Miliband, he was appointed the Shadow Minister for London.
Khan is part of the Fabian Society and he wrote a pamphlet on ‘Being a Muslim and British’. In there, he supported gay marriage and stirred a lot of controversy but on the other side, was admired for being a role model as a ‘liberal’, progressive Muslim in Britain. For that, he commented: “The thing about London in particular is we all have multiple identities. One of the things I’ve deliberately sought to do, whether as a lawyer or a politician, is not to talk about suffering racism or Islamophobia, because my worry always is that I may put off somebody else from coming forward. What I try to do is get people involved in mainstream politics. I want an arms race where the Tories, the Lib Dems and Labour argue and compete over recruiting more Asians, Muslims, Sikhs, Hindus, Jews, women, disabled people, everyone” (Hill in the Guardian).
Khalid Mahmood
Khalid Mahmood is a British-Pakistani and was born 13th July 1961.
He has been a British Labour Party MP since 2001 for Birmingham Perry Bar. Mahmood has an engineering degree from the UCE Birmingham. As part of his work in engineering, he started to become more involved in a trade union and slowly moved up to be the Birmingham City Councillor from 1990-1992.
One of his pursuits were to call for the resignation of former Prime Minister Tony Blair. Recently in 2013, he took a stance against Birmingham College to ban female student from wearing their headscarf. At an interview for the Huffington Post, he said: “I see no reason why young women should not be able to practice their faith and wear what is appropriate for their religion, […] It is about freedom to protect your rights. The college should demonstrate and encourage respect of belief, colour and background. [The decision] is not an example to set to students” (Sherriff, Huffington Post in Wikipedia).
About Muslim state schools, Mahmood has expressed his concerns about some attempts to ‘import views’ and impose certain ideologies. He continued: “But the majority of kids are Sunni mainstream Muslims. It is an attempt at indoctrination” (Elkes, Birmingham Mail).
Anas Sarwar
Anas Sarwar was born 14th March 1983 in Glasgow. He completed his degree in Dentistry at Glasgow University and became an NHS General Dental Practitioner before venturing into a political career in 2010.
Sarwar has been an MP for Glasgow Central since 2010. Although he seems junior in politics, he might have inherited the ‘political gene’ from his father, Mohammad Sarwar, who was the first Muslim MP in the UK. Also, he was a member of the Scottish Labour Party since the young age of 16. In becoming more politically active, he also joined the Scottish Young Labour, the Co-operative Party, the Fabian Society and was a member of two trade unions, Unite and Community. Currently, he is a vice-chair of political organisation linked to the Labour Party, Progress.
About his identity, he would describe himself as: “Anas describes himself as Glaswegian first, Scottish second and British third but his Pakistani background will always be part of his identity.” Separating his religion from politics is very important, as he says: “I have a key role in Labour’s referendum campaign but not an eyebrow is raised about the fact it is a 30-year-old guy with brown skin and Muslim faith who is at the forefront” (Crichton, Daily Record).
Yasmin Qureishi
Yasmin Qureishi was born on 5th July 1963 in Gujrat Pakistan.
Coming from a law background, she was advocating for human rights and previously chaired the Human Rights and Civil Liberties Working Group of the Association of Muslim Lawyers. She has been a Labour MP for Bolton South East since the last General Election in May 2010.
Qureishi is known to have opposed the proposal of labelling halal and kosher slaughter meat, as she said: “A myth is being perpetuated that somehow kosher and halal methods, carried out as they should be, are more painful and cause more suffering to the animal, but that is incorrect” (Bienkov, Politics in Wikipedia).
About freedom of speech in association with an increase of Islamophobia, she has said: “I do think in this respect it’s great we have free speech and free press, but I think we should have some responsibility because it is this kind of hatred perpetrated by particular groups that leads to what happened in places like Bosnia or happened in the Second World War” (Pitt in Islamophobia Watch).
Shabana Mahmood
Shabana Mahmood was born on 17th September 1980. She obtained a law degree from the University of Oxford.
