logo
episode-header-image
May 2023
27m 54s

Heart and Soul: The emerging Muslim 'man...

Bbc World Service
About this episode

In Britain, the growth of Islam is being driven by a younger population, born and brought up in the United Kingdom. This includes BBC reporter Rahil Sheikh. Having grown up against the backdrop of the ‘war on terror’ and rising Islamophobia, he has seen how young Muslims have turned to social media to forge online safe spaces where they can connect, celebrate and discuss their faith. Young Muslims say these social media stars explain the faith in a more relatable way than the imams or spiritual leaders they may encounter in the mosque. But in recent years, Rahil has noticed that some of these male Muslim influencers have been using Islam to advocate alpha masculinity as a way of combating liberalism and feminism. Critics – including some Muslim women - argue this is a misguided interpretation of the faith.

Up next
Today
My social life as a wheelchair user
Imagine being dressed up for a night out with friends and being thrown out of a bar because your wheelchair is considered a fire hazard. When 18-year-old Maddie Haining was ordered to leave a nightclub in the UK it prompted a wider discussion about disability and accessibility in ... Show More
24m 20s
Apr 25
Inside the Mugabe dynasty
Late Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe died in 2019, but in the years before and since his death, his three children with his former wife, Grace, consistenly made headlines for all the wrong reasons. In April 2026 Bellarmine Mugabe pled guilty to a firearms offence in South Afri ... Show More
26m 29s
Apr 11
Bringing India's daughters back home
In India, official figures suggest that one in three women experience domestic violence. In 2023, police registered over 130,000 cases of marital abuse and more than 6,000 women were killed in disputes relating to dowries. Despite these high numbers, societal attitudes to domesti ... Show More
26m 29s
Recommended Episodes
Nov 2023
#175 — Leaving the Faith
Sam Harris speaks with Yasmine Mohammed about her book Unveiled: How Western Liberals Empower Radical Islam. They discuss her family background and indoctrination into conservative Islam, the double standard that Western liberals use when thinking about women in the Muslim commun ... Show More
1h 20m
Feb 2023
Islam without Compromise with Moazzam Begg
The war on terror, a US-led strategy that saw deadly interventions in the Muslim world, has transformed a generation of Muslims. Some, like my guest today, unwittingly got caught up in this mindless campaign and 21 years after the events of 9/11, we still feel the aftereffects of ... Show More
1h 7m
Sep 2023
The War on Muslim Women with Lauren Booth - Abaya Bans and European Delusions
Please consider making a donation, however small, to The Thinking Muslim, to receive a share in the reward and to help us make a greater impact. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/DonateYou can now purchase our Thinking Muslim mug here https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/merch Si ... Show More
1 h
May 2023
Why are So Many Young Britons Converting to Islam in 2023? With Imam Ashraf Dabous
There has been an uptick in the number of people converting to Islam recently. This was very noticeable in Ramadan, when it just seemed every day, a young man was becoming Muslim. Imam Ashraf, who leads a congregation in the inner-city London borough of Lewisham, discusses why so ... Show More
1h 23m
Apr 2024
SHIA Islam vs. RED PILL MOVEMENT! (Ft. Hassan Al-Qadri)
<p>Millions of Muslims are accessing toxic content online, sometimes stumbling upon discussions about women and masculinity. The Red Pill vs woke liberal movement is gaining massive traction, attracting streamers and influencers who convert to Islam and are indoctrinated to belie ... Show More
1h 20m
Oct 2019
E53. Yasmine Mohammed Points Out the Contradiction in the Way Western Liberals View Fundamentalist Islam
Yasmine Mohammed, author of Unveiled: How Western Liberals Empower Radical Islam, shares her story of growing up in a fundamentalist Islamic home in Canada. At 13, when she tried to report the abuse she suffered at the hands of her step-father, she was told by a judge “you come f ... Show More
2h 13m
Aug 2022
Green Islam
There are hundreds of verses in the Quran calling on Muslims to protect the environment. Islam teaches that everyone is a custodian of nature and should treat the natural environment with respect and care. Sustainability has been part of the faith from the beginning. How are ordi ... Show More
27m 50s
Aug 2021
They: What Muslims and Non-Muslims Get Wrong About Each Other, Sarfraz Manzoor and Ros Urwin
In this week's episode Sarfraz Manzoor speaks to Ros Urwin about his investigative journey across Britain in search of the roots of division - from the fear that Islam promotes violence, to the suspicion that Muslims wish to live segregated lives, to the belief that Islam is fund ... Show More
44m 11s
Jul 2023
overcoming insecurities, building confidence, hijab tips + more | islamic feelings
This particular episode has been one of the most highly requested ones I've had so far. Discussing insecurities is never an easy topic, and as individuals strive to become better and more modest Muslims, each journey should lead to a destination. Throughout this process, it's com ... Show More
43m 47s