Muslim Britain: Communities Under Pressure

This book explores how the events of September 11 2001 and the subsequent ‘war on terror’ have impacted on the lived experiences of British Muslims. The 2001 attacks on the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon were an act of extreme actual and symbolic violence and the 1.6 million Muslims who live in Britain as minorities were just as astonished as majority society. Since then, however, British Muslims have experienced a range of threatening responses – from increasing racist attacks and Islamophobic hostility to direct and indirect questions being raised about ‘loyalty’ to the state and the nature and direction of British Muslim ‘citizenship’. The 2001 attacks have far-reaching implications that go beyond the current ‘war on terror’ and are inextricably linked to wider economic, political, religious, and cultural difference issues. This important collection is a cogent exploration of how these events have influenced Muslims living in Britain today, covering areas such as aspects of community life, perceptions of Islamophobia, education, media, politics, identity, and gender. It situates the analysis within the particularity and the diversity of the South Asian experience in post-war Britain, taking into consideration implications for both policy and practice. The contributors to this volume are leading authorities in the fields of sociology, social geography, anthropology, theology, and political science. A number of the chapters contain previously unpublished primary empirical material, making this one of the most pertinent and timely compilations in the field.