Islam is the second-largest religion in the United Kingdom: As of 2011, which is the year that These Impossible Things is set in, there were approximately 2.7 million Muslims living in England and Wales (“2011 Census: KS209EW Religion, Local Authorities in England and Wales.” Office for National Statistics). The British Empire engaged in trade with various Muslim-majority countries for over a millennium, and the first record of an English person converting to Islam comes from the 16th century (“History of Islam in the UK.” BBC). British colonial incursions into what is now Bangladesh in the 18th century led to greater numbers of Muslims living within England’s borders.

British colonialism, in conjunction with labor shortages, led numerous Muslims to move to Britain after World War II. Even after Britain no longer held colonialist control over several Muslim-majority countries, including Pakistan (which is Kees’s family’s country of origin in These Impossible Things), Muslim immigration to England occurred in significant numbers. In the late 1960s, British Asians, including British Muslims, faced significant racist violence from far-right political groups. As this racist violence continued in the 1970s and 1980s, anti-racism activist groups grew in number, following the murders of Muslim youth.