Saci 1

PEOPLE’S DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF ALGERIA

Department of Letters and English

A Research Proposal

Presented to obtain the diploma of academic master in

Path: Literature and Civilization

Submitted by: Saci Younes

The Failures of Multiculturalism in Great Britain: The Clash of Islamic

Supervised by:

Mrs. Haddad Mimouna

Academic year: 2019/2020

1. Introduction

The United Kingdom is arguably the most diverse nation in Europe thanks to its multicultural

policies that encourage immigration to the country. Scholars use “multiculturalism” as an

umbrella term to describe the moral and political needs of a wide range of minorities (Glazer

2007). Nevertheless, multiculturalism has been a core issue in British politics ever since its

adaptation in domestic policies. The target of debate in this issue is the Muslim minority in the

UK because some tenets of Islam can be viewed as incompatible with secular British values.

Therefore, as the argument goes, this incompatibility can constitute a threat to social cohesion,

freedom of speech, and even national security.

In post-war Britain, Mass immigration of Muslims was within the framework of the

government's plan to solve the shortage of labour. The recruitment of these immigrants was

essential for the rebuilding of the country. Doctors and engineers from former British colonies,

mainly India and Pakistan, came to live and work in a country whose culture and religion seemed

both strange and intimidating. In the late 1960s, they faced xenophobia and racism, which were

encouraged by the newly founded anti-immigration right-winged parties in the likes of the

National Front and the British National Party. Paki bashing1 was a common form of exerting

white supremacist power over the subaltern Muslim immigrants.

There was not a clear united Muslim identity in Great Britain before the publication of The

Satanic Verses. The Rushdie Affair united Muslims in protests that included public burnings of

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the act of making vicious and unprovoked physical assaults upon Pakistani immigrants or people of Pakistani
descent.
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the book and screams calling for the murder of “the blasphemer”; most of the crowd was heeding

the fatwa of Ayatollah Khomeini that called for the assassination of Salman Rushdie. A less

extreme reaction was a campaign by the Union of Muslim Organizations of the UK, pressing the

government to ban the book; the failure of this attempt and the inaction of the parliament are said

to be the seeds of alienation, anarchy, and ultimately, the rejection of British identity for many

Muslims in the 1990s.

In what is commonly known as the 7/7 attacks in 2006, four British young men strapped with

bombs attacked central London in the single worst assault to occur on British soil since World

War II. Investigations revealed a significant role played by the Imams and Mullahs from local

mosques in radicalizing the terrorists. This example of home-grown terrorism prompted debates

concerning the failures in integrating Muslim youth within mainstream society.

2. Literature review

2.1 Contemporary opinions on multiculturalism

Hostility towards multicultural policies has been on the rise from both sides of the political

spectrum (McGhee 2008). Perhaps the most prominent manifestation of this position is David

Cameron’s speech in February 2011 in which he declared that state multiculturalism has failed as

a political project (Kuenssberg 2011). Academic opinions can be conflicting in identifying what

version of multiculturalism works best in Britain. According to Goldberg, multiculturalism

should be a progressive resistance to monoculturalism (Goldberg 1997); this means that

accepting cultures that are not native should be highly encouraged. Kivisto on the other hand

views it as a social policy that should give proper value to ethnic diversity while still maintaining
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the core social values of the host country. British MP David Blunkett echoed this opinion in his

speech to the Labour party conference; he advocated for an active concept of citizenship that can

allow for common grounds between diverse communities instead of forced assimilation

(Blunkett 2017). This concept seems to aim for unconditional equality under British common

laws regardless of identity politics. To our knowledge, no previous literature has examined

multiculturalism with full focus on the Muslim minority’s integration level.

2.2 Muslim social performance in the UK

Critics of Multiculturalism argue that immigrants live parallel lives because most of them

inhabit ghettos far from white people. Previous studies have shown that people of Pakistani and

Bangladeshi decent have the highest negative attitude towards intermarriage (Demireva & Heath

2014). This way of life can indeed decrease trust and cross-ethnic social bonding (Barry 2001).

