British Muslims
European Muslims
Originated From
Age & Sex
Places of Worship
Ethnic Groups
Defining Identity
What they Say
Profession of Faith
Praying
Social Responsibility
Fasting
Pilgrimage
Muslims in Britain
Impact of Media
Islamophobia
Identity
British & Muslims
Surveys
Interviews
Auto Photography
Identity
Crisis of identity
“Identity is to be conceived not as a structure, but as a dynamic process, accordingly, it is more relevant to talk about identification than identity, and it is important to emphasise the fact that the way an individual defines him/herself are both multi dimensional and likely to evolve over time.”[19]
In order to study the ways young Muslims define and experience their identity, it is necessary to take into account the context, in which dominant narratives about Islam and British Identity are imposed. Certainly, the importance of the way an individual is viewed by others and the significance of interaction in identity formation in general are well known to sociologists and academics. Young Muslims in Britain, perhaps more than the members of any other religious group, are no longer in control of this interaction, and a discourse about Islam is imposed upon them - a discourse that spreads across all levels of society from the micro-local to the international stage.
“Collective identity relates to a collective memory through which the contemporary group recognises itself through a common past, remembrance, commemoration, interpretation and reinterpretation” Maurice Halbwachs, French philosopher and sociologist [20]
In the post 7/7 terrorist attacks in London, British Muslims have faced relentless correlations between Islam and young Muslims, seen as a threat and danger to ‘British values’. This suggests the existence of a deeply rooted conflict from several centuries of confrontation between the Muslim world and Europe. What we profess to know about Islam is to a large extent the product of a vision constructed upon centuries of discord, most recently manifested over the terrorist attack across Europe, as much political as religious.
The paradoxical reality of Muslims both inside and out, from their most private behaviour to their most public, tends to disappear under the weight of perceptions that have been progressively deposited over the centuries [21]. These perceptions are constructed out of specific historical moments and encounters that predominantly crystallise difference, even contradictory, sets of images such as violence and morality. This discourse tends to play on the confrontation between Islam and the west. Young Muslims are thereby pressed to make adjustments, particularly since the 7/7 bombings. Of course no ethnic or religious group escape stereotyping when it encounters other groups, but Muslims in Britain over the last decade have been in under constant scrutiny.
In a 1979 a poll carried out in Scotland, to the question, “What nationality best describes you?” 56 per cent of people said ‘Scottish’ and 38% said ‘British’. In 2003, in answer to the same question, 73% said Scottish and 20% said British [22]. The same trend can be discerned in Wales. In 2004, 60% of people described themselves as Welsh only and this was higher for younger respondents [23].
It is not only people in Scotland and Wales who are reverting to ancient identities. In the last 15 years, English identity has gone from being a rather quaint and gentle concept, embodied by cultural symbols such as parish churches, boat races and Morris dancers, to a much more assertive, populist identity. Football has been the most high profile manifestation of this change but not the cause. Although none of these identities are racially exclusive, they are inevitably more ethnically based and closer in character to national identities in many other parts of Europe. The inclusiveness of British identity, with its (UK wide) multinational and Commonwealth roots, is unusual.
Young Muslims may be becoming more religious but if they feel increasingly detached from Britain, it is not primarily because their religion is pulling them away but because there is considerable confusion in wider society about what belonging to Britain actually means (please refer to appendices A, B & C). Recent attempts by the government to introduce citizenship tests and education have developed discussion about the meaning of British identity and what it ought to stand for. For many observers, one of the principal acts in undermining British identity has been the rise of the politics of multiculturalism.
“Intellectual fashion has dictated that right-minded people should feel shame and guilt about Britain’s imperial past and embarrassment about overt manifestations of national pride. In recent years, there have been many incidents that reveal the degree of discomfort the authorities feel about many aspects of ‘Britishness’.” [24]
Britishness has been undermined for political reasons, but other institutions that provided previous generations of Muslims with a sense of collective identity have declined through more natural causes.
“Political parties and trades unions have lost members over the last decade. The anti-racism movement that a previous generation of young Asians was involved in has been largely co-opted into official race relations’ bodies. Older ways of engaging collectively have declined and in such a vacuum, a politicised religious identity has emerged.” [25]
