2. Page 2 of 15
Prologue – Faadil Patel
As an introduction,itwouldbe fairtosaythe hardestpart of writingthiswaswhere to begin.So
much wasseen,somuch wasexperienced,sowhere doesthe focuslie?The people?Theireffect?
The history?The future?
It however,seemslikeamore appropriate place tostart withourselves.Itisfairto say this
experience deeplyhumbledus anddrove usto thinkaboutour ownoutlookonlife more thando
anythingelse.We realisedwe were horrificallyunder qualifiedtowrite anythingreallypenetrativein
the time we had and withthe expertise we lacked.Thusitisimportantto note thisreportisnothing
if not amateurmaterial fromtwoyoung Muslimmenseekingtoobserve some basicreligio-cultural
connections.
Anotherthingtonote was that notall that we learntwas Islamic;there wassomuch to enjoyand
experience alongthe wayasa consequence of where we wentandwhatwe did. We saw some
beautiful places,metahuge mix of people anddiscoveredcenturiesof historyalongthe way.
However,whatwe sawwastrulyworth note.The nextthingIwoulddo isthankeveryone forwhat
theydidto helpusalongthe way. We were aidedalongthe wayby kind,helpful andamazing
people.ItiswiththisthatI can sayI have hope;we were welcomedinmanyplacesandwe felt
utterlyprivilegedtomeetsome of the people we did. The Muslimworlddividedasitmayseemstill
holdssome formof brotherhoodandtogethernessthatneitherlanguagenorappearance could
surpass.
Special acknowledgmentsshallbe atthe endof the report,but withthatI believe ourexcusesand
procrastinationsmust come toan end, and we maybegin.
3. Page 3 of 15
Local Business and Islam
It isfair to saythe integrationof local Muslimsintocitieshashadan impacton itslocal business.I
will splitthissectionintotwoparts;significant Muslimdistrictsandexpandingbusiness.
Malmo andBerlinbothcontainedsignificantdistrictswithMiddle EasternorTurkishtiestothem.
Berlinhada set of small businesseswiththemes of Turkishfoodandlifestyle shopsinthe districtof
Kreuzberginthe south.We were informedthe districtwasknownas“Little Istanbul”whichreflected
the large Turkish immigrantpopulationthathadbeensettledinBerlin since the SecondWorldWar.
Malmo wasdifferenttothis;there were several differentnationalityshops rangingfromIranian
origintoArab origin,frommoroccanto Turkish.Malmo inrecenttimeshasbeena mixingpotof
nationalitiesandthisshowedinthe expansionof local businesswithaMiddle Easternbackground.It
was fromhere we purchaseddatesinorderto breakour fast,as is the IslamicTradition.
However,ona muchmore minorlevel we wouldsee small Islamicshopsopeningnearmosques.An
example of thiswasPrague.InPrague,the mosque wassmall andinconspicuous.However,across
the road from ita small Turkish restauranthadopenedup.It wasclear fromobservationthata
response toa burgeoningIslamiccommunityhadseenthe beginningof establishmentsof such
themedshopsinthe area.
Thisdifferedgreatlytowhatwe sawin Istanbul andSarajevoto a lesserextent.Businesses
depended onIslaminIstanbul;withthe monthof Ramadanrestaurantsnearmosquesexpanded
businessimmenselyinordertoaccommodate the numberof people eatingatone time.These
restaurantswouldnotbe open indaylighthoursandthisreflectedthe change ineconomic
behaviourdue toan Islamicreligioushighpoint.Sarajevotoosaw restaurantsexpandbusiness
duringthe night.Awayfromfoodbusinessesingeneral wouldopenformanyhoursintothe night.
Nearthe blue mosque stallswere erectedandkeptgoinglongintothe hoursof the night,
accommodatingmanyof the people whowouldhave beenatworkor sleepingduringfastinghours.
The same appliedtothe oldtownsquare inSarajevo.
Thus businesscanbe seentobe affectedtoa reasonable extentbyIslamand Muslimpeople’s
behaviourasa consequence.The effectscanbe seentobe maximisedbasedonthe proximityto
Muslimcommunitiesandbasedonthe size of those Muslimcommunities.
