One of the manifestations of Islam in the ‘west’ is its assertive female adherents, publicly visible by observing religious symbols in the socalled ‘secular’ domain. This chapter will contribute to the current debates on women and religion as well as cross-cultural perspectives and interreligious dialogues. It also corresponds with the aim of the book in exploring the association between social changes, religiosity and women's self-definition in the contemporary world. Despite a temptation to exclude religion from the public space, a process of ‘deprivatization’ of religion is evident among Muslim women.

In the UK, Muslim women, as a faith group, are generally disadvantaged, despite policies to reduce the diversity gap in the labour market based on gender and religious affiliations (Bunglawala, 2008; Heath and Martin, 2012; Velayati, 2015, MCB, 2015). To examine the extent to which limitations in social mobility are due to their religious commitments or religious expectations of womanhood in ‘Islam’, I include ‘religion’ as an investigative tool in my research. Gendering religion as a social practice is central to all religions, including Islam (King, 2005), which has practical implications traditionally understood, observed and performed in any society.

Applying feminist theory and questioning Muslim women's place as a marginalized group at the centre of social inquiry, this chapter aims to explore the ways in which Muslim women negotiate religious and cultural norms and values to promote their interests in everyday lives. It will reflect on the meaning of ‘Islam’ and the formation of ‘religious’ identity among this specific social group. Within the large forces of globalization and increased intercultural relations, accounts of personal or collective religious affiliation by Muslim women need to be explored and understood.

The format of this chapter is to first present the methodological aspect of the research. The following sections will focus on ‘religion as a source of identity’ and its importance for the majority of my informants, particularly in terms of discovering selfhood and modes of expression. This will lead me to explore my informants’ desire to understand Islam, which among some is decoded into conformity with orthodoxy and traditional discourses of Islam, and among others into finding liberal and moral wisdoms of Islam.