From 2010, she has been a Labour MP for Birmingham, Ladywood. The same year she became the Shadow Minister (Home Affairs) to 2011 and from that year to 2013, she was the Shadow Minister (business, innovation and skills) and then was on the post of Shadow Minister (Treasury).
About supporting a boycott of product in Israeli illegal settlements, she is adamant in stating her difference with the Labour Party. This was her comment: “We all agree that Israeli settlements on the West Bank are illegal under international law and they are not part of Israel. As such, they are an obstacle to a two state solution and a lasting peace between Israel and Palestine” (Walker, the Birmingham Post in Wikipedia).
Mahmood feel it is important to correct stereotypes of Muslim women in Britain. She has been quoted to say: “The image of the voiceless Muslim woman who cannot leave the house is just not true: they [Muslim women] are interested in politics. Parliament is for the people—all of the people—and the ethnic minority population should claim it” (Adetunji and Tan in the Guardian).
Rushanara Ali
Rushanara Ali was born 14th March 1975.
She was elected Labour MP for Bethnal Green and Bow since 2010. She was a Shadow Minister for International Development and joined the Educational team in 2013. Her resignation from the Labour Frontbench came in the background of wanting to abstain on a House of Commons motion that wanted to vote on military action in Iraq in September 2014.
In a letter to party-leader Ed Miliband, she made a statement: “I appreciate the sincerity of Members of Parliament from all sides of the House who today support military action against ISIL. I know that British Muslims stand united in the total condemnation of the murders that ISIL have committed. However, there is a genuine belief in Muslim and non-Muslim communities that military action will only create further bloodshed and further pain for the people of Iraq” (Naughton, The Times in Wikipedia).
Nadhim Zahawi
Nadhim Zahawi was born June 1967 and was a Conservative Party MP for Stratford-on-Avon since 2010.
In October 2013, he became a member of the Number 10 Policy Unit. The Number 10 Policy Unit is a body of policymakers in the government, staffed by political advisers, civil servants and others to support Prime Ministers. As part of his business expertise (he is the co-founder of YouGov and a millionaire), he was a fellow member of the Business, Innovation and Skills Committee.
About the Charlie Hebdo affair and freedom of speech, he said: “The Qur’an is clear that it’s the role of Allah, not man to judge unbelievers. In the 7th Century, Ali bin Abi Talib, the cousin of the Prophet and a leader of the original Islamic Caliphate, said: “Whoever does not accept others’ opinions will perish”. There’s a sound Islamic case for freedom of expression, and it needs a good airing (Zahawi in Conservative Home).
Sajid Javid
Sajid Javid is a Conservative MP for Bromsgrove since 2010. From 2014, he was the Secretary of State of Culture, Media and Sport and Minister for Equalities. In his short time as a politician, he also served as the Economic Secretary from 2012-13 and Financial Secretary to the Treasure from 2013-14. Some has commented on the potential for him to become the leader of the Conservative Party, including journalist Ian Dale.
Mr Javid is married to a practicing Christian woman. While she goes to the church, he goes to the mosque (Murphy in Standard).
Barons and Baronesses in the House of Lords
There are 11 serving Lords and Baronesses in the House of Lords. Some belong to a party and others sit on the Crossbench. The crossbencher is an independent or minor party member of some legislatures and therefore not aligned to any political party. Out of the 11 members in the House of Lords, there are 5 Baronesses and 6 Lords.
Waheed Alli, The Lord Alli
Served Labour since 1998.
Origin: Guyanese
Read more about him here.
Pola Uddin, Baroness Uddin
Served Labour from1998-2010 and is currently serving in the Crossbench.
Origin: Bangladeshi
Read more about her here.
Nazir Ahmed, The Lord Ahmed
Served Labour from 1998 to 2010 and is currently serving in the Crossbench.
Origin: Pakistani
Read more about him here.
Amir Bhatia, The Lord Bhatia OBE
Served Labour from 2001 to 2010 and is currently serving in the Crossbench.
Origin: Tanzanian
Read more about him here.
Mohamed Sheikh, The Lord Sheikh
Served Conservative since 2006.
Origin: Kenyan
Read more about him here.