4. Page 4 of 15
Foreign Investment
Foreigninvestmentisnotabroad topic;however,there wassome clearforeigninvestmentworthy
of note thatwas easyto see basedonour time travelling.ThiswasinvestmentbySaudi Arabiainto
rebuildingof communitiesandmosquesinBosniaandone mosque inZagreb,Croatia.Withthe
buildingof the mosquestheyalsointroducedtheirowncleanerlessornate designedmosques;
whichinturnedshowedthe austeritywithwhichtheyheldtheirreligion. The manygreenflagsthat
were drapedoutside the Mosqueswere notonlyahallmarkof Saudi Arabianinvestmentbut
became alsoa symbol of supportforthe resurgingBosnianMulsimcommunity,whosecourage and
resolve inlightof theirrecentdarkhistoryhasbeeninspirationtomanyoppressedcommunities
aroundthe world.
However,the mosqueswereoutstanding,particularlythe KingFahdmosque inSarajevoandthe
Central Mosque inZagreb.The mosque inZagrebhad employedcuttingedge architecture,witha
dome constructedof three triangularsegmentsbreakingtraditionandbecomingone of the first
mosquesof itskind. However,the linksbetweenarchitecture andreligionshall be discussedlater.
Thus,an Islamicconnectioninthiscase has ledtothe rebuildingof townsandcitiesfromone
wealthycountrytoanothertorn apart by war.
A model of the towns and mosques of Bosnia rebuilt by Saudi Arabian Investment at the King Fahd
Mosque, Sarajevo
5. Page 5 of 15
Culture and Islam
Art
The finestexamplesof Islamicartwere ondisplayinBerlin atthe Pergamonmuseum,inthe
relativelyrecentIslamicartwing.Thisart variedfromcenturyoldworkto graffiti onwallsaround
the world.One thingunitedanentire wingof art,spanninglarge chunksof the worldand centuries
of development;Islam. Ittranscended time,cultureandsocial classunitingdistinctartistsintheir
dedicationandlove of theirreligion.Thiswasexcellentlyshownbythe integrationof bothworks
witheachother,beingdisplayedside byside. Itwasamazingtosee the numberof people who
attendedthe exhibit.Yes;the Pergamonisawell renownedartmuseumbutpeople takingthe time
to lookat it andappreciate a more beautiful andsensitive sidetoIslamnotoftendepictedorspoken
aboutwas in our opinionbothtouchingandinspiring.
Graffiti alsotookon an Islamiccharacteristicinplaces;Malmohadits fairshare while Ljubljanahad
some too (albeitdefaced;see Islamophobiasectionformore details).ThisshowedanIslamicvoice
froma community;whileitmaynotbe a refinedone itshowed avoice nonetheless.The factthat
the newgeneration choose to voice themselvesthroughtheirreligionisaninterestingfactinitself,
thoughas shall be seenlatermayalsobe a worryingone.
6. Page 6 of 15
Architecture
The main focusof thissectionwill be mosques.Thereare manydifferentkindsthatwe saw,ranging
fromtwo roomsin Prague to the enormousmosquesdesignedbygeniusMimarSinaninIstanbul.I
will focusonthe distinctionbetweendifferentmosquesinEurope andwhytheydiffersoradically.
Small prayerrooms – Ljubljana,Prague
CitieswithasmallerIslamicpresence,ratherthanhavinglarge mosques,hadroomsinstandard
buildingsforprayer.This reflectsthe factthat despite the lackof a substantial Muslimpresence,
there isstill a growingclose communitywhosetupandrun these simpleprayerrooms.Ljubljanahas
facedgreat issuesbuildingamosque onitsoutskirts;thisreflectsinareaswithoutatraditional Islam
there isan oppositionforphysical manifestationsof Islamicbelief intheircitiesandsoitfollowsthat
the Muslimcommunityhastakento findingsmall prayerroomswhere theycan.Itisironicthat itis
oftenthese small rooms,setupwhereverthere maybe space available,thatserve asbetter
community centresthanthe largerMosqueswitha muchlargerfollowing.Touse the prayerroomin
Prague as an example,the small prayerroom(picturedbelow),establishedinanunusedstockroom
withinashoppingcentre,servedtounite alargelydistinctimmigrantMuslimcommunitywhooften
feelingdisconnectedwiththeirhome andtheirfaithinforeignlandsfindcomfortinjoiningpeopleof
theirreligion.Indeedthissame hospitalitywasextendedtouswhenwe arrivedinPrague andwe
are forevergrateful forit.
