24 research outputs found
Sport, Muslim Identities and Cultures in the UK, an Emerging Policy Issue: Case Studies of Leicester and Birmingham
This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis Group in European Sport Management Quarterly on 04/09/2010, available online: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/16184742.2010.502743An understanding of diversity and its implications for policy is critical to
those charged with delivering sporting services in culturally plural societies. This paper
reports a research project which aimed to examine how, on the one hand, Muslims in
two specific local contexts in the UK (Leicester in the East Midlands; Birmingham in
the West Midlands) make sense of the relationship between their religious (Islamic)
identities and sporting interests and, on the other, how local policy makers perceived
and responded to the sporting needs of these Muslim communities. According to the
2001 census, Leicester and Birmingham represent, respectively, one of the most
ethnically diverse areas in Britain and the domicile for one-third of the Muslim
population in Britain. Interviews were undertaken with representatives of Muslim
organizations, governmental and quasi-governmental sporting organizations, in both
cities. Critical Discourse Analysis of interviewees’ responses reveal pluralistic views on
a range of issues such as: the ‘‘(un)suitability’’ of the environment/space provided for,
or accessed by, Muslims to practise sport; funding; gender equity; equity and social
inclusion agenda versus cultural and religious diversities; and a resistance (on the part
of policy makers) to target provision at faith groups