Said Mahathir successfully defends thesis on religious infrastructure in London

Said Mahathir from The Bartlett Development Planning Unit has successfully defended his thesis that the distribution and network of Muslim religious spaces reflect broader socio-political and economic dynamics, including challenges posed by urban planning policies, societal biases, and contestations over religious visibility. 

The study also emphasizes the significance of informal religious spaces, which emerge in response to regulatory restrictions and serve as vital hubs for communal identity and religious expression. His research explores the production and transformation of Muslim religious spaces in London, focusing on the area of Shepherd’s Bush. 

He also investigates how London’s Muslim communities establish, sustain, and adapt religious infrastructure within a predominantly secular urban environment. With his research examining the intersection of religious and secular spaces, demonstrating how mosques, madrasahs, halal businesses, burial services, and other religious institutions shape urban religious life. 

The research also applies theories of religious infrastructure, territoriality, and the production of space to analyse the complexities of religious spatial arrangements. Through spatial ethnography, the study highlights the coexistence of formal and informal religious spaces and their critical role in supporting religious practices. By mapping religious territories and tracing the networks of religious infrastructure, his study contributes to a deeper understanding of the resilience and adaptability of the production of Muslim religious spaces in urban contexts. It challenges prevailing narratives that frame religious spaces solely as sites of contestation, offering a nuanced perspective on the integration of faith-based practices into the fabric of contemporary Western cities. Ultimately, this research provides insights into the evolving relationship between religion, space, and multicultural urbanism in London.