The Saudi Arabianmosque
Thiswas coveredinforeigninvestment;the mosquesare large powerfulbuildingswithapale green
interior.Unlike the ornate mosquesof Ottomandesign,the Saudi designmosquesare cleaner,less
complicatedand more functional.Thisreflectsthe strictWahabi belief system (one of the fourmain
Sunni schoolsof thought) obeyedinSaudi Arabia;mosquestendtoreflecta widerrange of purposes
as well asjusta place of worship.Greenflagsare prevalentinthese mosques;showingwhere the
investmentanddesignhascome from.To a certainextentthe mosque inMalmofollowedthis
model;while itwasnotexplicitly“Saudi modelled”orinvesteditwasa simplydesignedmosque and
resembledthe Saudi style mosquesfarmore thanitresembledthe Ottomanmosques of Istanbul.
The small prayer room in Prague, Czech Republic
7. Page 7 of 15
OttomanMosques
These were seenmostlyinIstanbul,withafew exceptionsinSarajevo.These are magnificentand
large buildings;theyare quite similar havingmostlybeen designedbyMimarSinan.Sinanwas
architectto the Sultans,andwas saidto have had a hand indesigningthe Taj Mahal.The Ottoman
Mosquesare enormous;accommodatingahuge Muslimpopulation.The inside isornate,everyinch
decoratedwithbeautifullycomplex design.The mosquesare similarinstructure,butinteriorsdiffer
interms of patternand design.Eachmosque hasitsown character,the Blue Mosque,the Suleiman
mosque,andcountlessothersbuiltforthe familyof the sultan.Utterlybeautiful andarchitectural
featsintheirownright,theyare simply breath-takingbuildings,attractingmillionsof touristseach
year. Ottomanmosquesare alsooftena signof conquest; inPecsin Hungarythe Jakovali Hassan
mosque isstill inoperation,whilethe Gazi KassimPashamosque willbe spokenaboutlater.
The exterior (above) and the interior (below) of the Zagreb central mosque (left) and the King Fahd Mosque, Sarajevo(right)
8. Page 8 of 15
Otherpointsonarchitecture
Islamicarchitecture becomesmore prevalent,predictably,where there isalargerIslamicpresence.
SarajevoandIstanbul,withlarge Islamicpresenceshadmanycompletelyordinarybuildingsthathad
an Islamicstructure.Berlinbeingtakenasan example,manyordinaryshopstookonIslamic
characteristicsinthe “Muslimdistrict”inSouthKreuzberg.Thus,where there are more Muslim
people,the buildingsthemselvestake onmore of an Islamicstructure,regardlessof whetherthe
buildingisusedforworship ornot.Inthis waywhole districtshadtheirowndistinctstyle andfeel
aboutthem.In fact thisveryphenomenonhasbecome the subjectof muchdebate,notonly
betweenthe twoof usbut ona widerscale also,withmanyattemptingtoconclude whetherthisisa
goodthingor not.However,thiswill be coveredinmore depthinthe integrationandsegregation
sectionof thisreport.
The Gazi Hassan PashaMosque
A buildingthatinouropiniondeserveditsownindividual mentionwasthe Gazi KassimPasha
mosque,whichfollowingthe Christianreclamationof PecswasconvertedintoaChristianchurch.
The buildingisnothingshortof an oxymoron;acrucifix hangsabove a Mihrab;clear Ottoman
architecture is contrastedwithostentatious churchdesigns.The buildingfeltstrange tobe in;itwas
a complete juxtapositionof twofaiths.The dome remainedwithChristianimagerypaintedonthe
inside. Infactthe entire building hadineffectbeenreversedwithanew doorbeingplacedatthe
back of the buildinginordertoface itthe otherway,i.e awayfrom Mecca. Since thenithas
remainedafully functioningChristianChurch,butthe reminders of itspreviousIslamicpurpose are
impossible toignore.The use of architecture to enforce aconquestwas certainlyvery interesting
and wasseenonce more at the AyaSophia(HagiaSophia) inIstanbul,aformerChurchtransformed
intoa Mosque,nowa museum.Bothbuildingsfelttrulysurreal,confusingvisitorswiththe unionof
faiths,yeteachintriguedyouwiththeirownuniquepeculiarities.