Nevertheless, the same studies also demonstrate that only a small minority rejects the British

identity or supports violence (Demireva & Heath 2014). However, most of these studies are

conducted on ethnic grounds and do not properly address the Muslim identity and its

controversial relationship with liberalism and secularism.

3. Statement of the problem

The British common law guarantees freedom of belief, but the extent of that freedom in terms

of morality is not as clear as it should be, and it is still debatable. This debate stems from the real

issue: the failures of multicultural policies in integrating Muslims. The Rushdie Affair has been

indeed the first challenge to multiculturalist policies. Therefore, the scope of this research will

start chronologically from that point onward until present day because it was a critical historical
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period that marks a beginning of major failures in the integration of Muslim immigrants to the

liberal values of Great Britain.

4. Significance of the research

This research contributes to the ongoing debate on multiculturalism; by doing so, the results

of the study can help in building an argument for improving multicultural policies. For this

reason, British society finds itself bound to rethink this issue from the perspective of social

sciences, and this study can offer a partial solution to the dilemma of maintaining the religious

freedom of Muslims and preserving other human rights that are protected by secular laws.

Ultimately, this research is a minor but vital addition to the existing literature on the social

cohesion of religious minorities.

5. Research Aim

The general aim of this research is to investigate the factors that made British Muslims fall

behind in the scale of integration in Great Britain. This study does not attempt to refute

successful aspects of multiculturalism; instead, it focuses on why these policies fail in a

considerable number of social situations.

6. Research questions

5.1 Major research question

Why does the Muslim minority fail to integrate as successfully as other social groups in

multicultural Britain?
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5.2 Subsidiary questions

To answer the main question of the research we should first produce valid answers to these

secondary questions:

• What is the role of the British government in the integration of Muslims and how can we

evaluate it?

• How does Islamism prevent integration?

• How does racism and xenophobia stand in the way of integration?

• What can be done to improve multicultural policies?

7. Research methodology

Since this religious group has a complex identity that guides the actions of individuals from

this minority in almost all social aspects, this research will adopt multiple social theories

eclectically. First, we consider the social conflict theory to analyse the conflict between the anti-

immigration white natives and the multi-ethnic Muslims. Postcolonial theory can also help us to

understand the struggle of the subaltern Muslims within a dominant political system and culture.

Feminist theory on the other hand will contribute to the analysis of “the double burden” of

Muslim women in a conservative patriarchal society.

8. Tentative Structure

The structure of the dissertation will depend on availability of sources and the logical flow of

the previous findings, it is very likely that the research will be divided into three Chapters. The

first chapter will analyse the events that followed the publication of Satanic Verses; It will also
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examine the clash between those who believe in freedom of speech and those who believe in the

sanctity of Islamic texts and figures. Next, the second chapter will investigate the social

circumstances, as well as the process of radicalisation which led to the 7/7 terrorist attacks.

Finally, the third chapter will delve deep into the ideological conflict between secularism and

Islamic traditions and will study the role of this conflict in the failure of the Muslim integration

in the British society. After a thorough diagnosis of the problem, this paper will conclude with

possible suggestions to improve multicultural policies, which organize the Muslim community in

Britain.

9. The Purpose of the Research

The researcher is interested in religious debates and the clash of civilisations. Therefore, the

purpose of this study is to widen the researcher’s knowledge about the topic at hand. In addition,

this paper gives an opportunity to the research to further analyse the cultural dialogue between

the west and the east.