Sayeeda Warsi, Baroness Warsi
Served Conservative since 2007.
Origin: Pakistani
Read more about her here.
Meral Hussein-Ece, Baroness Hussein-Ece OBE
Served Lib Dem since 2010.
Origin: Turkish
Read more about her here.
Tariq Ahmad, Baron Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
Served Conservative since 2010.
Origin: Pakistani
Read more about him here.
Gulam Noon, The Lord Noon MBE
Served Labour since 2011.
Origin: Indian
Read more about him here.
Arminka Helic, Baroness Helic
Served Conservative since 2014.
Origin: Bosnian
Read more about her here.
Nosheena Mobarik, Baroness Mobarik CBE
Served Conservative since 2014.
Origin: Pakistani
Read more about her here.
3. Mosques in Britain
As far back as 1889, Britain’s first mosque was established as the Liverpool Muslim Centre in Liverpool, by Imam AbdUllah Quilliam. At the same time, the first mosque to be purposely build was at Woking in Surrey, known as the Shah Jahan Mosque.
Since then, there have been more and more mosques being established. Some are converted from other buildings and some are purpose build. In the 1980’s many of the purpose-built mosques began to emerge.
Some mosques have become tourist landmarks for visitors to Britain, the like the Woking Mosque and the London Central Mosque.
Currently, there is an estimate of around 1200 mosques in the UK. These are spread throughout the cities and towns.
Moving with current concerns on the environment, there has been a student-led initiative of establishing an eco-mosque in Salford (Greater Manchester). Meanwhile, Kingston and East London Mosques have developed urban beehives.
Regent’s Park Mosque (London’s Central Mosque)
REFERENCES
History of Islam and Britain:
BBC Religions, 2009, ‘History of Islam in the UK’. Link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/islam/history/uk_1.shtml
Cardiff University FutureLearn, 2014. ‘Muslims in Britain’. Link: https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/muslims-in-britain-2/todo/1620
Muslim Council of Britain, 2015. ‘British Muslims in Numbers’. Link: http://www.mcb.org.uk/muslimstatistics/
Politics:
Adetunji J. and Tran M. 2010. ‘General election 2010: first female Muslim MPs elected’. Link: http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2010/may/07/general-election-female-muslim-mps
Bienkov, A. 2014. ‘MPs block compulsory halal meat labelling’. Link: http://www.politics.co.uk/news/2014/05/14/mps-block-compulsory-halal-meat-labelling
Crichton, T. 2013. ‘Anas Sarwar: Nicola Sturgeon has not defeated a Sarwar in an election yet and she won’t in next year’s independence vote’. Link: http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/anas-sarwar-nicola-sturgeon-not-2068598
Elkes, 2014. ‘Birmingham Muslim MP Khalid Mahmood says city schools are being targeted by Islamic fundamentalists’. Link: http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/birmingham-muslim-mp-khalid-mahmood-6900381
Hill, D. 2013. ‘Sadiq Khan interview: Labour, London and me’. Link: http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/davehillblog/2013/sep/20/sadiq-khan-london-labour-campaign
Murphy, J. 2012. ‘Treasury minister Sajid Javid: Don’t slam the City, it represents some of the best of capitalism’. Link: http://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/treasury-minister-sajid-javid-dont-slam-the-city-it-represents-some-of-the-best-of-capitalism-8134667.html
Pitt, B. 2014. ‘Yasmin Qureishi MP: “Media publishing complete lies about Muslims.” Link: http://www.islamophobiawatch.co.uk/yasmin-qureshi-mp-media-publishing-complete-lies-about-muslims/
The Guardian, 2008. ‘Full profile’. Link: http://www.theguardian.com/global/2007/jun/03/resource2
Walker, J. 2014. ‘Birmingham MP Shabana Mahmood defies Ed Miliband and insists she still backs Israeli settlement boycott.” Link: http://www.birminghampost.co.uk/news/regional-affairs/birmingham-mp-shabana-mahmood-defies-7653687
Wikipedia on Sadiq Khan. Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sadiq_Khan
