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Islam, Crime and Criminal Justice edited by Basia Spalek Cullompton: Willan (2002) ISBN 1 903240 89 1 (148 pages, £30.00 / $55.00)

Reviewed by Ali Wardak Contemporary criminology, particularly criminology in the UK, has largely neglected religious affiliation and its relationships to crime and criminal justice. UK criminologists and other social scientists have generally dealt with the issue in a convenient way by using ethnic categories; the terms ‘Asian’, ‘African’, ‘Caribbean’, ‘Indian’, ‘Pakistani’, ‘Chinese’, etc are normally used as if they represented homogenous ethnic and religious groups. This failure to address the complexities of general ethnic categories in relation to crime and criminal justice has been an important obstacle to the development of a more sound and meaningful body of knowledge about the relationships between ethnicity, religious affiliation and crime in the UK. This, in turn, has had important implications for criminal justice and for general social policy. Basia Spalek’s Islam, Crime and Criminal Justice is the first major academic work that focuses on the relationships between religious affiliation, crime and criminal justice; it specifically focuses on the experiences of British Muslims in relation to crime and criminal justice institutions. The volume is particularly important, as Muslims, particularly those in USA, Europe and Australia, have become the focus of much negative attention after the tragic events of 11th September 2001. In the aftermath of these events, Muslims have not only become victims of severe forms of generalised discrimination and Islamophobia, but they are also seen by security and criminal justice institutions as a source of potential danger. Spalek and contributors, who examine these issues, should be congratulated for producing such an innovative work and a highly valuable contribution to contemporary criminological knowledge. The volume consists of eight chapters contributed by criminologists and other social scientists, most of whom are well-established academics. The various chapters are written in a lively and readable way. While Chapter One sets out the overall framework and rationale for the volume, Chapter Two examines mainly crime and criminality among young Muslim men in Bradford. Chapter Three focuses on the experiences of Muslim women in Birmingham who wear the hijab (veil). It is argued in this chapter that while the hijab helps these women manage their anxiety and fear of crime, it at the same time invites hostility and harassment from non-Muslims. Chapters Four and Five examine the experiences of Muslin police officers and prisoners and the extent of discrimination that they face within the police and prison services. These two chapters also examine the lack of a positive response to the cultural and religious needs of these police officers and prisoners. Chapter Six describes the history of the involvement of the IQRA trust—a Muslim educational organisation—in HM prison service. Chapter Six examines human rights legislation and its inadequacy