Why Did Some White British Men Convert to Islam in Liverpool?
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In Jamie Gilham’s article, he talks about the white British men who converted to Islam in Liverpool. These men were mostly working-class and middle-aged, and many felt disconnected from their Christian faith. For some, the complex doctrines of Christianity, like the Trinity, were hard to wrap their heads around (Gilham 98, 105). With its clear structure and straightforward teachings, Islam offered them something they felt was missing in their previous beliefs (Gilham 106). But it wasn’t just about theology—many of these converts also found a sense of belonging and community in the Muslim community, which they had been searching for (Gilham 102).
This search for belonging can also be linked to Neda Maghbouleh’s work, where she looks at Iranian-American immigrants. In her study, she shows how some of them, even though they weren’t technically white, tried to align themselves with "whiteness" to better fit into American society (Maghbouleh 52). The British converts in Gilham’s study didn’t face the same racial discrimination as Iranian Americans, but in a way, they were also stepping outside the traditional British identity by choosing Islam. Both groups were looking for a place where they could find a sense of belonging, whether it was through religion or racial identity.
What’s striking here is that both groups felt like they didn’t completely fit into the identities society had for them. For the British converts, Islam allowed them to create a new identity that wasn’t tied to their old British or Christian labels. Similarly, for Iranian Americans in Maghbouleh’s study, identifying with whiteness became a way of navigating their social standing, even though their ethnic background didn’t align with it. In both cases, these individuals were searching for something more whether through religion or race that would help them carve out a space where they truly belonged.