Victorian Muslim

Academic interest continues to grow in deciphering the complex shifting life and distinct interpretations of the Islamic faith of one of the most celebrated Victorian Muslims, the enigmatic and intriguing Abdullah Quilliam, a Liverpudlian solicitor and the first British Shaykh al-Islam, whose legacy continues to filter into discussion concerning contemporary debates and discourses regarding the congruency of Islam in Britain and Europe. Of corresponding relevance are parallel concepts raised during Quilliam’s heyday which continue to resonate, centred on approaches to acceptance and diversity, loyalty and belonging, reflecting how being Muslim in present-day Britain can be expressed against a secular backdrop increasingly uncertain of the extent to which concessions to overt manifestations of religiosity can or should be endorsed.