Quilliam report

Malcolm Gorman Sheikh Abdullah Quilliam (1851 - 1932)

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Introduction Sheikh Abdullah Quilliam was the founder of one of the first Muslim communities in Britain, in the late Nineteenth century. This report evaluates Quilliams establishment of the Liverpool Muslim Institute, his techniques for dissemination and the impact of his legacy on Muslims in the West, particularly Great Britain. Early life/ contextualizing William Quilliam born in 1851 to an affluent Methodist watchmaker of Manx decent qualified as a solicitor and went on to head the largest advocacy practice in Northern Britain. His decision to specialise in advocacy gives an insight into his philanthropic nature. In 1882 Quilliam visited southern France, Algeria and Morocco to recuperate from stress and the rigours of life in England. This practise was common among the wealthy in England as it was felt the pleasant climate and the slower pace of living in less Advance countries aided recovery. It was on this sojourner aged 31 that Quilliam first had contact with Islam and discovered a similarity between his personal philosophies and the ideology and message found within the Quran and converted to Islam. On his return to Liverpool in 1889 William Quilliam changed his name to Abdullah Quilliam and began his self-appointed mission of spreading Islam to the British Isle. In the late nineteenth century Britain was struggling to control its empire threatened by the expansion plans of other great empires such as Russia and Germany. The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 shortened the journey to India and the near east by four thousand miles exacerbating tension between the declining Ottoman Empire and that of the British who had imperialistic ambitions to expand into Ottoman territory.( Chaudhuri 2009) Islam and its followers where treated with great suspicion as their loyalty was seen as belonging to Islam and not to the Empire or the Monarchy in a time where patriotism was propagated as

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Quilliam report

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paramount with the empire and western values represented as under attack by the east to justify Britains expansion and suppression of foreign territories. Liverpool Muslim Congregation Quilliams first converts where close friends, business associates and members of his family. His charismatic nature and educated turn of phrase made him an excellent public speaker. He was reputed to have attended court in traditional Turkish dress and even to travel on a White Arab Horse (Considering the most common mode of transport at this time was the horse, this is neither striking nor unlikely). Quilliam rented a room in Mount Vermont Street Liverpool which became a prayer and meeting venue for his growing congregation and published three editions of his book The Faith of Islam which offered an explanation of Islam from a western emic perspective. In his book Quilliam glorifies the ethical superiority of Islam in comparison to the Christianity and claims that the Islamic spread to African tribes has done more for civilisation than Christianity (Quilliam 1892). The book was produced with the intention of offering Islam from a contemporary perspective in retaliation to the limited scholarly resources available which frequently presented Islam as an Alien and unsophisticated superstition. The book was not well received by the majority as it was seen as unpatriotic, anti-monarchy, and anti-Christianity but allowed those with a more open mind a more accessible account of Islam. (Ansari 2005) Quilliams labours brought him notoriety throughout the Islamic world. He was made Sheikh-Ul-Islam of Britain ( Governor of issues regarding Islam in Britain) by the Sultan of Turkey. The Shah of Persia appointed him as Consul and he was made an Alim by the Sultan of Morocco. He also received a donation of Two and a half thousand pounds from the Sultan of Afghanistan which he used to expand the community and its resources.

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Using the funds donated and his not insignificant wealth, the Liverpool Islamic institute acquired its own premises in Broughton Terrace. This Mosque could accommodate one hundred worshippers and the sermons where led in both English and Arabic. The building also allowed rom for a printing press from which The Crescent and The Islamic Review journals where published with the aim of spreading the word of Islam and uniting existing followers. The Islamic review was distributed to twenty countries at its peak. Quilliams philanthropic nature then became paramount in his plans as he developed a strategy that highlighted the humanitarian and charitable aspects of Islam. This approach improved the popularity of Islam among the lower classes. Quilliam opened an orphanage to combat the problem of Liverpools ever increasing amount of illegitimate births. The Medina home provided shelter, education and access to foster families for unwanted children. The Institute opened a Muslim college in science, arts and law which was open to all regardless of faith and had notable professors such as Haschem Wilde. The college was intended to provide access to education without the perceived vices of the west. Quilliams aim was to spread the word of Allah and unite existing Muslims into one global community to facilitate support and mutual knowledge sharing. Quilliam established links with other British Muslims settlements such as the one in Woking where the first purpose built Mosque was built and also had links to Muslim communities in North and East Africa. (Brent 2009) Techniques used Quilliam quickly identified the similarities between Islam and Christianity and developed tools such as Hyms adapted from Christianity. His main theme was to give Islam a familiar western identity reasoning that familiarity would help the British feel more comfortable with Islam and provide authority in a recognisable form.

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Quilliam also identified what he felt was a link between the growths of highly educated, liberal thinking members of the British upper middle-class and Islamic ideology. He also associated with movements such as the temperance league citing Muslims abstinence from alcohol. These techniques allowed Quilliam to deliver the word of Islam with a sense of familiarity and removed some perceptions of Islam being an Alien idea. Legacy Quilliam returned east in his usual flamboyant around 1908 and the LMI immediately declined from its peak of around six hundred members. The LMIs loss was Wokings gain as many former LMI members steeled at Woking and continued the work started at LMI. Quilliam returned briefly to England and died in London in 1932. His modern day legacy includes the lessons learned from his successes and failures of spreading Islam in the west, the Quilliam society and the Quilliam foundation. The Quilliam established in 1996 aims to re-establish the LMIs Mosque on Broughton Terrace and re-establish the charitable and educational work started by the original LMI. The Quilliam foundation is a think tank established to counteract the perceived spread of Muslim extremism and echoes the ideas of Quilliam in encouraging a separation of religion and politics. Conclusion Quilliam was a charismatic well educated white British gentleman and therefore provided a unique perspective on Islam and its compatibility with western ideals. The techniques used by Quilliam are still useful today, along with most of the difficulties he encountered such as Islam phobia. Quilliam showed a glimpse of how to establish a British Muslim community that could be used as a template by those who came after him.

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Quilliam report References

Malcolm Gorman

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Ansari (2005),the infidel within, London, Hurst and Company Brent D. Singleton (2009): That Ye May Know Each Other: Late Victorian Interactions between British and West African Muslims, Journal of Muslim Minority Affairs,29:3 Chaudhuri, Nupur (2007). The Harem, Slavery and British Imperial Culture:. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. Quiliam, W (1892). The faith of islam. Liverpool: Willmer Brothers and Company

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