A story of faith and football




“For every Manc a religion”



Nooruddean Choudry was born in 1979 — the year Margaret Thatcher became Prime Minister， Sid Vicious died of a heroin overdose， Ayatollah Khomeini overthrew the last Shah of Iran， and Tim Martin opened his first Wetherspoons。 Also that year， a local football club that would become an all-consuming obsession for young Nooruddean lost the Cup Final to Arsenal courtesy of a man named Sunderland。 This inauspicious farewell to the arse-end of the seventies greeted a small brown baby who would one day become a small brown man。 But vitally， also a Red。


This is the story of the first son of a Pakistani family to be born in the UK — or North Manchester General Hospital to be precise。 And geography is important， because if it wasn't for his mum and dad settling in Crumpsall rather than anywhere else in the world， so much of what makes up Nooruddean's identity could have been so different。 As it was， he grew up as a Muslim， Manchester United supporting， Morrissey-loving， Maggie-hating， working-class Manc — although granted one of those things hasn't aged well。


Inshallah United is about growing up as a strictly halal Stretford Ender; a devout Muslim and diehard Red。 About praying five times a day that United would sign Alan Shearer and knock the Scousers off their perch。 This is a deeply personal account of growing up in the late 80s and 90s as a Muslim Asian Mancunian kid during the most successful period in Manchester United's history。