Narratives of Conversion to Islam in Britain

The book under review is research based on symposia convened at Cambridge that drew together a group of forty-seven women from across the UK to document their experiences of, and perspectives on, conversion to Islam. The intrinsic value of this report lies in providing a forum through which the opinions and attitudes held by female converts to Islam can be voiced. Rather than being spoken about, the participants involved in the study are assuming ownership of their narratives, conveying direct and personal experiences of conversion. Much of the media focus on conversion centres on the experiences of white, middle-class women in terms of their responses to relationships and appearance. This study, while including such components, extends previously hackneyed portrayals of conversion to include new angles and perspectives on issues commonly discussed and introduces a much broader range of issues into the discussion than has previously been collated either through academic or journalistic accounts of conversion. The subsequent findings may at times reflect adversely on both the Muslim communities and the indigenous communities from which the converts derive. However, this reflects an imperative need to find solutions and appropriate responses to the range of concerns that the report draws attention to.