This is all the more astounding and ironic given that the name ‘Muhammad’, in all its many forms, is the most popular boys’ name in Britain and a number of other European countries including.

So with the ascendancy of Islam as a socio-religious and cultural phenomenon in the West, there seems to be a corresponding tide of ignorance, fear and suspicion. Together these generate misconceptions that prevail across class, creed and generations, precluding the type of holistic and rewarding dialogue and engagement that is essential for mutual understanding and mobilisation of our collective resources in order to grapple with global challenges that affect us all. Climate change, population growth, renewable energy, food shortages and economic instability are just some of the major imperatives that should serve to incentivise and galvanise us into tackling our intercultural and interfaith impasses through education and knowledge sharing.

Interestingly enough, the type of reductionist stereotyping of Islam and Muslims that is increasingly evident in Western societies today was presaged and played out in the story of the second most traded commodity in the world: coffee. When coffee arrived in Britain from Muslim lands in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, it was initially greeted with great hostility and reservation. It was considered by many to be a chemical conspiracy concocted by Muslims to alter the colour and creed of Britain. Coffee drinkers were warned that their new beverage would soon leave them brown and swarthy like a Moor or a Turk. However, over time, coffee earned its place in Britain through the value it brought to intellectual enquiry, trade and industry.

It is hard not to see in the story of coffee a metaphor for the process of belonging that Islam and Muslims are undergoing in the West, especially in Europe. One cannot help but speculate whether the younger generations of Muslims in Europe, due to prevailing demographic realities, will become like ‘human caffeine’ for societies rendered listless due to aged populations. Juxtaposing the parallels in the stories is compelling; so much so that Khayaal Theatre has begun to explore them through a theatre production titled Coffee.

The production will build upon Khayaal’s work in both conventional theatre settings as well as in theatre-in-education productions that have toured schools, colleges, universities and young offenders’ institutions. Two such productions, Hearts & Minds and Sun & Wind have been playing to audiences exceeding 25,000 throughout England since 2007. Both productions were developed to promote reflection and discussion on issues surrounding identity, belonging, citizenship and extremism and received at least an 85% approval rating from audiences.

What audiences of all ages, ethnicities, colours and creeds have most enjoyed about Khayaal’s work is the courageous and challenging honesty that make the performances compelling and engrossing experiences, in addition to the subtle but vital spirituality that underpins the stories. Such is the power and efficacy of the unmediated medium of theatre. Khayaal intends to continue to refine and evolve its productions as a means of providing edifying, path finding and hopefully inspiring experiences for young people in education as well as wider society.

Historically speaking, theatre has always challenged audiences and spurred them to conceive of the unknown and the unimagined. In today’s world where both Muslims and non-Muslims are seldom exposed to the universal and life-affirming dimensions of Islamic culture in the mainstream, theatre has the power to re-imagine this foundational element of modern civilisation in a way that we hope will be enriching for all.

Luqman Ali is originally from the USA and trained in the Sciences of Islam as well as Arabic, Persian and Urdu languages. He spent a decade working as a linguist, writer and translator in the UK before founding the Khayaal Theatre Company in 1997. He now serves as Khayaal’s chief artistic director and advocate.

© Luqman Ali
CEO & Artistic Director
Khayaal Theatre Company