Islam and Englishness: Issues of Culture and Identity in the Debates over Mosque Building in Cambridge

This article explores the ways in which "Englishness" is constructed in relation to the siting of mosques, using Cambridge as a case study. After engaging with contemporary debates on Englishness and multiculturalism, the authors examine the responses to a planning application to build a mosque in the Mill Road area of the city. In public responses to the proposal, discourses of culture and heritage feature strongly. This contrasts with the ostensibly neutral language of the official planning procedure. Cultural ideas about "Englishness" are present on all sides of the debate and are not easily classified as nationalist or reactionary.