Islamic Revival

The following is a detailed paper by a brother on this topic.  Muslims living in the West are confronted with problems not experienced historically. Questions regarding their roles, purposes and identities abound along with how to engage with society. Nothing has created so much heated debate as political participation in secular democratic systems and voting for non-Islamic political parties. This paper considers voting and political participation in the UK context along with the political forces and influences surrounding the process, critiquing the juristic arguments used to justify or prohibit such practices and concluding on ways for Muslims to effectively and legitimately engage with the political realities. INTRODUCTION Muslim presence in Britain has existed since the sixteenth century. The need for labour after World War II saw a migration of Muslims from the subcontinent. More recently they have been joined by Muslims from the Middle East, Europe and local converts to