What time is Extremely British Muslims on Channel 4 tonight, where is Birmingham Central Mosque and what is the series about?
The documentary seeks to shed light on what it means to be a Muslim in modern Britain
AS BRITAIN’S growing Muslim population rises to 3 million, a new Channel 4 series has gone behind the scenes on life in the Birmingham Central Mosque.
Created by a BAFTA award-winning team, Extremely British Muslims aims to provide “new insights into an often-closed community, centred around one of the largest mosques in the UK” by following two Birmingham friends.
What is Extremely British Muslims about?
The show centres on day-to-day stories from some of the Birmingham Central Mosque’s 6,000 congregants.
The stories follow three themes – finding a partner to marry, the identity crisis facing many young Muslim men in Britain, and the challenges of living the Muslim faith in modern Britain.
One of the people featured on Extremely British Muslims is Fatima, 33, who has been married for 14 years but wishes to be granted a divorce because of “emotional abuse”.
Cameras follow her application with the Mosque’s Sharia Council, an Islamic court that deals exclusively with divorce requests.
In the second episode, cameras follow young men Waz and Nav, who have to navigate their lives through the stereotypes that come with being a Muslim.
Other stories include the mosque’s daily telephone helpline, which was set up after much demand from people wanting to check the rules correctly.
When is Extremely British Muslims on Channel 4 tonight?
Extremely British Muslims continues with the third and final episode on Channel 4 tonight, March 16.
You can catch the show at 10pm which was filmed over a year in Birmingham, where a baby boy is more likely to be called Mohammed than any other name.
Where is Birmingham Central Mosque?
Birmingham Central Mosque is a large religious building in the Highgate area of Birmingham.
It was one of the earliest purpose-built mosques in the UK and serves 6,000 Muslims.
After initial funds to build the mosque ran dry, founders sought help from local businesses – both Muslim and non-Muslim – to finish construction.
The mosque was finished in 1969 and officially opened in 1975, with a golden dome being added to the top of the minaret in 1981.
For the Channel 4 series, the mosque has taken the rare step of allowing cameras access to capture the day-to-day lives of its congregation.