I was quite surprised at the idea of there being a Victorian Muslim convert in late 19th century England, so upon seeing this book available on Kindle Unlimited, there was no chance of passing it up. What I eventually learnt, around the end of the book is that there was an entire group of them (and a large sub-group led by one 'Sheikh ul Islam' Abdullah Quilliam).

Although Robert Stanley converted quite late into his life, and therefore late into the book, I still very much enjoyed and appreciated seeing the 19th century England context he grew up in. Especially since Stanley held multiple positions such as Mayor and Magistrate throughout his life, we see plenty of glimpses of the politics and legal issues of the day. These were fascinating, if a bit sad at times, in their own right. You even have a mention of Friedrich Engels writing about his town, on the poor industrial conditions of working class people. The role of Christianity and the background of different Christian groups was also helpful in understanding Stanley's context and as the author hypothesises, his own conversion to Islam. There was a flurry of diverse Christian groups and that surprised me too.

Overall, I enjoyed and even took inspiration from this long period of Stanley's civic life. To diligently hold an office and consistently work to better one's own local community through civic or other means, is admirable. Even if it may not make the news as a quick glamorous fix. I usually end up reading biographies about more famed folk, who made their mark in some major shattering way but Stanley's life didn't necessarily result in that - he simply did what he felt was his duty. And I gauge that this was the vast majority of people in the past yet for some reason we don't end up reading much about them.

The final third of the book is quite the whirlwind, where we see the rise of the English Muslim society led by Quilliam whom Stanley interacted with heavily. Its eventual fall right into the onset of the 20th century. The political tension between the two powers and how it affected Victorian Muslims like Quilliam and Stanley. It affected them badly: Quilliam having to choose a different identity and Stanley's family virtually going mute on this chapter of his life.

I'll be searching for some works on Quilliam next, since he's such a fascinating character in his own right. I thank the author for bringing light to this hidden history of Victorian Islam, and may God bless Robert Stanley in the next life!



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