May 23 2016 – John Bowen.

London has a new Mayor: Sadiq Khan. His Muslim and immigrant background have been front and centre in the social media celebrations of his election. At the same time, Khan has sought to play down his background, asserting that he is a mayor of a major capital city, not a religious leader. In this week’s podcast – our first full recording in our new studio – we chat with John Bowen, author of ‘On British Islam: Religion, Law, and Everyday Practice in Shari’a Councils’. John tells us that there is indeed much to make of Khan’s religious background: it reflects a tradition of making diversity a non-issue in the UK.

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John’s profile page

The introduction to ‘On British Islam’

Ash Amin’s ‘Land of Strangers’