The unbearable anxiety of being: Ideological fantasies of British Muslims beyond the politics of security

Ali, Nadya; Whitham, Ben

doi:10.1177/0967010618794050

Cited by 21 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…In relation to the problematisation of Muslim identity, some studies approach this broadly and from the external perspective of what they refer to as the 'Muslim question': including among others, Parekh (2006) and Vertovec (2008). Others investigate the effect of problematisation on Muslim identity and the consequences on both internal and external perspectives, for instance McDonald (2011), Croft (2012, Kundnani (2014) and Ali and Whitham (2018). For Brown (2010) problematisation is evident in the social, political and cultural processes that continually frame and reframe Muslim identity as contestable to normative British identity and values.…”

Section: Muslim Identity In the Contemporary British Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Young, Brummie and Muslim in the Problematised City: Investigating Identity and Belonging Among Muslim Youth in Birmingham, England

Allen

2021

Journal of Social Inclusion

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problematisation' is its diverse and well established Muslim population, with claims Birmingham is a 'jihadi capital', or at risk of an 'Islamic takeover' in a number of the city's state schools. This was voiced by Steve Emerson -a so-called 'terrorism expert' -appearing on Fox News to claim that Birmingham was "totally Muslim…" before adding how the city was so dangerous that "…non-Muslims just simply do not go in" (Rawlinson, 2015). While Emerson's claims are farcical and without substantiation, Birmingham is home to the largest number of

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Section: Muslim Identity In the Contemporary British Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Young, Brummie and Muslim in the Problematised City: Investigating Identity and Belonging Among Muslim Youth in Birmingham, England

Allen

2021

Journal of Social Inclusion

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Section: Muslim Identity In the Contemporary British Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Young, Brummie and Muslim in the Problematised City: Investigating Identity and Belonging Among Muslim Youth in Birmingham, England

Allen

2021

JOSI

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This article investigates how the identity and sense of belonging evident among young Muslims in Birmingham, England are effected by the city’s ‘problematisation’. To do so, this article presents the findings from new empirical data gathered from 125 respondents aged between 18 and 25 all of whom identified as Muslim and were resident in Birmingham. Having contextualised the city’s problematisation, British Muslim identity and the ‘politics of belonging’, this article adopts a threefold approach. First, in relation to how young Muslims in the city identify with it as something of an abstract entity, unproblematically identifying as ‘Brummie’. Second, in relation to how young Muslims identify ‘home’ and belonging to the city’s ‘Muslim areas’. Third, in relation to the perceived risk of victimisation due to their Muslim identity in the multicultural spaces of the city centre. In conclusion, this article suggests that while the city’s problematisation has little detrimental impact on young Muslim identity, the internalisation of that problematisation necessitates changes in the performance of Muslim identity.

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“…A diverse range of actors, from high-ranking and ostensibly 'mainstream' politicians of the government, to racists hurling abuse in the street, are engaged together in the production of Islamophobic violence. News media, meanwhile, must be acknowledged as a central source in the construction of a "conceptual Muslim"a monstrous fantasy figure upon which to foist the blame for a multitude of social ills and divisions (Ali and Whitham 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Racial Capitalism, Islamophobia, and Austerity

Ali

Whitham

2020

International Political Sociology

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Explorations of Islamophobia or anti-Muslim racism predominantly focus on issues of security policy and media representations, set against the backdrop of the global “War on Terror.” This scholarship explores the racialization of Muslim populations across different global contexts, including the UK, Europe, the United States, and China. However, Islamophobia has also been articulated through concerns about the economy, jobs, public services, and national debt in times of austerity. Narratives have emerged around Muslim families in the UK receiving “excessive” welfare benefits, preferential access to social housing, and pressuring public services through “breeding.” This article offers a new way of thinking about the links between Islamophobia and austerity through an engagement with the literature on racial capitalism. The article shows how constructions of Muslim populations as the “undeserving poor” are central to the intersectional racialized and gendered disentitlements of austerity. The analysis draws on the findings from twelve interviews and a six-person focus group with Muslim subjects based in London to illustrate the political economy of austerity Islamophobia. Les explorations de l'islamophobie ou du racisme anti-musulman se concentrent principalement sur des questions de politique de sécurité et de représentation médiatique, avec pour toile de fond la « guerre mondiale contre le terrorisme ». Cette étude explore la racialisation des populations musulmanes dans différents contextes mondiaux, notamment au Royaume-Uni, en Europe, aux États-Unis et en Chine. Toutefois, l'islamophobie a aussi été articulée par des préoccupations liées à l’économie, aux emplois, aux services publics et à la dette nationale en temps d'austérité. Des propos concernant des familles musulmanes du Royaume-Uni qui auraient bénéficié de prestations sociales « excessives », d'un accès privilégié aux logements sociaux et fait pression sur les services publics par leur « reproduction » ont fait leur apparition. Cet article propose une nouvelle manière de penser les liens entre islamophobie et Austérité en impliquant la littérature portant sur le capitalisme racial. Il montre la manière dont les constitutions de populations musulmanes en tant que « pauvres non méritants » sont au centre de l'entrecroisement des désavantages racialisés et sexospécifiques liés à l'austérité. L'analyse s'appuie sur les résultats de douze entretiens et d'un groupe de discussion de six musulmans de Londres pour illustrer l’économie politique de l'islamophobie d'austérité. Las exploraciones de la islamofobia o el racismo antimusulmán se centran predominantemente en cuestiones de política de seguridad y en las representaciones de los medios de comunicación, con el trasfondo de la “guerra contra el terrorismo” mundial. Este estudio explora la racialización de las poblaciones musulmanas a través de diferentes contextos globales, que incluyen el Reino Unido, Europa, Estados Unidos y China. No obstante, la islamofobia también se ha articulado a través de cuestiones sobre la economía, el empleo, los servicios públicos y la deuda nacional en tiempos de austeridad. Han surgido relatos sobre familias musulmanas del Reino Unido que reciben asistencia social “excesiva” y acceso preferencial a la vivienda social, y presionan a los servicios públicos mediante la “reproducción.” Este artículo ofrece una nueva manera de pensar sobre los vínculos entre la islamofobia y la austeridad a través de un compromiso con la literatura sobre el capitalismo racial. El artículo muestra cómo la construcción de las poblaciones musulmanas como “pobres no merecedores” es fundamental para la revocación intersectorial de derechos raciales y de género de la austeridad. El análisis se basa en las conclusiones de doce entrevistas y un grupo de debate de seis personas que tratan temas musulmanes con sede en Londres a fin de ilustrar la economía política de la austeridad islamofóbica.

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The unbearable anxiety of being: Ideological fantasies of British Muslims beyond the politics of security

Cited by 21 publications

References 36 publications

Young, Brummie and Muslim in the Problematised City: Investigating Identity and Belonging Among Muslim Youth in Birmingham, England

Young, Brummie and Muslim in the Problematised City: Investigating Identity and Belonging Among Muslim Youth in Birmingham, England

Young, Brummie and Muslim in the Problematised City: Investigating Identity and Belonging Among Muslim Youth in Birmingham, England

Racial Capitalism, Islamophobia, and Austerity

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