ABSTRACT
Demonstrations of Muslim youth dissent towards heavy-handed counterterrorism approaches had always been viewed negatively by the government, with young Muslims often targeted as the issue. However, are young Muslims really to be blamed for political discontent in a context where they are referred to as vulnerable and often fall in the rhetoric as ‘suspect communities’ within the Kenyan war on terror? This article seeks to make sense of the impact of state surveillance on ‘Muslim youth as suspect communities’ in Kenya, the ways these communities mobilise against surveillance practices and the effect this may have on open debate and participation in democratic deliberative practice. Consequently, the chapter explores how surveillance affects power relationships between a community identified as suspect and the government, positioning the government as the more powerful party with an interest in control of those under scrutiny. Accordingly, the government can change the social context of interactions of community members in ways that transform the space for reasoning that is available for their members as well as the potential to shape the space of agency, thereby shaping their actions in mobilisation efforts.