Wikipedia on Anas Sarwar. Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anas_Sarwar
Wikipedia on Mahmood Khalid. Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khalid_Mahmood#cite_note-6
Wikipedia on Yasmin Qureishi. Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yasmin_Qureshi
Wikipedia on Shabana Mahmood. Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shabana_Mahmood
Wikipedia on Rushanara Ali. Link: https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=rushanara+ali&biw=1366&bih=667&source=lnms&sa=X&ei=KikxVaPvMozzap_WgbAC&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAA&dpr=1#q=rushanara+ali+on+religion
Wikipedia on Nadhim Zahawi. Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nadhim_Zahawi
Wikipedia on Sajid Javid. Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sajid_Javid
Zahawi. N. 2015. ‘Nadhim Zahawi MP: It’s time for the Islamic world to support free speech – and repeal blasphemy laws.’ Link: http://www.conservativehome.com/thecolumnists/2015/01/nadhim-zahawi-mp-its-time-for-the-islamic-world-to-support-free-speech-and-repeal-blasphemy-laws.html
Sports:
BBC Religions, 2009, ‘History of Islam in the UK’. Link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/islam/history/uk_1.shtml
Cardiff University FutureLearn, 2014, ‘Muslims in Britain’. Link: https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/muslims-in-britain-2/todo/1620
Emel, 2010, ‘A Week in the Life of Khadija Safari.’ Link: http://www.emel.com/article?id=75 HYPERLINK “http://www.emel.com/article?id=75&a_id=2161″ HYPERLINK “http://www.emel.com/article?id=75 HYPERLINK “http://www.emel.com/article?id=75&a_id=2161″& HYPERLINK “http://www.emel.com/article?id=75&a_id=2161″a_id=2161″ HYPERLINK “http://www.emel.com/article?id=75&a_id=2161″& HYPERLINK “http://www.emel.com/article?id=75&a_id=2161″ HYPERLINK “http://www.emel.com/article?id=75 HYPERLINK “http://www.emel.com/article?id=75&a_id=2161″& HYPERLINK “http://www.emel.com/article?id=75&a_id=2161″a_id=2161″ HYPERLINK “http://www.emel.com/article?id=75&a_id=2161″a_id=2161
Hasan, M. 2014. The Huffington Post, ‘Moeen Ali Interview: “I Am A Muslim, Yet Very English”. Link: http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/09/11/moeen-ali_n_5803422.html
Henderson, M. 2014. The Telegraph, ‘You’re playing for England, Moeen Ali, not your religion’. Link: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/10897999/Youre-playing-for-England-Moeen-Ali-not-your-religion.html
Kitson, R. 2012. The Guardian, London 2012 Olympics: Champions aren’t made easily, says Mohamed Sbihi’. Link: http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2012/may/03/london-2012-olympics-mohamed-sbihi
Muslimness, 2011, ‘Khadija Safari, Professional Kickboxing for Faith, Women and Community.’ Link: http://www.muslimness.com/2011/07/khadijah-safari-professional-kickboxing.html
Rich, T. The Independent, 2013. ‘Amir Khan ingterview: One second could end my boxing career.’ Link: http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/general/others/amir-khan-interview-one-second-could-end-my-boxing-career-8621877.html
Smith, D. GiveMeFootball in Wayback Machine, ‘Zesh is a perfect role model’. Link: http://web.archive.org/web/20081007024229/http://www.givemefootball.com/pfa/pfa-news/zesh-is-a-perfect-role-model
Usborne, S. The Independnet, 2012. Mo Farah: Young man in a hurry. Link: http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/olympics/athletics/mo-farah-young-man-in-a-hurry-8007127.html
Zesh Rehman Foundation. ‘Who We Are’. Link: http://www.zeshrehmanfoundation.org/index.php/who-we-are
Wikipedia on Amir Khan. Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amir_Khan_%28boxer%29
Wikipedia on Mo Farah. Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mo_Farah
Wikipedia on Moeen Ali. Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moeen_Ali
Wikepedia on Mohamed Sbihi. Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohamed_Sbihi
Wikipedia on Zesh Rehman. Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zesh_Rehman