J. Beckford & D. Joly 
Muslims in Prison 
Challenge and Change in Britain and France

The growth of Islam in Europe is reflected in the increasing numbers of Muslims in British and French prisons, but authorities have responded differently to the challenges presented by Muslim prisoners in each country. The findings of three years of intensive research in a variety of prisons show that British prisons facilitate and control the practice d of Islam, whereas French prisons discourage it and thereby sow the seeds of extremism. The policy implications of these ironic findings are examined in detail.

Table of Content

Acknowledgements Abrreviations Introduction: Aims, Access and Analysis Conceptual Framework: Categorism, Muslims and Captivity Research Contexts The Practice of Islam in Prison Islam, ‘Race’ Relations and Discrimination in Prison Categorisation and Self-Definition Among Muslim Prisoners Prison Imams Conclusions Note References Glossary Index

About the author

JAMES A. BECKFORD is Fellow of the British Academy and former Vice-President of the International Sociological Association, UK. He has written six books and has edited a further five volumes. His research has focused on religious minorities, ‘cult’ controversies, religion in prison and social theories relating to religion.

DANIÈLE JOLY is Professor and Director of the Centre for Research on Ethnic Relations, Warwick University, UK. She obtained a Licence ès Lettres, University of Nanterre, France, a Master’s Degree in Industrial Relations, University of La Sorbonne, France, and a Ph D from the University of Aston, UK. She has published on Muslim populations in Britain, ethnic relations and refugees in Europe.

FARHAD KHOSROKHAVAR is Professor in the Centre d’Analyse et d’Intervention Sociologiques at the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Science Sociales, Paris, France. He teaches on Muslims in Europe and postrevolutionary Iranian society. His latest books are
Suicide Bombers: The New Martyrs of Allah;
L’Instance Du Sacré, and
L’Islam Des Jeunes.