Tentative Outline

1. Chapter One: The Rushdie Affair

1.1. Introduction

1.2. The Satanic Verses

1.2.1. A Brief Biography of Salman Rushdie

1.2.2. A Brief Summary of the Plot

1.2.3. A Cultural Analysis of the Book

1.3. The Rushdie Affair

1.3.1. The Ayatollah Khomeini Fatwa

1.3.2. The 1989 Protests and Public Burnings

1.3.3. The Union of Muslim Organisations of the UK

1.3.4. The Position of the British Parliament

1.4. Conclusion

2. Chapter Two: The 7/7 Attacks

2.1. Introduction

2.2. The Role of Imams and Mullahs in Spreading Radicalisation

2.2.1. The Channel 4 Report

2.2.2. The Radical Islamic Discourse in Mosques

2.2.3. The Shift of Identity in Muslim Youth

2.3. The Muslim Ghettoes

2.3.1. The Social Capital of Muslims

2.3.2. The Social Contact Between Muslims and Anglo-Saxons

2.4. Conclusion

3. Chapter Three: Secularism and Islamism

3.1. Introduction

3.2. The Sharia Law

3.2.1. The Women Issues and Gender Roles

3.2.2. Homophobia and Transphobia

3.2.3. Violence and Terrorism

3.3. The Secular Common Law

3.3.1. The Question of Moral Relativism

3.4. The Failure of Muslim Integration

3.4.1. Social Alienation

3.4.2. The Role of White Supremacy and Xenophobia

3.4.3. Political Implications

3.5.Suggestions for Improving Integration

3.6. Conclusion

10. Preliminary Bibliography

7 - 7- The London Bombings- What Went Wrong

Barry, Brian. Culture and Equality: An Egalitarian Critique of Multiculturalism. HARVARD

University Press, 2001

Constructions of collective Muslim identity by advocates of Muslim schools in Britain. Claire

Tinker, Andrew David Smart

David Blunkett. “Integration with Diversity: Globalisation and the Renewal of Democracy and

Civil Society.” The Foreign Policy Centre, 27 Nov. 2017, https://fpc.org.uk/integration-with-

diversity-globalisation-and-the-renewal-of-democracy-and-civil-society/.

Demireva, Neli, and Anthony Heath. “Has Multiculturalism Failed in Britain?” Have

Multicultural Policies Inhibited the Integration of Ethnic Minorities? a Generational Perspective,

End of Multiculturalism- Terrorism, Integration and Human Rights - Derek McGhee

From fatwa to jihad- the Rushdie affair and its legacy - Kenan Malik
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Islam and the Future of Tolerance: A Dialogue - Sam Harris and Maajid Nawaz.

Islamic Radicalism and Multicultural Politics- The British Experience - Tahir Abbas

Islamophilia by Douglas Murray

Glazer, Nathan. We Are All Multiculturalists Now. Harvard Univ. Press, 2003.

Goldberg, David Theo. Multiculturalism: A Critical Reader. Blackwell, 1997

Has multiculturalism failed in Britain-- Ethnic and Racial Studies- Vol 37, No 1

Kivisto, Peter. Incorporating Diversity Rethinking Assimilation in a Multicultural Age. Taylor

and Francis, 2005.

Londonistan- How Britain is Creating a Terror State Within

Kuenssberg, Laura. “State Multiculturalism Has Failed, Says David Cameron.” BBC News,

BBC, 5 Feb. 2011, https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-12371994.

McGhee, Derek. The End of Multiculturalism?: Terrorism, Integration and Human Rights. Open

University Press, 2008.

Multicultural politics- racism, ethnicity and Muslims in Britain - Tariq Modood

Muslims in Britain- Making Social and Political Space Waqar Ihsan-Ullah Ahmad, Ziauddin

Sardar

Multiculturalism in contemporary Britain- policy, law and theory- Critical Review of

International Social and Political Philosophy- Vol 21, No 1 Richard T. Ashcroft &Mark Bevir
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Muslim Families, Politics and the Law- A Legal Industry in Multicultural Britain - Professor

Ralph Grillo

Remaking multiculturalism after 7/7 - Tariq Modood

The Enemy Within- A Tale of Muslim Britain - Sayeeda Warsi

The Strange Death of Europe- Immigration, Identity, Islam by Douglas Murray

The future of multicultural Britain- confronting the progressive dilemma - Pathik Pathak