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Ruminations comprises social criticism, political analysis and a biographical description of Tahir Abbas, a social scientist working on issues of ethnicity, social conflict, and politics. Born in Birmingham, UK, Abbas has lived and worked in London and Istanbul, and is now in The Hague, Netherlands. In this autoethnographic narrative, he examines the intersections of race, class, ethnicity, and Islam in the context of the British Muslim landscape through subjective experiences: growing up in Birmingham; navigating the precariousness of the education system; working in central government during the 9/11 attacks; and eventually becoming a leading expert in the field.
Praise for the book
At a time when Islam is mostly analyzed through dry statistics, theories and principles, Tahir Abbas reconnects with the memoir genre to provide a unique insight into his journey as a Muslim and an academic in different cultures and political contexts. Highly recommended.
Jocelyne Cesari
Professor of Religion and Politics at the University of Birmingham and Senior Fellow at the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace and World Affairs Georgetown University
From being a Birmingham boy with Azad Kashmiri-Pakistani roots to becom- ing a Professor of Radicalisation in the Netherlands, Abbas sheds light on his journey of overcoming the obstacles on the road to his current destination of becoming a distinguished academic.
Alia Amir
Associate Professor of English Linguistics, Mid-Sweden University
Tahir Abbas' story is partly a biography of growing up in a racialised, gang-rid- den inner city where bullies mill across the schoolyard and narrow alleys, but it is also a reportage of a steadily changing Britain where race, the imperial past, so-called majoritarianism, and suspicions of the 'other' still anchor communal relationships.
Iftikhar H. Malik
Professor Emeritus at Bath Spa University
Tahir Abbas lets us peep into the family, social circles, mosque culture, and the hidden or not-so-hidden racism experienced by a British-Pakistani-Eng- lishman with ancestral roots in Kashmir ... For me, the book combines the wisdom of a teacher with the innocence of a student who is still 'reading' the world and does not shy away from sharing his ideas.
Samina Yasmeen
Professor and Director, Centre for Muslim States and Societies, University of Western Australia
Thought-provoking contemplations.
Ziauddin Sardar
Editor-in-Chief of Critical Muslim
A charming and challenging 'coming of age' memoir of a young Muslim boy and his journey into political manhood in a strange and hostile land. A must- read that lifts the veil on Islamophobia!
Heidi Safia Mirza
Professor Emerita of Race, Faith and Culture at Goldsmiths and Professor Emerita in Equalities Studies at the UCL Institute of Education
As a post-Brexit UK struggles to accept that global dominance through an empire is no longer possible and that society is truly multiracial, multicultural, and multi-faith, this book captures the reality of growing up with immigrant parents and contributes to the creation of the newer society that is gradually emerging.
Sally Tomlinson
Emeritus Professor at Goldsmiths and an Honorary Fellow in the Department of Education, University of Oxford
The richness of the subject is matched by the excellence of the writing. Profes- sor Abbas has reached a new level of literary attainment.
Akbar Ahmed
Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies, American University
