‘You Mean the Transition from bhai to akhi?’

Abstract

In this paper, the way religious identity is constructed via languages, with a particular focus on Arabic and Bengali terms originating from Persian, will be explored. It is vital to comprehend how Bengali Muslims create this constellation of languages, recognising that religion also has its linguistic demands, as language assists with making identities (Jaspal and Coyle 2010). The two languages will provide traces of how Muslimness is managed in the East End and consider how historically, the role of these languages have shifted. For example, the Persian-origin terms analysed are crucial in understanding Persian’s influence in constructing a particular South Asian Muslim/Islamic expression. I critically examine how Arabic and Bengali intermingle while asserting different socio-religio-positionings. The claims-making qua a religious identity is morphed through various political junctures, particularly while forging a religious identity with other Muslims and how Arabic has become the dominant language in Bengali Muslims’ lives.