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Muslim Political Activism or Political Activism by Muslims? Secular and Religious Identities amongst Muslim Arab Activists in the United States and United Kingdom

Nagel, C.R.; Staeheli, L.A.

Muslim Political Activism or Political Activism by Muslims? Secular and Religious Identities amongst Muslim Arab Activists in the United States and United Kingdom Thumbnail


Authors

C.R. Nagel

L.A. Staeheli



Abstract

Scholarship on Muslim political mobilisation in the West has developed as an important counterpoint to public discourse, which has tended to cast Muslims as a threat to social cohesion, liberal democracy, and national security. But even as scholarly literature has shed light on civic participation among Muslims, it has sidelined the diversity of political identities and values that motivate them. Most, if not all, Muslims in the West find their identities politicised in some way, but the question of whether this leads to a consensus amongst Muslims about the role of religion in public life often remains unexamined. In this article we draw on interviews with seventy-eight activists in Britain and the United States who are both Muslim and Arab to complicate ideas about the political mobilisation of Muslims in the West. Respondents, we show, are far from unified in their views on religion as a basis for political action and mobilisation. Some are keen to place Islam squarely in mainstream political spaces; most, however, are insistent that Islam should remain a private faith and identity and that political mobilisation should take place under the aegis of Arabness or other ‘secular’ identities. Using theoretical perspectives on the public sphere, we explain the complexity of our respondents' political identities and activism. Our overall aim is to broaden perspectives on the ways in which people from Muslim backgrounds participate in public, political life in Western contexts.

Citation

Nagel, C., & Staeheli, L. (2011). Muslim Political Activism or Political Activism by Muslims? Secular and Religious Identities amongst Muslim Arab Activists in the United States and United Kingdom. Identities: Global Studies in Culture and Power, 18(5), 437-458. https://doi.org/10.1080/1070289x.2011.656068

Journal Article Type Article
Publication Date Jan 1, 2011
Deposit Date Apr 19, 2012
Publicly Available Date Mar 28, 2024
Journal Identities: Global Studies in Culture and Power
Print ISSN 1070-289X
Electronic ISSN 1547-3384
Publisher Taylor and Francis Group
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 18
Issue 5
Pages 437-458
DOI https://doi.org/10.1080/1070289x.2011.656068
Keywords Arab Americans, British Arabs, Muslim minorities, Secular identity.

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Copyright Statement
This is an electronic version of an article published in Nagel, C.R. and Staeheli, L.A. (2011) 'Muslim political activism or political activism by Muslims ? secular and religious identities amongst Muslim Arab activists in the United States and United Kingdom.', Identities : global studies in culture and power., 18 (5). pp. 437-458.
Identities : global studies in culture and power is available online at: http://www.tandfonline.com/openurl?genre=article&issn=1070-289X&volume=18&issue=5&spage=437




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