Hijaz College : Students of Islamic Religious Sciences in Contemporary British society

Abstract: Islam manifests itself in various forms and contexts. It is not merely to be understood as a static religion of theology, beliefs and practices but also as dynamic religion, implemented daily by Muslims in different contexts and frames. Since the rise of Islam in 610 C.E., Muslims have moved from the Arabic Peninsula throughout the world. On British soil, early settlements and the presence of Muslims has been evident since the 18th century. A gradual increase has since then taken place. Today the populations have become an integrated and visible part of British Society. Each Muslim community has its own traditions, ethnicity and conceptual thoughts; its own way of living and way of communicating religion. Hijaz College which is an Islamic institution situated in the suburb of Coventry, Nuneaton, is an example of such a community or Islamic institution that follows and communicates a tradition of religious living and comprehension. It is governed by well-educated Muslims that have a secular and Islamic-theological education. They strive to improve and communicate the potentials for Muslims in Western Europe through the medium of education and Islamic moral development. Consequently, this paper will analyse Hijaz College, one of the Islamic institutions in Great Britain, and the Muslim youth that study Islamic Religious Sciences along with secular studies at the college. As far as I am aware this paper is the first to examine Hijaz College independently. However, various generic researches on Islamic institutions have been carried out. This study concentrates primarily and comprehensively on Hijaz College and the viewpoints of four students that will be graduating as Islamic religious scholars within 1-3 years. They are all born in Europe and follow the Barelwi tradition of theology established on the Indian subcontinent.