In Good Faith #41 - Dr Mamnun Khan: Muslim Identity Needs to Shift to Substance Over Form
Feb 3, 2026
Dr Mamnun Khan, author and researcher on Muslim identity and religious literacy, urges shifting Muslim identity from label to lived substance. He discusses form versus practice, the limits of ethnoreligious labels, translating Islamic concepts into everyday language, and how to engage secular spaces with moral reasoning. Short, sharp conversations on identity, translation, and rebuilding religious understanding.
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Faith Label Outpaced Its Substance
- British Muslim identity often replaced ethnic labels like "British Bangladeshi" with a faith label, but the substance behind that label is weak.
- Mamnun Khan argues identity without religious literacy and moral cultivation produces problems rather than solutions.
Labels Carry Theological Weight
- Calling yourself Muslim is insufficient if you don't live up to submission's demands; the term carries accountability to God.
- Khan warns using Muslim as an ethnographic label hides the expectation of action and faith cultivation.
Reframe 'Islamophobia' As Prejudice Against People
- 'Islamophobia' as a term can obscure theological realities and free speech issues, says Khan.
- He recommends focusing on people (anti-Muslim prejudice) rather than using a contested religious label for legal or policy definitions.
