Muslims in Western Politics

7. Muslims in UK Institutions: Effective Representation or Tokenism?

7 Muslims in UK Institutions: Effective Representation or Tokenism? Abdulkader H. Sinno and Eren Tatari Muslim representation in political parties, local government, and legislatures in Britain has been on the rise in the last decade. In this chapter we explore the perceptions, experiences, and political behavior of British Muslim members of city councils, political parties, and parliamentary chambers to understand whether they perceive that their presence in these institutions helps members of minority communities. We gauge whether they think of themselves as representing Muslims and whether they feel that current British Muslim representation is effective, provides services to a disadvantaged minority, or functions as a tool for conflict resolution in the context of rising tensions and misperceptions. We also use our findings to speak to key theoretical and policy debates on minority representation. Our research consists of forty in-depth interviews with elected British Muslim officials (city councillors, members of the House of Commons [MPs], members of the European Parliament [MEPs], and Lords), activists, unsuccessful candidates, party officials, and organizational leaders in London during the spring of 2006.  · Abdulkader H. Sinno and Eren Tatari Like other authors in this volume, we do not consider “Muslim” to necessarily mean a religious identity, but an identity that may have religious, racial, political, or cultural dimensions (chapter 1). This chapter is, in part, about what British institutions and Muslim politicians, in all their diversity, make of this sociological reality. We therefore consider as “Muslim” someone who considers herself or himself to be Muslim or who has at least one parent from a Muslim background, unless he or she claims to adhere to another religion. Until recently, minority issues in the UK have been discussed in racial terms (see chapter 4), but the religious identity of British Muslims has become more important to them, has attracted the interest of politicians, and has become an important part of the public discourse. Several studies confirm that “Muslim” identity has taken precedence over ethnic and other minority allegiances.1 The 2001 riots in northern England, measures taken by the British government that threaten civil rights, and the 2003 antiwar protests against the involvement of British forces in Afghanistan and Iraq have catalyzed solidarity among British Muslims across ethnic lines. Since then, the attacks in London, police action, and other tense episodes must have further consolidated both identity and perceptions of British Muslims (chapter 8). Despite the emergence of a prevalent Muslim identity, there are only few studies on political participation and representation of British Muslims. These studies focus on political representation of Muslims at the local level (Purdam 1996, 1998, 2000, 2001; Eade 1989). Others focus on the politics of mostly Muslim ethnic groups but not British Muslims in general (Anwar 1996, Eade 1989). The scholarship on representation still has to catch up with the transformation of minority identities in the UK, and this study addresses the old debates in the frameworkofanewsalientminorityidentity ,BritishIslam.2 DoesMuslimrepresentation in political parties and elected office benefit the disadvantaged Muslim minority and society at large? Do British parties actively promote Muslim candidates or slow their promotion? In the case of British Muslims today, the answers hardly fall on one side or the other. Trends in British Muslim Representation British Muslim representation is increasing considerably on all levels. As of 2007, there are 13 British parliamentarians who are Muslim or come from a Muslim background—4 MPs out of 646, 7 life peers (Lords) out of more than 740, and 2 MEPs out of 78 British MEPs.3 The first Muslim MP, Mohammad Sarwar, was elected in the 1997 general elections from Govan, Glasgow. He was reelected in 2001 along with Khalid Mahmood (Birmingham Perry Barr). The number of Muslim MPs doubled again in the 2005 elections: Sadiq Khan and Shahid Malik joined Mahmood Muslims in UK Institutions ·  and Sarwar, who were reelected. They are all members of the Labour Party. Sarwar and Mahmood were born outside the UK whereas Khan and Malik were born in the UK. The first Muslim MEP (out of 87 British MEPs at the time) was Bashir Khanbhai , who was elected in 1999 from the Eastern Region as a Conservative Party candidate. Khanbhai did not get reelected after he was accused by the Conservative Party of misusing travel funds, accusations he ascribes to retaliation for speaking on minority issues and to racism.4 Syed Kamall (Conservative) and Sajjad Karim (Liberal Democrat) became Britain’s two Muslim...