ABSTRACT
Underlying the manipulation of religious identity are serious issues about multiculturalism, diversity politics, and accommodation in the UK. There is little doubt that the political climate has changed since 11 September 2001 and again since 7 July 2005. Prior to this, the UK’s government position on multiculturalism and diversity although far from consistent was at least not an overt promotion of the ‘assimilation’ model encouraged by the French state. One only has to look at the heterogeneity of the British state-maintained education system to see diversity in practice as regards religion in schools – whether through admission on faith-based criteria, religious teaching, worship, exemptions from the national curriculum (e.g. sport and swimming classes) or the variety in school uniforms.1 But the recent issues surrounding Muslim extremism and anti-terrorism policies and legislation have become conflated with diversity politics in a way that arguably
damages society as a whole and the image of minorities in the UK in particular (see, for example Grillo 2005).
