Al-Britannia, My Country

In this groundbreaking book, James Fergusson travels the length of Britain to explore our often misunderstood Muslim communities, and to experience life on both sides of our increasingly segregated society.Over the last ten years the Islamic population in the UK has doubled, and it is set to do so again in the next five. A societal shift of this size and speed has inevitably brought growing pains, with the impact on Britain’s traditions, on our schools, on our courts, on the way we think and act as a nation at home or abroad, likely to become ever more profound. As well as painful – because in the eyes of many people, Islam has a problem: the extremist views of a tiny minority, which, when translated into action, can and increasingly do result in catastrophic violence. The danger of this extremist threat is that we are collectively starting to lose faith in the cultural diversity that has glued our nation together for so long. Our tolerance of others, so often cited as a ‘fundamental British value,’ and for many Britons a source of quiet celebration and pride, is at risk.In his search to answer important questions about Britain’s future, Fergusson finds a cauldron of tolerance and intolerance, kindness and ugliness, fear and friendship, and ultimately shines a light on the reality of life in Britain today.