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The recent intense focus upon Islam in the UK comes at a time when the religion is in a state of flux, with the traditions followed by older generations slowly giving way to new forms of religious expression. New interpretations are very gradually emerging at precisely the same time as suspicions are on the increase about Islam undermining national identity and respect for the liberal democratic division between public and private spheres. Against this tense backdrop, this thesis seeks to explore debates about religious interpretation and the relationship between Islam and liberalism that are ongoing among Britain’s Muslims. It draws upon data collected from a variety of new initiatives (focusing upon three in particular) that are involved in disseminating Islamic knowledge and discussing Islamic norms. Using this data, it examines the arguments of a wide variety of Islamic scholars, clerics and activists and highlights some of the ways in which Islam is being related to the British context. Of particular concern in the thesis are the implications these debates have for liberal traditions in the UK. It considers the effects of conventions of public discourse that seek to stifle the expression of religious ideas upon the possible future flourishing of British society and politics. The thesis argues against liberal political philosophies that aim to restrict public speech so that only “public” or “secular” reasons are offered in political debates, arguing that to do this is to risk mutual isolation between the UK’s many religious and secular moral traditions. It uses debates among Muslims in the UK on subjects such as national identity, political participation and civil and Islamic law to illustrate and give weight to this argument.

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The first chapter of the thesis traces the history of the tenn 'ideology'; elucidates a range of definitions and connotations for the tenn; and offers a brief review of recent usage within Old Testament Studies. The second chapter turns more specifically to Ideological Criticism, offering a critical overview ofthe approaches ofTerry Eagleton and Frederic Jameson, prominent theorists within the field. The chapter concludes by adopting a three fold 'mapping' of ideological criticism for Old Testament Studies: social-scientific, interpretativesociological, and social-critical approaches. The third and fourth chapters consist ofa critical evaluation of a range of attempts at ideological criticism within Biblical Studies from each ofthe social-scientific, interpretative-sociological, and social-critical perspectives. These include (among others) a specifically Eagletonian approach; a Jamesonian approach; a black-feminist approach; and an approach based on post-colonial theory. Chapter five discusses a variety ofrelevant issues and perspectives, including the interaction of ideological criticism with postmodernism. The concluding chapter surveys the four modes in which ideological criticism operates: criticism ofthe biblical texts themselves; criticism ofreadings and interpretations; criticism of the use ofthe Bible as an ideological instrument; and criticism ofscholarly practices within the Academy. This final chapter then seeks to evaluate the lasting contribution of ideological criticism within Old Testament Studies and its future potential. The overall conclusion is that the advent ofideological criticism has marked a significant watershed in the annals ofbiblical criticism. Ideological criticism as a distinct and separate methodology may not become the one-and-only focus of biblical-critical methodology in the coming decades; but, arguably, no significant biblical criticism can now take place without serious ideological critique, not only of the writing, publishing, and dissemination ofancient texts but also of the interpretative tradition and of the academic hegemony.

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