The 'new Islam' and Bangladeshi youth in Britain and the US

In this paper I look at the growth of revivalist Islam - the 'new Islam' - within Muslim migrant communities in Western societies. I do so through a comparative analysis of how Bangladesh-origin Muslims in Britain and the US view and understand revivalist Islam, especially its popularity among youth within their communities. I explore the effects of national context, exploring the ways in which variations of history and context of settlement shape the character of revivalist Islam in the British and US Bangladesh-origin communities. I find that Bangladesh-origin Muslims in Britain and the US see the growth of revivalist Islam to be a response to the growing salience of 'Muslim' as a public identity for them in these countries. Other explanations include a deep sense of political and cultural alienation from the West, coupled with a desire, especially among the younger generation, to distance oneself from an identification with Bangladesh. The impact of national context is evident in how these understandings are expressed as well as in their implications for patterns of incorporation. The growth of revivalist Islam appears to be a far more contested matter among the Bangladesh-origin community in Britain than it is in the US.