Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Book cover

Islamophobia and Securitization pp 85–116Cite as

Palgrave Macmillan

Securitizing the Educated Muslim: Islamophobia, Radicalization and the Muslim Female Student

  • Chapter
  • First Online:

  • 939 Accesses

Part of the book series: Palgrave Politics of Identity and Citizenship Series ((CAL))

Abstract

This chapter focuses on the ‘securitized’ Muslim student, portrayed as an intelligent yet vulnerable individual, susceptible to radical ideologies of extremist groups. This susceptibility has drawn universities into an Orwellian framework of monitoring and surveillance, creating greater insecurity for and about Muslim students. The chapter explores such narratives of insecurity placed within the wider discourse of radicalization and Islam. The narratives reveal how the fear of the radical Muslim student has implicated Islamic Student Societies (ISocs), with ISoc sisters particularly experiencing Islamophobia within and outside the university. Their accounts illustrate how Muslim students are not only under suspicion, but are also suspicious of being watched, spied on, or feared by fellow students.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

eBook
USD   19.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD   27.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    An Islamist group started by Omar Bakri Mohammad, a member of another Islamist group banned by the British government:Hizb-ut-Tahrir. Al Muhajiroun was considered radical because of its ‘support for the use of violence […] the use of military coups to establish Islamic states wherever there are Muslims, including Britain’, while condoning’ the use of violence against Western militaries operating in Muslim countries’ (Wiktorowicz and Kaltenthaler 2006: 302).

  2. 2.

    See also Brown and Saeed (2015: 1957).

  3. 3.

    Relevant higher education bodies.

  4. 4.

    Clash between the residents of Oxford and the University. Some accounts argue that the clash was the result of Oxford students who constantly ‘flouted’ the laws, ‘destroyed property’ and ‘harmed’ the citizens, resulting in an eventual clash, also known as the ‘St Scholastica’s Day Riot’ (Boren 2001: 12).

  5. 5.

    ‘Literally “released” from prohibition. The Hebrew equivalent, kashar, implies something that is fit, or suitable.’ (Halliday 2002: 13).

  6. 6.

    The Friday afternoon prayer congregation.

Bibliography

  • Ahmad, F. (2001) Modern traditions? British Muslim women and academic achievement. Gender and Education, 13 (2), pp. 137–152.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Allen, C. (2014) ‘Operation Trojan Horse: examining the ‘Islamic takeover’ of Birmingham schools,’ The Conversation. http://theconversation.com/operation-trojan-horse-examining-the-islamic-takeover-of-birmingham-schools-25764 (Accessed 11/10, 2015).

  • Association of Chief Police Officers. (2012) Prevent, Police and Universities Guidance for Police Officers and Police Staff to Help Higher Education Institutions Contribute to the Prevention of Terrorism. UK: Office of National Coordinator Prevent.

    Google Scholar 

  • Barnes, H. (2006) Born in the UK: Young Muslims in Britain. London: The Foreign Policy Centre.

    Google Scholar 

  • BBC News. (12/05/2011d) Protestors call for reinstatement of Dr Rod Thornton. BBC News. [Online]. Available from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-13380860 (Accessed 03/15, 2013).

  • Birt, Y. (2010) Governing Muslims After 9/11. In Thinking Through Islamophobia Global Perspectives, eds. S. Sayyid and A. Vakil, London: Hurst & Co. (Publishers) Ltd, pp. 117–128.

    Google Scholar 

  • Blackstone, T. and Hadley, R. (1971) Student Protest in a British University: Some Comparisons with American Research. Comparative Education Review, pp. 1–19.

    Google Scholar 

  • Boren, M.E. (2001) Student Resistance: A History of the Unruly Subject. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown, E.K. and Saeed, T. (2015) Radicalization and counter-radicalization at British universities: Muslim encounters and alternatives. Ethnic and Racial Studies, 38 (11), pp. 1952–1968.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Burgat, F. (2008) Islamism in the Shadow of Al Qaeda, translated by P. Hutchinson. USA: University of Texas Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Duffy, D. (2009) Alienated radicals and detached deviants: what do the lessons of the 1970 Falls Curfew and the alienation–radicalisation hypothesis mean for current British approaches to counter-terrorism? Policy Studies , 30 (2), pp. 127–142.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dodd, V. (22/09/2015) ‘School questioned Muslim pupil about Isis after discussion on eco-activism,’ The Guardian, Available from: http://www.theguardian.com/education/2015/sep/22/school-questioned-muslim-pupil-about-isis-after-discussion-on-eco-activism (Accessed 11/13, 2015).

  • Dodd, V. (04/08/2010b) List sent to terror chief aligns peaceful Muslim groups with terrorist ideology. The Guardian. [Online]. Available from: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/aug/04/quilliam-foundation-list-alleged-extremism (Accessed 08/07, 2012).

