In Search of Sylhet—The Fultoli Tradition in Britain

Abstract

This article presents a case study of the Fultoli tradition, an expression of Islam dominant amongst Bangladeshi migrants to the UK, but which in general terms has failed to communicate itself to British-born Muslims. It is also a denominational identity that has been overlooked in academic literature on British Muslims, and regularly mischaracterized. To correct this, the article presents an overview of Fultolir Sahib, the late founder of the tradition, and the theological distinctiveness of his teachings, before considering its movement to Britain. A varied methodological approach is adopted in order to explore the topic, combining a textual exploration of Fultoli sources with qualitative interviews with members of the Fultoli tradition, and also autoethnography drawing upon the authors’ (who were both raised by Fultoli parents) experience of the tradition. The article argues that Fultolir Sahib’s authority is constructed in an idiom that is inaccessible to British-born Muslims and that Fultoli institutions have failed to create leaders capable of preserving the tradition. It concludes that despite the diminishing numbers of Fultolis in Britain, it is still important for academics to recognize their unique role in the landscape of Muslim denominational diversity.

Political Challenges of Modern Migration Trends in Europe

“…Other major groups include another Sunni movement, Fultoli, and the Tablighi Jamaat, which is a missionary revivalist movement. All these groups work on stimulating Islamic identity (Ahmed and Ali 2019;Hussain 2006). Muslim political parties in Britain include the People's Justice Party, a Pakistani and Kashmiri Party that won seats on Manchester city council, and the Islamic Party of Britain, an Islamist party in Bradford.…”

Anglophone Islam: A New Conceptual Category

“…The Fultoli tradition, a movement emerging from Sylhet Bangladeshi which was established in Britain through migration is one example of many of the tariqa failing to attract new members, especially intergenerationally. Thus despite Fultoli Muslims in Britain establishing numerous mosques, they have struggled to survive beyond first-generation migrants, in part due to the insistence of the tariqa (Ahmed & Ali, 2019). The tariqa has required reinvention (van Bruinessen & Howell, 2013) which itself has led to the phenomenon described as 'post-tariqa Sufism' (Sedgwick, 2017), something further documented by Ayesha Khan (2020).…”