Muslims and Political Participation in Britain

This new volume seeks to showcase the latest research into Muslim political participation both in terms of electoral politics and civil society initiatives. Muslims play a prominent role in British political life and have been represented in various elected positions since Bashir Maan became a member for Glasgow City Council in 1970.

Yet what do we actually know about the involvement of British Muslims beyond the existence of a handful of Muslim MPs? What is unique about political participation in Muslim communities? All the major parties actively seek to court a ‘Muslim electorate’ as evidenced by the establishment of groups such as the Conservative Muslim Forum. Despite the impact that Muslims have had on election campaigns and their roles in various political institutions, research on this topic remains scant. Indeed, much of the existing work was couched within the broader areas of the participation of ethnic minorities or the impact of race on electoral politics. This work addresses this lacuna by highlighting different aspects of Muslim participation in British politics. It investigates voting patterns and election campaigns, civil society and grassroots political movements, the engagement of young people and the participation of Muslims in formal political institutions.

Written in an accessible style, this book will be of interest to students and scholars in a wide range of areas.

Timothy Peace is a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Edinburgh affiliated with the Alwaleed Centre.He completed his PhD at the European University Institute (EUI) in 2010 and then held a research fellowship at the Universite du Quebec a Montreal (UQAM). His research investigates the relationship between religion and politics, with a particular focus on Islam in Europe.