Muslim spaces of hope: geographies of possibility in Britain and the West

摘要

In 2004, the UK Commission on British Muslims and Islamophobia released a comprehensive report, Islamophobia: Issues, Challenges and Action. It left no doubt that Muslims in Britain continue to be subjected to systemic disadvantage in various domains of society. It confirmed research on the disproportionate rate of Muslim unemployment, accommodation in the poorest residential areas and continued negative stereotyping in the media. In spite of some progress in political representation, professional lobbying, state funding of Muslim schools and enactment of new laws against religious discrimination in employment, the reality in Muslim neighbourhoods is still one of resignation and despair. Read in tandem with other recent scholarly works, the report projects a gloomy picture of Muslims in a state of structural entrapment with little hope of 'escape'.