  • Federation of Student Islamic Societies (FOSIS). (17/01/2015) Press Releases FOSIS Expresses Concern over Consequences of Counter-Terrorism & Security Bill on UK Campuses. Available from: http://media.fosis.org.uk/press-releases/1606-fosisexpresses-concern-over-consequences-of-counter-terror-bill-on-uk-campuses (Accessed 05 March, 2015).

  • Githens-Mazer, J. (2012) The rhetoric and reality: Radicalization and political discourse. International Political Science Review, 33 (5), pp. 556–567.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Githens-Mazer, J. (2010a) Rethinking the causal concept of Islamic radicalisation. Political Concepts: Committee on Concepts and Methods Working Paper Series Montreal: International Political Science Association.

    Google Scholar 

  • Githens-Mazer, J. (2010b) Mobilization, Recruitment, Violence and the Street: Radical Violent takfiri Islamism in Early Twenty-First-Century Britain. In The New Extremism in 21st Century Britain, eds. R. Eatwell and M.J. Goodwin, UK: Routledge, pp. 47–66.

    Google Scholar 

  • Githens-Mazer, J. and Lambert, R. (2010b) Why conventional wisdom on radicalization fails: The persistence of a failed discourse. International Affairs, 86 (4), pp. 889–901.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Glees, A. and Pope, C. (2005) When Students Turn to Terror. Terrorist and Extremist Activity on British Campuses. London: The Social Affairs Unit.

    Google Scholar 

  • Halliday, F. (2002) Two Hours that Shook the World September 11, 2001: Causes and Consequences. London: Saqi Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Halsey, A.H. and Marks, S. (1968) British student politics. Daedalus, 97 (1), pp. 116–136.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hamid, S. (2007) Islamic Political Radicalism in Britain: The Case of Hizb-ut-Tahrir. In Islamic Political Radicalism. A European Perspective, ed. T. Abbas, Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press Ltd, pp. 145–159.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hanjra, F. (22/04/2010) Student Islamic societies are radical, not extremist. The Guardian. [Online]. Available from: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/apr/22/student-islamic-societies-radical (Accessed 04/27, 2010).

  • Her Majesty’s Government (HM Government). (2015a) Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015. Available from: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2015/6/notes/contents (Accessed 03/28, 2015).

  • Her Majesty’s Government (HM Government). (2015c) Prevent Duty Guidance: for Higher Education Institutions in England and Wales. UK: Crown.

    Google Scholar 

  • Her Majesty’s Government (HM Government). (2011a) Prevent Strategy. UK: Crown.

    Google Scholar 

  • Her Majesty’s Government (HM Government). (2011c) Report to the Home Secretary of Independent Oversight of Prevent Review and Strategy by Lord Carlile of Berriew Q.C. UK: Crown.

    Google Scholar 

  • Home Affairs Committee. (2012) Roots of Violent Radicalisation. Nineteenth Report of Session 2010–12, Volume 1. London: The Stationery Office Limited.

    Google Scholar 

  • Johnson, D. (2006) Education and Radicalisation. St Antony’s College, University of Oxford.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jones, S. (14/09/2011) Student in al-Qaida raid paid £20,000 by police. The Guardian. [Online]. Available from: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/sep/14/police-pay-student-damages-al-qaida (Accessed 03/05, 2012).

  • Kundnani, A. (2012a) ‘Radicalisation: the journey of a concept,’ Race & Class, 54 (2), 3–25.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kundnani, A. (2015) A Decade Lost. Rethinking Radicalisation and Extremism. UK: Claystone.

    Google Scholar 

  • McGarry, R. and Mythen, G. (03/03/2015) Beware the security creep into British universities, The Conversation. Available at: http://the conversation.com/beware-thesecurity-creep-into-british-universities-37867 (Accessed 03/10, 2015).

    Google Scholar 

  • Newman, M. (07/01/2010) Universities should not be ‘security establishments’, say experts on terror. Times Higher Education. [Online]. Available from: http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/news/universities-should-not-be-security-establishments-say-experts-on-terror/409863.article (Accessed 02/09, 2011).

  • O’Duffy, B. (2008) Radical atmosphere: explaining Jihadist radicalization in the UK. Political Science and Politics, 41 (1), pp. 37–42.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Office for Public Management and Hussain, S. (2009) The Experiences of Muslim Students in Further and Higher Education in London. London: Greater London Authority.

    Google Scholar 

  • Patel, I.A. (2007) The Scales for Defining Islamic Political Radicalism. In Islamic Political Radicalism. A European Perspective, ed. T. Abbas, Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press Ltd, pp. 42–53.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ramesh, R. and Halliday, J. (24/09/2015) Student accused of being a terrorist for reading book on terrorism, The Guardian. Available from: http://www.theguardian.com/education/2015/sep/24/student-accused-being-terrorist-reading-book-terrorism (Accessed 03/02, 2016).

