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Living apart together – British Muslims and the paradox of multiculturalism

Introduction

The report ‘Living apart together’ describes the attitudes of British Muslims towards their religion and the British state. The authors warn not to treat the entire Muslim population as a monolith with special needs that are different to the rest of the population. Based upon their observations the authors stress that it is important to view Islamism and radicalisation amongst British Muslims not as an ‘imported’ problem, but as an issue that has it roots in British society. The report, published by the independent British think tank Policy Exchange, recommends to no longer approach British Muslims based upon their religious denomination, but to treat them as individual citizens.

Description

This report is partially based upon a survey amongst British Muslims. The survey makes an interesting distinction between different age groups. Strikingly, the younger age groups – predominantly UK born and raised – are more in favour of asserting a strong Muslim identity than the older age groups are.

For example:

59 per cent of Muslims would prefer to live under British law, compared to 28 per cent who would prefer to live under sharia law. 37 per cent of 16-24 year olds prefer sharia compared to 17 per cent of 55+ year olds.
74 per cent of 16-24 year olds would prefer Muslim women to choose to wear the veil, compared to only 28 per cent of 55+ year olds.

Apart from differences in view between the generations, there is also considerable diversity amongst Muslims, with many adopting a more secular approach to their religion. According to the report there is clearly a conflict within British Islam between a moderate majority that accepts the norms of Western democracy and a growing minority that does not. The British Muslim community is not a monolith with special needs that are different to the rest of the community. For a majority of the British Muslims, their identity as a Briton comes before their identity as a Muslim:

59 per cent of British Muslims feel they have as much, if not more, in common with non-Muslims in the UK as with Muslims abroad.
21 per cent of Muslims have consumed alcohol. 65 per cent have paid interest on a normal mortgage. 19 per cent have gambled. 9 per cent have admitted to taking drugs.

The researchers see Islamism not just as a security problem, but also as a cultural problem. Islamism is strongly coloured by anti-Western views. These views are not exclusive to Muslims, they can be found in wider society.

Conclusions

In their analysis, the three authors come to a number of conclusions:

The growth of Islamism amongst some young Muslims cannot be understood solely as a foreign or religious problem, but also needs to be understood in relation to political and social trends that have emerged in British society over the past two decades.
There are certain foreign influences shaping Muslim consciousness in the UK but the growth of Muslim politics has also been strongly nurtured by multicultural policies at local and national level since the 1980s.
More generally, many younger Muslims are turning to religion as part of a search for meaning and community which also exists in wider society. The weakening of older political identities in Britain means they increasingly look to the abstract and global ummah – the worldwide community of Muslims.
Religiosity amongst younger Muslims tends to be more politicised and there is a greater stress on asserting one’s identity in the public space.
Muslim consciousness is dominated by a ‘culture of victimhood’, which has bred feelings of resentment and defensiveness. Paradoxically, this has been fuelled by Government policies to improve engagement with Muslims.
Contemporary Islamism is strongly coloured by anti-Western ideas but some of these sentiments can be discerned in the political and cultural climate of the West itself.

Based upon these conclusions, the authors make the following recommendations:

Stop emphasising difference and engage with Muslims as citizens, not through their religious identity.
Stop treating Muslims as a vulnerable group. The exaggeration of Islamophobia does not make Muslims feel protected but instead reinforces feelings of victimisation and alienation.
Encourage a broader intellectual debate in order to challenge the crude anti-Western, anti-British ideas that dominate cultural and intellectual life. This means allowing free speech and debate, even when it causes offence to some minority groups.
Keep a sense of perspective. The obsession of politicians and the media with scrutinising the wider Muslim population, either as victims or potential terrorists, means that Muslims are regarded as outsiders, rather than as members of society like everyone else.

Contact info

Policy Exchange
Ms Munir Mirza (Associate Fellow), tel. +44 20 7340 2650

Publication date

29/01/2007

Researcher

Munira Mirza, Abi Senthilkumaran, Zein Ja'far

Article info
ISBN: 1-906097-02-X

Links

Visit the Policy Exchange website

Download ‘Living apart together’ (PDF, Eng, 685 KB)

Document type

research

Themes

Urban Policy > Social inclusion & integration

Keywords

Integration of social groups