The exterior (right) and the interior (left) of the Sultan Ahmet Mosque (The Blue Mosque), Istanbul, Turkey
9. Page 9 of 15
Images of the Gazi Kassim Pasha Mosque, Pecs, Hungary
1) The statue of Christ over the old Mehrab (top left)
2) The statue of a saint in the corner of the room
underneath the Ottoman style arches (above)
3) The dome of the old Mosque with paintings of the
virgin Mary (bottom left)
10. Page 10 of 15
History
We couldnevertalkaboutthe entiretyof IslamichistoryinEurope,especiallyconsideringOttoman
historyisa huge topic initself.However,some basichistorical eventsanddetailsthatstill resonate
today are worthnotinginour opinion.
The Ottoman legacy
Istanbul,Turkey,anditssurroundingcountriesall still bearthe symbolsof the formerOttoman
Empire.Anempire solittle is commonly knownabout,andyetone of the most powerful empiresin
history. We were entertainedinIstanbul bythe OrientInstitutandtheirkindstaff,whoenlightened
us more aboutthe OttomanEmpire,itshistoryanditsimportance inshapingthe developmentof
Europe.Little dowe know,butdrinkingcoffee was infacta custom startedbythe Ottomans.Cengiz,
Selcukandothersthat welcomedussowarmlyinIstanbul furtherinformed usaboutthe rich
Ottomanhistory aroundwhichtheylive today.Asanaside itis interestingtonote thatthe Turks, a
famouslyproudnation,still view themselvesasthe ‘strongOttomans’differentiatingthemselves
fromotherMuslimcommunitiesaroundthe world. The ByzantineEmpire wasendedbythe
Ottomans;andmany of the countrieswe visitedhadbeentouchedbythe empire. We mentionthis
because thisisan area of historythat isnot taughtin anyway shape or form, nor isit encouraged
enough.One of the largestempiresof all time,spanningtoSpainatone pointis barelymentionedin
Britishschooling. We wouldhighlyrecommendanyonereading thistotake some time toeven
internetbrowse some Ottomanhistory;youshall finditenrichingandinterestinginequal measure.
The Siege ofVienna
One aspectof the Ottoman Empire we foundwhichshowsthe sheersize of itsempire wasan
attemptedsiege of Vienna.The rebuffingof the Ottoman Empire atViennawasthe lastattemptto
expandintoEurope.The visit toViennawasanimportantjuncture inourjourney;thiswas
effectivelywhere modern Islamwasnolongerwhatwe lookedat,andhistoricIslamicsitesbecame
more and more frequent. Viennawasanimportantplace inEuropeanpoliticsthroughoutthe
centuriesfollowingthis,andsothe failure tocapture itwas a hugelysignificantmoment that
stuntedthe spreadof Islamacross Europe.
The Balkans
The historyof the Balkansisfraughtwithviolence andtragedy;andonce againit isnot the purpose
of thisreportto expound itshistory.However,basedonourownexperiencesitwouldbe wrongnot
to include whatwasobserved.We will focusonthe difference betweenCroatiaandBosniahere.The
countriesare indeedclose;howeverthe feelinginbothisverydifferent.OnourwayintoCroatia we
were quite intimidatinglyquestionedastowhywe helda Britishpassport,asif two people who
were notCaucasiancouldnot be English. The extentof questioning evenextendedtothe birthplaces
of ourparents. It wasan unnervingexperience;anddespite beingaformerpart of the Ottoman
Empire there washardlya trace of itleftthere.The countryhad violently rejectedthe Islamic
heritage;completelyunlike Sarajevo,where there wasanOttomanfeel inmanyof the historic
buildings.The sharpcontrastbetweenthese neighbouringcountriesremindedusthatinorderto
accuratelyassessIslam’sfuture inEurope itisfundamental thatwe fullyunderstanditshistory
across the region.
