A new documentary TV series which had unprecedented access to Birmingham Central Mosque is to begin on Channel 4 on Thursday evening.
Extremely British Muslims spent a year following some of the 6,000 worshippers at one of the largest mosques in Europe.
The cameras captured their day-to-day lives to explore three themes – finding a partner, the identity crisis facing young Muslim men, and the challenges faced by some British Muslims as they try to reconcile the rules of their faith with life in Britain. It also examines the dealings of a Sharia Court, including following women who are trying to get a divorce.
The mosque’s leaders hope that by opening their doors they will put paid to false ideas about their religion. Birmingham Central Mosque’s manager Mohammed Ali said: “There seems to be a lot of mythology about what goes on in and around a mosque and Muslim community and this is our attempt to deal with these myths and ensure that the facts are there for everyone to see.”
Channel 4 said: “As the number of Muslims in the UK reaches three million, and at a time when British Muslims have found themselves thrust into the spotlight, we have been given privileged access to go beyond the news agenda, into the mosque and document the bustling heart of this community and the many ways in which it intersects with the lives of its worshippers – from its funeral service and Sharia council, to its marriage bureau.
Extremely British Muslims begins on Channel 4 on Thursday, March 2 at 10pm.
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