An international research network exploring the representation of Muslim identities in contemporary cultural discourses.

Humera Khan and Andrew Pilkington, May 14th 2008

Last Updated on Wednesday, 02 September 2009 22:31

 In her paper titled 'Historical Roots of Contemporary Islamophobia' Humera Khan discusses the historical lineage of Islamophobia, from the Crusades through to its contemporary manifestations in the modern media, suggesting that hostility to Islam began as a redirecting of actual feelings of admiration and jealousy for medieval Muslim culture and power. Andrew Pilkington debates how Muslim representation has fared among the competing policy discourses that have followed Multiculturalism's apparent fall from grace in his paper ‘From multiculturalism to the new integrationism: Muslims and competing policy discourses’

 

 

This event was held at Soas on 14 May 2008

 

Humera Khan, 'Historical Roots of Contemporary Islamophobia'

Abstract:

Humera Khan traces the historical lineage of Islamophobia, from the Crusades through to its contemporary manifestations in the modern media, suggesting that hostility to Islam began as a redirecting of actual feelings of admiration and jealousy for medieval Muslim culture and power. However, since 9/11 a reinvigorated form of vehement prejudice has gained currency that dismisses Muslim culture wholesale while recycling longstanding negative stereotypes. By contrast, images of the abuse of Muslims in places such as Abu Ghraib, which serve as a tipping point for some young Muslim men, are ignored or treated as unusual aberrations. Although based in religious rather than racial discrimination, modern hostility to Muslims nevertheless results in harassment and discrimination which, in turn, leads to defensiveness and re-entrenchment.

Biography:

Humera Khan is a freelance consultant and researcher. She is a founder member of An-Nisa Society, an organisation managed by women working for the welfare of Muslim families. Humera has been involved in setting up projects such as Islamic counselling, the Supplementary Muslim School, a series of books on sexual health from an Islamic perspective called ‘Cycle of Life’, a Girls & Young Women’s Drama group. In 2006 she concluded an 18 month project on Muslim fatherhood with a national conference in November 2007 entitled 'Searching for Dad: Exploring Muslim fatherhood'. Currently Humera is working on a three-tiered project entitled ‘British Muslim or Wot?’ working with Muslim boys and young men aged between 13 and 19 years of age. This project includes a two week summer scheme, a film making course and workshops in local state schools on issues to do with identity and alienation. As a freelance consultant Humera has written numerous articles for publications including Q-News, Guardian and the Independent. She has also had various media and public appearances speaking on issues such as multiculturalism, Islamophobia and racism, sexual abuse, generation conflicts, domestic violence and gender.

 

Professor Andrew Pilkington, ‘From multiculturalism to the new integrationism: Muslims and competing policy discourses’

Abstract:

It is imperative that an appropriate balance is reached between three key principles: equality, diversity and social cohesion. In many countries across the world, however, there is a discernible move away from a concern for equality and diversity as the problem of order looms larger. Muslims in particular are typically represented as a threat to social order. I shall focus here on Britain in presenting my central thesis that there is a very real danger that a new nationalist discourse centred on community cohesion and integration is trouncing any duties on us to promote racial equality and respect cultural diversity. The paper comprises two sections. I shall firstly identify a radical hour when there was for the first time official recognition that institutional racism existed in British society and some urgency that this needed to be combated. I shall secondly highlight the fragility of such progressiveness and identify how the dominant policy discourse has changed since 2001. Here, I shall highlight in particular how the prominence given to institutional racism, with the publication of the Macpherson report, was remarkably short lived and how multiculturalism has come under increasing attack. The new integrationism that has emerged in their stead demonises Muslims and marginalises earlier concerns for equality and diversity.

Biography

Andrew Pilkington is Professor of Sociology at the University of Northampton. He is currently Associate Director of the Centre for Children and Youth and Director of the Equality and Diversity Research Group. He has written extensively in the field of the sociology and is regularly invited to give presentations of his work across the world. Within the last academic year, this has entailed giving keynotes and other talks in Jamaica, Singapore, Spain, New Zealand and Australia. His research has especially focused on issues relating to race and ethnicity, and he has published widely in this area, including Racial Disadvantage and Ethnic Diversity in Britain (Palgrave, 2003). He is an Associate of the Centre for Sociology, Anthropology and Politics, Chair of the Association of Teachers of Social Sciences and is particularly interested in exploring different pedagogies in addressing equality and diversity issues.

 

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