MUSLIM YOUTH ORGANIZATIONS IN BRITAIN A DESCRIPTIVE ANALYSIS

Abstract

Muslim youth organizations reflect some of the most dynamic and
important issues currently facing the British Muslim community. The
question of young Muslims and the organizations in which they are
involved must be a matter high on the agenda of all with an interest in
the future of Islam in Britain. In talking about Muslim youth movements
in the past and present, one is at the same time looking ahead into the
next millennium: the picture is one of exciting new directions, uncertainty,
threat, and promise.
In the first part of this paper, I will examine the emergence and
development of Muslim youth organizations in Britain, paying attention
to questions such as their goals, membership, leadership, ethos, and
activities. In the second section, I will assess what needs the different
organizations appear to be fulfilling and, in this part of the paper, I will
focus on issues relating to ideology, identity, belonging, the future of
Islam, and the resolution of generational conflicts. As the discussion
progresses, some assessment will be made of the significance of the different
Muslim youth groups as elements of the wider Islamic community
in this country and a consideration as to where they fit into the over-all
structure of Muslim activity.
It is not my intention to survey every youth movement that has ever
existed and what their activities and ideologies have been. Instead, the
focus will be on three major youth organizations, all of which contrast
with each other in quite significant ways, and yet which share some
common aspirations. In a sense, they will provide the context for the
more theoretical second section of the discussion. By concentrating on
three particular groups, a whole variety of other youth groups have ...