ABSTRACT
The attacks of September 11th 2001 had a profound and lasting impact on British political life, most pertinently in relation to Britain’s Muslim communities. Rapid alterations took place in the global and domestic arenas in reaction to the terrorist attacks of September 11th. The ‘war on terror’ launched by the USA and her allies was to dramatically change international politics. In the UK, the need for securitisation presented urgent challenges for both the government and Muslim community organisations. The government felt the pressing need to act immediately against the threat of modern terrorism, and Muslim organisations were thrown into the task of denouncing it, while at the same time defending their communities against the hostility of a racist backlash, and engaging with the government on both domestic and international issues of concern. In this chapter, I look at how the period 2001–2005 proved to be a watershed for the development of British Muslim identity politics, arguing that despite the immense pressures, tangible progress was made particularly by younger generations in British Muslim community organising.
