New Nation: White, Welsh and Muslim

Taken from Daily Post North Wales

STUART Williams and his wife Kate are expecting their first baby.

Like many young couples on the brink of this life-changing event, they are full of anticipation. But Stuart and Kate are especially excited because they believe their baby will be the first white Muslim born in Wales.

The couple, who live in Port Talbot, are part of a growing UK trend of white Islam converts, and a new BBC Wales show, New Nation: White, Welsh and Muslim, follows their experiences.

The documentary also meets Stuart’s older brother Omer – formerly known as Owain – who converted to Islam at the age of 17. Omer feels when religious relations are so delicate, he’s in a unique position to challenge racism and stereotypes.

“Just the way I look, I could quite as easily be a Hell’s Angel,” says Omer of his beard, the only visible clue to his faith.”

Omer lives near Newport with his wife Shereen, who is originally from Singapore and embraces multiculturalism. Together with Omer, she hosts radio programme Salaam Shalom, an innovative idea aimed at bringing Jews and Muslims together.

The arrival of Stuart and Kate’s baby, named Adam, is joyful for the whole family. “This little one is born Welsh and Muslim from the start,” says Omer, a proud uncle. “Home-grown Muslims like little Adam will be able to bridge the gap even better than we’ve done. There’s a lot of hope, I think, in the younger generation.”

The documentary was broadcasted on BBC One, 10:35pm Monday 19th January 2009.
Narrated by Siwan Morris.

Part-1 of 3


Part-2 of 3


Part-3 of 3