LAUSR

offset by Hiqmah school’s near-perfect model which demonstrates that employing non-Muslim staff would not lead to a compromise on the ideals of Muslim education. In the book, Breen successfully unfolds and sheds light on the fact that there are serious limitations and little support for communities to overcome the obstacles in the earlier stages of funding and maintaining schools in the state sector. It is indeed a legitimate concern and an area that needs serious research, attention and investment by both the communities and the state. Breen rightly points out that failure to do this will lead Muslim stakeholder to a position of disadvantage. In the interest of the broader society, it may be argued that Muslim schools should endeavour to assimilate British (universal) values and that an absorption of such values will also be conducive to precluding any sense of monoculturalism or selfotherness on the part of the Muslims. Breen’s overall vision of Muslim enfranchisement as stakeholders is a commendable exercise of political imagination, but perhaps he would do better to make the arguments from a positive standpoint by dealing systematically with each of the obstacles, e.g. the lack of qualified teachers, and to create an awareness about the need of promoting higher educational aspirations amongst a disadvantaged Muslim community. One would hope that this may be best achieved with the support of the state by engaging in a positive partnership so that better policies can be envisioned and adopted to empower Muslim communities. Merely adopting an adversarial stance against the state may not be able to bring about better future for such communities and their equity in the state. While it is critical to ensure that policies are deliberated upon in order to safeguard Muslim interests as well as the interests of the broader society, the book runs the risk of actually widening the chasm between Muslim communities and the state. Therefore, it may not serve the cause of education of future generations of Muslims in Britain and hence their equity in the state as stakeholders.