ABSTRACT
This chapter presents an overview of Britain’s policies towards its minorities and discusses the development in the policies over the years to provide a context for the empirical research. The mapping of the policies is not only required to set out the context for future analysis, but may help in understanding an increased focus on the Muslim community. In an attempt to provide a clear understanding of the United Kingdom’s policies towards its minorities, the first section discusses the history of multiculturalism in Britain and also analyses the ‘community cohesion’ policy adopted in the wake of the 2001 riots in the UK. The chapter then discusses the ‘Preventing Violent Extremism’ (PVE) policy adopted in the aftermath of the 2005 bombings in the UK and explores how the issues that arose following the 2005 bombing have been addressed. The next section discusses the role that British Muslim women play in the implementation of the PVE policy and also discusses the integration policy under the Conservative-led Coalition government, concluding the discussion by highlighting close engagement between the government and British Muslim women and arguing that the relationship warrants further investigation.
