The symbiotic relationship between Islamophobia and radicalisation

Abstract

This article analyses the conditions of Islamophobia and radicalisation, and the nature of the symbiotic relationship between them. There is an exploration of the identity crises facing young Muslims in relation to endogenous factors, the role and function of various forms of structural and cultural Islamophobia as exogenous concerns and how these intersect in the context of contemporary multicultural societies, namely in Britain. The characteristics of violent extremism have been explained as driven by Islam by some, or the workings of majority society by others. These are often contradictory and incomplete narratives. This article provides a holistic multifaceted sociological framework to help facilitate the discussion of Islamic political radicalism, set in an historical and sociological context, and exploring a range of factors argued to be in play in determining the dynamics of extremism relevant to this group.

Keywords:

• British Muslims
• Islamophobia
• Islamism
• radicalism
• multiculturalism

Acknowledgements

Aspects of this article were first published in my 2011 book, Islamic Radicalism and Multicultural Politics: the British Experience (Routledge). I would also like to thank the anonymous referees for valuable comments on an earlier version of this article.