MUSLIM YOUTH ORGANIZATIONS IN BRITAIN

Muslim youth organizations reflect some of the most dynamic andimportant issues currently facing the British Muslim community. Thequestion of young Muslims and the organizations in which they areinvolved must be a matter high on the agenda of all with an interest inthe future of Islam in Britain. In talking about Muslim youth movementsin the past and present, one is at the same time looking ahead into thenext 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 anddevelopment of Muslim youth organizations in Britain, paying attentionto questions such as their goals, membership, leadership, ethos, andactivities. In the second section, I will assess what needs the differentorganizations appear to be fulfilling and, in this part of the paper, I willfocus on issues relating to ideology, identity, belonging, the future ofIslam, and the resolution of generational conflicts. As the discussionprogresses, some assessment will be made of the significance of the differentMuslim youth groups as elements of the wider Islamic communityin this country and a consideration as to where they fit into the over-allstructure of Muslim activity.It is not my intention to survey every youth movement that has everexisted and what their activities and ideologies have been. Instead, thefocus will be on three major youth organizations, all of which contrastwith each other in quite significant ways, and yet which share somecommon aspirations. In a sense, they will provide the context for themore theoretical second section of the discussion. By concentrating onthree particular groups, a whole variety of other youth groups have ...