Muslim identity politics: Islam, activism and equality in Britain

The surge in divisive and far-right politics and escalating Islamophobia in Britain pose new challenges for Muslim advocacy organisations. British Muslim activism has taken centre stage in the public sphere as a result. Yet, for over fifty years Muslim advocacy groups have worked to preserve religious identity, lobby the state and provide concerted responses to the political establishment.
This is the first book to critically chart the national and global factors influencing the political mobilisation of British Muslim activists as Muslims. Khadijah Elshayyal traces the changes in thought, direction and method within Muslim identity politics after 1960, noting key organisations and turning points including the Rushdie affair, the 9/11 attacks, 7/7 and the current conflict in Syria. Considering recurrent debates around the often contentious subject of freedom of expression, Muslim Identity politics provides a history of interaction between Muslim advocacy groups and the state, and the impact of state policy on Muslim communities. It shows that that Britain’s Muslims continue to experience an ‘equality gap’ and recommends where progress can be made. Based on primary sources and in-depth interviews, this book is a vital resource for government officials, policy-makers and researchers interested in multiculturalism, Islamophobia and security issues in Britain.