11. Page 11 of 15
The Present
Integration
Thistopic isan incrediblydifficultone;andalsoan incrediblysensitive one.Itconcernsamove away
fromhistoryand towardwhatwe have seeninareaswhichhave “new Islam”.
How well are MuslimsintegratinginEurope?The answerisincrediblycomplex andmanyprominent
Muslimacademics are attemptingtoanswerthisquestionasa matterof urgency.A keyarea of
focusis the Muslimpopulationinthe UKwho are lookeduponasthe most successful storyof
Muslimintegrationwithinwesternsociety.Infactthe UK and Londoninparticularis an example for
the worldof howmanydifferentreligionsandculturesare perfectlyable tolive sidebyside within
the same thrivingsociety.
We wouldargue that Muslimsare indeed integratingintoEurope;before thistripstartedwe
observedsportasa signof Muslimsbecomingmore involvedinasense of national pride.MesutOzil
and Sami Khediraare twohighprofile GermanTurks,whohave electedtoplayforGermanyand are
showingtheirnational pridewhile alsomaintainingtheirreligion(OzilpraysQuranbefore every
match he plays). Mo Farah,a MuslimSomalianimmigrant,wasastar performerforTeamGB inthe
London 2012 Olympicsandhe isas proudof his countryas it isof him.
Many Muslimswe metspoke theirownlocal language foremost,andthese were menolderthanus,
agedlate twenties onward.Itmayhave beenaconsequence of longtermsettlementinEurope,
possiblyevensecondgenerationsettlement,orsimplybytheirownmerit.Byspeakingthe same
local language asone anothertheymanaged,sometime only toa small extent, tocrossthe national
dividesthatplague modernIslamsomuch.However,thisissue will be showntonotbe fully
surpassedlater.
Many of the MuslimscurrentlyinEurope came overfrom Turkeyas labourafterthe SecondWorld
War andlearnedthe local languagesquickly.Peopleare increasinglyidentifyingthemselveswiththe
local culture byway of definingthemselvesbynationalityandreligionindividually. Thiswas
somethingdone byoldergenerationswhentheywere broughtintowork;itwasan advantage to
speakthe language of those aroundyoubecause itmade you more valuable tothe workforce.
However,asof recentlynewphenomenahave startedtotake holdinEurope.
Segregation
Havingspentroughly3-4 generationsinnew Europeancountries, manyof the new generationare
turningback towardtheirancestral rootsand identifyingwiththe landof theirgrandparentsrather
than the countryof theirbirth.Forexample we were toldinIstanbul thatchildrenwouldnow be
more likelytowatchshowsinTurkishacross Turkishimmigrantcommunitiesthaninnative
languages.People are nowlookingtorediscover oldnationalities inthe face of Islam’scurrent
strugglesandbad press.One reasonforthismay be an increasedfeelingof beingostracisedfrom
local communitiesdue toincreasedtensionsbetweenthe WestandMuslimcountriesinthe East.
There isalso internal disparityinIslambasedonnationality.Peopleare quicktoidentifythemselves
as “IranianMuslim”and “Moroccan Muslim”aheadof themselvesasa Muslim.InMalmo,streets
12. Page 12 of 15
tookon national characteristics;Iranianshopswouldtendtobe onone street,Arab on another.
Such internal disparityis unfortunatelywelldocumented acrossthe Muslimworld.
There isalso the problemof economicdifficulty. The rise of Islamicgraffiti isindicativeof Islam
becomingprevalentinless economically developedareas, more soof Muslimssettlingintoless
economically developedareas. One theorywhichhasbeenproposedisthatwhenimmigrantswere
introducedforwork,theymovedinona temporarybasis – temporarycontracts showedthtneither
employernoremployeeplannedonsustainingrelationsforlongperiodsof time –andwere
therefore providedwithcheaper accommodation inisolatedareasawayfromthe local populations.
Thus,whentheydecidedtostay,theywere leftwiththe accommodationtheyoriginallyhad.This
howeverledtoa large degree of segregation,asmanyof these migrantworkerswouldliveinthe
same areas,close to where theyoriginallyworked,surroundedonlybyothermigrants.
