ABSTRACT
There is extensive research, academic literature and public debate about Islam and Muslims, especially in Western contexts, so much so that some researchers report that Muslim communities are ‘research weary’ (Sanghera and Thapar-Björkert 2008: 544) or ‘exhausted by so much research that is about them rather than for them’ (Alvi et al. 2003: xv). There is, however, little reflection and discussion in academic literature about the methodologies that are best suited to doing research that engages with Muslims (Gale and Hopkins 2009). This research area is overtly politicised by ‘Islam versus the West’ debates and publicised by media preoccupations with the different ‘Muslim’ Other (Hamid 2011). There are also increased methodological concerns around access, ethics, feedback and positionality that require the researcher’s critical thinking and engagement, ‘yet there has to date been little work exploring such issues’ (Gale and Hopkins 2009: 229).
