The London bombs have begun a process of self-examination among Muslims in Britain. The sense of hurt, shame and disappointment that leading Muslims expressed on discovering that the bombers were British is genuine and widely shared. Muslim communities face economic deprivation, educational underachievement, gender inequality and, of course, religious extremism. Until now, it has been hard to generate debate on these issues. These are often traditional communities, in which a combination of perceived local exclusion and world events has allowed a politics of grievance to develop, a politics that refuses to address these problems, blaming them all instead on the antipathy of Britain or the west towards Muslims.
The evidence for that antipathy is thin. After all, isn’t this the same west that intervened to help Muslims in Kosovo—despite powerful voices of opposition on both the political left and right—and is haunted by its failure to do the same thing in Bosnia? Weren’t British Muslims joined by many more non-Muslims in opposition to war in Iraq?
And in the period that covers the interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq—part of the supposed war against Muslims—there has been a significant increase in Muslim representation in British public life and several long-standing Muslim policy objectives have been achieved. After the bombs, the politics of grievance must surely be subject to more critical scrutiny.
If you are a subscriber, please log in »
This article is available to subscribers only
Subscribing to Prospect is the most reliable and convenient way to receive the magazine every month, and offers the best value.Subscription Types:
Online
An online subscription offers you complete and unlimited access to the entire website, including our searchable archive of every back issue of Prospect, and a PDF edition of each new issue: all this for just £20 per year. Purchase an online subscription »Renewal
Renew an existing subscription »Institutional access
If you are a library, business organisation or any other large institution that needs a multi-user licence, you can obtain institutional access.
Share
Subscribe to post comments
Print
