Why are Conservatives Winning?
British Muslim journalist Yasmin Alibhai-Brown astutely encapsulates 20th century struggles:
“After the transformative 60s, Muslim feminists resumed the fight for equality. European rule was over. It was time. The Moroccan academic Fatema Mernissi, Egypt’s Nawal El Saadawi and the Pakistani scholar Riffat Hassan all argued for female emancipation. They rightly saw the veil as a a tool and symbol of oppression and subservience…
But more conservative Islamic tenets have taken over lands, communities, families, heads and hearts.. All religions cast women as sinners and temptresses. Conservative Islam has revived the slander for our times”.
She’s right. Muslim feminists have indeed advocated for egalitarian interpretations of scripture, asserted their rights, and challenged patriarchal laws. However, over recent decades, their influence appears to have diminished. Most Muslims prefer to seek guidance from respected imams.
Westerners often overlook this nuance, stereotyping Islam as either conservative or progressive. In reality, religious practices are diverse and contested, with conservatives currently wielding greater authority. The most revered and respected scholars are often those trained in Egypt or Saudi Arabia. This trend holds true even in some of the world’s wealthiest countries, like Britain.
This essay draws on nationally representative data into labour markets, transnational marriages, beliefs, and my interviews.
What do British Muslims really want?
British Muslims share much in common with the wider public. Like everyone else, they express concerns about healthcare and unemployment, prioritise their children’s education, and overwhelmingly condemn political violence. Very British.
Muslim families tend to be in-tact. Amid concerns about ‘fatherless boys’, it’s worth noting that 77% of Muslim 13 year olds live with their biological fathers. That’s well above the national average of 63%. Muslims are also much more likely to emphasise family values and care for elderly relatives.
British Muslims also tend to say that they have freedom to practise their religion.
British Muslims tend to be very devout
79% of British Muslim men said attend religious services once a month
71% said their views are represented by the local mosque
53% would prefer to send their children to schools with strong ‘Muslim values’
British Muslims distinct priorities are also reflected at the ballot box, recently electing five pro-Palestine independents. Organised and emboldened, politicians may start taking their concerns seriously - about genocide in Gaza and everyday life.
37% of Muslims born in the UK said that homosexuals should not teach in schools
44% believe that schools should be able to insist that girls wear a hijab or niqab
40% agreed ‘girls and boys should be taught separately’
36% of university graduates also supported gender segregated education
47% said that homosexuals should not teach in schools.
37% of Muslims born in the UK said that homosexuals should not teach
43% would also support Shariah Law.
23% would welcome areas of Britain where British law is replaced by Sharia.
(Sources: Ipsos MORI and Policy Exchange).
‘Shariah’ typically just means the family
Cautious interpretation is warranted. Shariah’s supporters clarified that that they do not want ‘stoning’, just matters concerning the family.
As a Muslim man from Birmingham explained,
“What [the] media is talking about [with] Sharia law is, I’ll give you an example. When they say Sharia law, that means hand chopped off, leg chopped off, and stoned to death… That is Sharia law, and that’s done, washed our hands. It’s not.
When we are talking about Sharia law, we are talking about divorce, you know, in Islam, how the divorce is done, or getting married”.
Did you know that in the UK there’s a gender gap in driving?
62% of young Muslim men have driving licenses, compared with 40% of young Muslim women
(Ipsos MORI, survey of people aged 19-21)
British Muslim women are more likely to care for their homes and families
Labour markets reflect religious priorities. Muslim women are - regardless of qualifications - much more likely to be economically inactive.
Similarly in the US, Muslim (versus Christian) Black women are less likely to work.
East London’s Ridley Road Market
If you’re interested in cultural diversity, I’d recommend a trip to East London’s Ridley Road Market. Stroll past the butchers, groceries and stores selling weaves, you’ll see two immigrant communities: Afro-Caribbean and South Asian.
In this exact same market, with the same job opportunities, public safety, and state capacity, there is a marked gender divergence. South Asian vendors are exclusively male, while Afro-Caribbean businesses frequently feature proprietors, with their names proudly displayed above their shops. Ridley Road is an excellent example of how economic activity is mediated by culture.
A 2nd Generation British Muslim family
To complement this nationally representative data, let me tell you about one highly educated and wealthy family. Second generation British Indian father Jamal works in media and tech. Since business is thriving, Jamal can treat his beloved daughters to expensive foreign holidays while also insisting on home-schooling, early marriage, and the niqab. Chatting with cousins, 13 year old daughter Amal shared her hopes for the future:
“When I grow up I want to be a good wife for my husband”.
Jamal says the same to his niece, Khadija (21):
“A woman’s primary role, as the wife, is to obey her husband. And if he allows her to work while still taking on the responsibility of all the bills and finances.. The primary role of the wife is to be the home-maker… Allah knows best”
Jamal also discouraged his sister Fatima from working at Boots (selling cosmetics):
“If people go out and commit zina then those sins are also on you”.
In a heated argument with his sister Maryam (a doctor), Jamal cursed,
“The reason you’re not getting married is that Allah is punishing you for not wearing a headscarf and for examining men”.
Men are also policed. Nephew Ishaaq is not allowed to be alone with Jamal’s wife, Fatima:
‘“It’s not proper for you to be here, with Fatima by herself” [says my uncle]. And that’s been there since I was 11 years old’.
Does everyone agree?
Fatima made her own choices - marrying Jamal, wearing the niqab, and home-schooling their children. These decisions reflect her agency. Like every relationship, there are of course occasional moments of tension. Fatima certainly becomes uneasy when Jamal mentions the possibility of taking another wife.
Jamal’s family do not lack agency, nor are they economically deprived. Akin to Muslims all over the world, they respect established scholars - like the Islam Channel (a successful media enterprise reportedly reaching 60% of British Muslims). Sheikhs say when it comes to non-relatives, one must maintain gender segregation. A previously married man and woman, with an adult son, should not be in the same room.
At the local mosque, this past Eid, the imam reminded them all,
“I know how the ladies like to celebrate, but remember the majority of people in Hell are women”.
How do I know this? Well, a Muslim friend kindly sent me the audio over Whatsapp. A UK parliamentary candidate repeated this same Hadith:
Transnational Marriage
Half of all British Muslim marriages are transnational - according to the 2011 Census. This reflects a strong tendency to marry other Muslims, and marry immigrants. Shadi Farahzadi shows this holds even when controlling for ethnicity. Less educated Muslims are more likely to marry people from overseas.
Transnational marriage likely affects culture. Rates of female employment are well below the global average in both Pakistan and Bangladesh. And that pattern is repeated in Britain. British Pakistani and British Bangladeshi women tend to have lower rates of employment - 46%.
For me, the key question is not whether Islam is inherently conservative or progressive. Just like every text and tradition, there is always scope for debate. The 20th century proved that culture is not set in stone, it is continually contested. Perhaps a better question to ask is
What’s weakening the popularity of Islamic feminists?
Related essays
Piety and Modernity: Navigating Islamic Traditions in 21st Century Britain
Has Prosperity Fuelled Secular Liberalism in Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia?