© koninklijke brill nv, leiden, 2015 | doi 10.1163/22117954-12341305 Journal of Muslims in Europe (2015) 197-222 brill.com/jome Introducing Seaside Town Muslims Eastbourne Mosque History and Politics Sevket Hylton Akyildiz SOAS, London, United Kingdom sevket.akyildiz1@gmail.com Abstract The majority of British Muslims live in cities such as London, Leicester, Birmingham and Bradford—and academic research thus far has reflected a city and post- manufacturing town emphasis. This paper investigates the as yet undocumented history and mosque politics of Muslims living in the small town of Eastbourne, East Sussex, using participant observation and unstructured and semi-structured inter- views. Firstly, I conceptualise my case study group by highlighting some differences found in a small town in terms of the origins of its Muslims, their ethnic heterogeneity, and residential spatial distribution. Secondly, I explore mosque politics in terms of mosque planning, public reactions to mosque rebuilding, and mosque management issues. Keywords British Muslims – East Sussex – ethnic heterogeneity – mosque building – seaside town – small town – Southern England A review of the academic literature shows that the dominant academic dis- course concerning Muslims in the United Kingdom and Europe is focused upon geographically concentrated ethnic groups in city environments— and, since 11 September 2001, is often presented in the context of the “war on terrorism” and social integration issues. But what is the story of Muslims liv- ing in the peripheral towns of England—places of low crime and some eco- nomic affluence? I will reframe the debate away from (post-)industrial city and global city concepts and towards small town coastal Southern England. In