Creating New Discursive Arenas and Influencing the Policies of the State: The Case of the Muslim Council of Britain

Abstract

English While the majority of British Muslim organizations established by the first generation of immigrants tend to work within ``ethnic colonies'', the organizations made up by an increasing number of the second generation critically and creatively engage in public debates. One such organization is the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) that strives to represent the interests of all British Muslims vis-à-vis the government. The author analyses the efforts of the MCB to create a Muslim public sphere and to influence the policies of the State. It proposes to think about the public sphere not as singular but as multiple public spheres in which members of different social groups discuss issues with one another and then compete to get their views on the political agenda. Thus, it emphasizes the diversity of the Muslim population in the country and the conflicts within it. French Si la majorité des organisations musulmanes en Grande-Bretagne, établies par la première génération des immigrés, a tendance à travailler dans ‘‘les colonies ethniques’’, les organisations composées par un nombre croissant de membres de la deuxième génération s’engagent dans des débats publics, de manière créative et critique. Une telle organisation est incarnée par le Conseil Musulman de la Grande-Bretagne (MCB), qui essaye de représenter les intérěts de tous les musulmans britanniques auprès du gouvernement. L’auteur analyse les efforts du MCB pour créer un espace public musulman et influencer la politique du gouvernement. Il propose de considérer l’espace public non pas en tant qu’espace unique, mais comme de multiples espaces publics dans lesquels les membres de divers groupes sociaux s’engagent dans des échanges de vues avant d’entrer en concurrence pour faire apparatre leurs points de vue dans le domaine politique. Ainsi, il souligne la diversité de la population musulmane dans ce pays et les conflits qui s’y développent.

To Open or Close? COVID-19, Mosques and the Role of Religious Authority within the British Muslim Community: A Socio-Legal Analysis

“…Alongside the fact that these were among the most prominent and widely publicized of such responses on media platforms, each institution also represents an important segment of the British Muslim community, thus rendering their responses most pertinent for analysis. The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) is the largest of the three organizations and was formed in 1997 (Radcliffe 2004;Pędziwiatr 2007). It describes itself as the UK's largest Muslim umbrella organization whose members include mosques, schools, charitable associations and professional networks (Burford 2012;Khan et al 2020).…”

Introduction: Leadership, Authority and Representation in British Muslim Communities

“…The extent to which the MCB has subsequently been studied and written about in various academic and Muslim community publications is probably reflective of its stature as the most enduring and influential of Britain's Muslim representative organisations (Radcliffe 2004;Birt 2005;McLoughlin 2005;Pędziwiatr 2007;Birt 2008a;Elshayyal 2018). This is despite the vicissitudes of its political fortunes as played out in its relations with successive UK governments and the growth of alternative organisations disillusioned with its representative claim-making (Archer 2009;Stjernholm 2010;Jones 2013).…”

Oförutsedda konsekvenser av dialog med självutnämnda muslimska ledare

“…I Europa är det aktivister inom Det muslimska brödraskapet (MB) -eller ideologiskt närliggande organisationer -som lyckats positionera sig som representanter för alla muslimer och islam (Radcliffe 2004, Klausen 2005a, Pedziwiatr 2007s. 277, Vidino 2007 SMR arbetar företrädesvis med dialog och samarbete på nationell nivå men isla-miska aktivister är även verksamma på lokal nivå i olika typer av institutioner och organisationer.…”