It isa worryingfactorthat MuslimsinEurope are increasinglynotidentifyingthemselveswiththeir
countriesof birth;withthe currentclimate towardIslamthiscreatesdifferencesbetweenlocal
Muslimsandlocalsof otherreligions.
Islamophobia
A topicthat couldnot be avoided;Islamophobiaissomethingworthdiscussing.Itisimportantto
note that we were notfacedwitha large degree of itduringour time there;itwas a few isolated
incidentsduringourtime whichare worthyof note.
A few waterballoonswere randomlythrownoutawindow inourdirection whenwe were inMalmo.
It couldhave beenrandom,notracist; howeverthe anti social behaviourinatownof a lotof media
reportedtensionisworthyof note.MuammerKadal,alocal Muslim,explainedtousthatin fact
Malmo waslesstense thanreported,andthatpressure groupsinthe run up to electionsusedthe
tensionasa form of political pressure attemptingtoshow Malmoas proof the recentimmigration
policieswere failing.Nottosay that tensionswere nonexistent –SwedishNationalistPartyvotes
were 23% in the districtof Skone (Malmobeingitscapital) asopposedtojust8% in the restof the
country.
Ljubljanahad several defacedpiecesof Muslimart– for example minaretshadphallicimagesdrawn
ontothem.It isindicative,combinedwiththe oppositiontothe mosque, of anislamophobic
presence inLjubljanacurrently.The aforementionedproblemsinCroatiawere alsoworthnoting.
However,away fromthese isolatedincidentsitisfairtosay Europe iswarmingup to a growing
Muslimpresence.Withthose exceptions we feltperfectlywelcomeregardlessof ourfaithatevery
pointon the trip.
Islamaphobic defacing of an originally Islamic mural in
Ljubljana, Slovenia
13. Page 13 of 15
The Future?
What doesthe future hold?Thisissomethingnoone personcouldanswer.Infact,a hundredpeople
couldn’tanswerthisquestion.These questionsare ponderedandresearchedinvariousinstitutions
across Europe;the questionof IslaminEurope will be one toaffectournextgenerationgreatly.
Islamicgrowthcombinedwitheventssuchasthe turmoil inthe Middle East,the Iraq war, the Arab
Springand the Londonand Madrid bombingswillleadtoaninevitablebringingtoattentionof
MuslimsandIslamin Europe. Islamitself hasalotto go throughin the next50 years;questionslike
“Can Islameverreallyintegrate intothe WesternHemisphere” willbe continuedtobe debated.All
we can hope is thatslowlyandsurelyImmigrant Muslimscome torespectlocal culture,andthat
local culture comesto respectIslamictradition.
14. Page 14 of 15
Acknowledgments
Thisis a highlyimportantsectionof thisreport.Somanypeople have helpedusalongthe wayand
theyare certainlydeservingof recognition.
Firstand foremostwe wouldliketothank the Haberdashers’foundation.OurplanstoresearchIslam
across Europe were alwaysfanciful dreamsbutitwaswiththe helpandsupportof the foundation
throughthe receiptof the Northcot Grant that itbecame our reality.Theirgenerosityisverymuch
appreciatedandwasfundamental tothe trip.We thankthemdearly.
Secondthanksgo to BlerimCiroca;he gave us connectionsacrossEurope thatcouldspeakto us
abouteach local culture.We were welcomedwarmlybythose he recommendedtous;we are
indebtedtohimforthe effortshe wenttoand for the people he introducedusto.
MuammerKadal,whogave usa greatinsightintoMalmoand IslaminSweden.
Cengiz,Selcukandhisbrother,whotookusaroundIstanbul andmade us feel athome ina foreign
country.Some of the mostgenerouspeopleIhave evermet;We pray Cengiz’smotherremainswell.
Theyare alwayswelcome toourhospitalityshouldtheyvisitLondon.
The OrientInstitutIstanbul,whogave uptheirtime tospeaktous and entertainedourcuriosity.A
great institutionthathasa brightfuture, theirzealousandpassionate staffswere helpful inour
questforanswers,providinguswithanalternate perspectivetoourresearch.We wishthemall the
bestfor the future.