  • Rehman, J. (2007) Islam, “war on terror” and the future of Muslim minorities in the United Kingdom: Dilemmas of multiculturalism. Human Rights Quarterly, 29 (4), pp. 831–878.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rootes, C.A. (1980) Student radicalism: Politics of moral protest and legitimation problems of the modern capitalist state. Theory and Society, 9 (3), pp. 473–502.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Roy, O. (2007) Islamic Terrorist Radicalisation in Europe. In European Islam Challenges for Public Policy and Society, eds. S. Amghar, A. Boubekeur and M. Emerson, Brussels: Centre for European Policy Studies, pp. 52–60.

    Google Scholar 

  • Saeed, T. and Johnson, D. (2016) Intelligence, global terrorism and higher education: Neutralising threats or alienating allies? British Journal of Educational Studies, 64(1), pp.37–51.

    Google Scholar 

  • Saeed T. (forthcoming) Muslim Narratives of Schooling in Britain: From “Paki” to the “Would-Be Terrorist”. In Education, Neo-liberalism and Muslim Students: Schooling a ‘Suspect Community’, eds. M.M. Ghaill, and C. Haywood, UK: Palgrave Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Said, E. (1994) Culture and Imperialism. London: Vintage Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Secretary of State for the Home Department. (2012) The Government Response to the Nineteenth Report from the Home Affairs Committee Session 2010–12 HC 1446 Roots of Violent Radicalisation. UK: The Stationery Office Limited.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sedgwick, M. (2010) The concept of radicalization as a source of confusion. Terrorism and Political Violence, 22 (4), pp. 479–494.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sondy, A. De (2013) British Pakistani Masculinities: Longing and Belonging. In Men, Masculinities and Religious Change in Twentieth-Century Britain, eds. L. Delap and S. Morgan, UK: Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 252–278.

    Google Scholar 

  • Song, M. (2012) Part of the British mainstream? British Muslim students and Islamic student associations. Journal of Youth Studies, 15 (2), pp. 143–160.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Spalek, B. (2007) Disconnections and Exclusion: Pathways to Radicalisation? In Islamic Political Radicalism. A European Perspective, ed. T. Abbas, Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press Ltd, pp. 192–206.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stemmann, J.J.E. (2006) Middle East Salafism’s influence and the radicalization of Muslim communities in Europe. MERIA, 10 (3), pp. 1–14.

    Google Scholar 

  • Strabac, Z. and Listhaug, O. (2008) Anti-Muslim prejudice in Europe: A multilevel analysis of survey data from 30 countries. Social Science Research, 37 (1), pp. 268–286.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sutton, R. (13/12/2012) FOSIS must do more to demonstrate its rejection of extremist narratives. HuffPost Students. [Online]. Available from: http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/rupert-sutton/post_4207_b_2291779.html (Accessed 15/12, 2012).

  • The Centre for Social Cohesion. (2010a) Radicalism on UK Campuses a Comprehensive List of Extremist Speakers at UK UNIVERSITIES. London: The Centre for Social Cohesion.

    Google Scholar 

  • Thornton, R. (2011) Counterterrorism and the neo-liberal university: Providing a check and balance? Critical Studies on Terrorism, 4 (3), pp. 421–429.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Townsend, M. (14/07/2012) Police ‘made up’ evidence again Muslim student. The Guardian. [Online]. Available from: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/jul/14/police-evidence-muslim-student-rizwaan-sabir (Accessed 02/16, 2013).

  • Tyrer, D. (2003) Institutionalized Islamophobia in British Universities. Degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Institute of Social Research, University of Salford.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tyrer, D. and Ahmad, F. (2006) Muslim Women and Higher Education: Identities, Experiences and Prospects. A Summary Report. Liverpool John Moores University and European Social Fund. Oxford: Oxuniprint.

    Google Scholar 

  • Universities UK. (2011) Freedom of Speech on Campus: Rights and Responsibilities in UK Universities. London: Universities UK.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vertigans, S. (2007) Routes into ‘Islamic’ terrorism: Dead ends and spaghetti junctions. Policing, 1 (4), pp. 447–459.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wieviorka, M. (2004) The making of differences. International Sociology, 19 (3), pp. 281–297.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wiktorowicz, Q. (2004) Joining the Cause of Al-Muhajiroun and Radical Islam. The Roots of Islamic Radicalism conference, Yale University.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wiktorowicz, Q. (2005a) Radical Islam Rising: Muslim Extremism in the West. USA: Rowman & Littlefield.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wiktorowicz, Q. and Kaltenthaler, K. (2006) The rationality of radical Islam. Political Science Quarterly, 121 (2), pp. 295–319.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Lahore University of Management Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan

    Tania Saeed

Authors
  1. Tania Saeed
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2016 The Author(s)

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Saeed, T. (2016). Securitizing the Educated Muslim: Islamophobia, Radicalization and the Muslim Female Student. In: Islamophobia and Securitization . Palgrave Politics of Identity and Citizenship Series. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-32680-1_4

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-32680-1_4

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-32679-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-32680-1

  • eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation