Food Encounters: Muslim Food-Aid and Inter-Religious Entanglements in Britain

The recent surge in food insecurity amongst households in the UK has prompted an increasing number of people to seek immediate assistance through food banks and soup kitchens. This trend has particularly impacted ethnic minorities, including Muslims, who are often less inclined to engage with conventional aid channels due to cultural and social barriers (Power 2023, Hunger, Whiteness and Religion in Neoliberal Britain). While significant research highlights the Christian genealogies and foundations of food aid initiatives in Britain—most notably the UK's leading food bank network, which is "based on, shaped, and guided by Christian principles"—less attention has been devoted to the emergence of Muslim responses to hunger and poverty in the country.

This paper presents findings from recent fieldwork conducted across various Muslim-run food aid initiatives in the UK. It explores the unique characteristics of these organisations, compared to traditional food assistance programs, particularly focusing on how they seek to embody Islamic principles of care amidst the backdrop of rising Islamophobia. Central to this inquiry are the dynamics between volunteers and service users, as well as the ways in which food serves as a medium for inter-religious encounters.

By employing an interdisciplinary approach combining perspectives from material religion and recent discussion on the ethics of care within the anthropology of Islam (Mittermaier 2019, Giving to God), this study emphasises the sensory and material aspects of food while addressing the ethical concerns of those involved in such initiatives. It aims to illuminate how these initiatives do not only provide essential temporary relief but also create spaces for encounter among diverse people within the British foodscape.