Thanksto our parentstoo,who fundedusandsupportedusthroughoutthistrip.Itreallywouldn’t
have beenpossiblewithoutthem.
We thankthe membersof Prague central mosque,whouponfindingus wearilystumblingintotheir
small prayerroomwhenit wastime to breakfast fedusandcared for usbefore we left,despite not
beingable to speakanyEnglish. Ourheartswere genuinelywarmedbytheirhospitality;Islamplaces
great steadonthose whotake care of travellers,andthe membersof Prague central mosque acted
ina mostdignifiedandinspiringway.
Lastly,an unnamedwomaninBerlin;a Muslimina headscarf,who,despite notspeakinganyEnglish,
walkedus10 minutesout of herway to guide usto a halal restaurantso that we couldbreakour fast
on time.Tofindsuch generosityof spiritamongstfriendsisrare letalone amongststrangers.Thank
youonce again.
15. Page 15 of 15
Epilogue – A Travellers final words
Salman Sheikh
16 days,9 countries,2 menand1 question –how longbefore one of uskillsthe other?Itcertainly
was a hecticjourneyandtensionsdidrunhighbuti’mpleasedtosaythat we both made itback alive
and infact we made it back as changedmen.
Thiswas our firstbackpackingexperience anditintroducedme to a new lifestyle.One thatinthe
followingyeari wouldtake furthertobackpackingthroughSouthAmericaandEast Asia.Having
takenplace duringRamadanthis trip wasan intenselyspiritualone forcingme toreflectbothonmy
life andmyreligion. Icountmyself incredible fortunate tohave beengiventhe opportunitytohave
done so. Travellinghasa wayof providingyouwithnew waysof lookingatthe worldandi would
reallyrecommendanyonewhohasn’ttogo backpackingforan extendedperiodof time. Notonly
will youlearna whole lotmore aboutthe worldbutyoualso learna whole lotmore aboutyourself.
Our researchthroughoutthistripcontinuedtoopen upmore questionsthanitprovidedanswers
and itis myhope that followingourexample otheryoungMuslimswill pickupwhere we leftoff and
start to delve deeperintothe manyissuesthatsurroundMuslimcommunitiesacrossWestern
countriestoday.
Faadil Patel
I almostfeel upsetwritingthis;itbringstoan endan experience whichwill staywithme fora very
longtime.Many doubtedourabilitytodothis,nor didtheythinkitwaspossible tolearnwhatwe
didinthe time given.
The firstthingto say isthat regardlessof the spiritual element,thiswasanutterlyfantastictrip.I
advise those whohaven’ttravelledlikethistogive ita go; itis utterlyamazing.Backpackingisan
experience akintonothingelse.Iexperiencedtearsof laughter;sleeplessnightsonsleepertrains
and abjectfearwhenfollowedbyaman inSloveniawhowasbeingfartoofriendly.
Europe has so muchto offer;notvisitingEurope wouldbe amistake andI couldn’trecommendit
more.
Spirituallyitwasanimportanttripforme. Religioncanbecome aninsularthing;butvisitingIstanbul
duringRamadanreinforcedmyfaithandsense of religiousbrotherhoodinaway nolocal mosque
could.Attimesitfeltlike anoldfashionedpilgrimage;travellingtoa final destinationof religious
significance.Doingthe tripwhile fastingwasnevergoingtobe easy,andat timesitreallywasn’t!
But it helpedusthroughoutthe trip,addingaspiritual facetthatcouldhave beenlostalongthe trip.
Salmanand I have takenverydifferentroutesintermsof life fromthe trip;he isbackpackingSouth
AmericaandSouthEast Asiawhile Iamsettlingintoa law degree atthe universityof Nottingham.
However,the experience hascausedustowant to travel togetheragain,andwe shall hopefullydo
so inthe course of the nextyear.
I reiterate finishingthisreportendsachapterwhichI’dlove to continue.However,Iwill finishhere,
and wisheveryoneelsethe bestof luckinthe future.Ihope some day someone whohasreadthis
will continue thisresearchandfindmore,discovermore andinspire more.
