'They make us feel like we're a virus': the multiple impacts of Islamophobic hostility towards veiled Muslim women

Within the prevailing post-9/11 climate, veiled Muslim women are commonly portrayed as oppressed, ‘culturally dangerous’ and ‘threatening’ to the western way of life and to notions of public safety and security by virtue of being fully covered in the public sphere. It is in such a context that manifestations of Islamophobia often emerge as a means of responding to these ‘threats’. Drawing from qualitative data elicited through a UK-based study, this article reflects upon the lived experiences of veiled Muslim women as actual and potential victims of Islamophobia and examines the impacts of Islamophobic attacks upon victims, their families and wider Muslim communities. Among the central themes we explore are impacts upon their sense of vulnerability, the visibility of their Muslim identity, and the management of their safety in public. The individual and collective harms associated with this form of victimisation are considered through notions of a worldwide, transnational Muslim community, the ummah, which connects Muslims from all over world. We conclude by noting that the effects of this victimisation are not exclusively restricted to the global ummah; rather, the harm extends to society as a whole by exacerbating the polarisation which already exists between ‘us’ and ‘them’

"Looking back, I wouldn't join up again": the lived experiences of police officers as victims of bias and prejudice perpetrated by fellow staff within an English police force

Women, ethnic minority and LGB police officers often experience prejudice, disadvantage and exclusion within police forces because of their perceived 'otherness' in a predominantly white, heterosexual, male organisation. In the context of an increasingly diverse service, the paper argues that the concept of intersectionality is important in order to understand the experiences of police officers who encounter bias and prejudice because of their multiple, intersecting identities. Drawing on data from qualitative interviews with 20 individuals based in an English police force, the paper examines their occupational experiences of bias, discrimination and exclusion perpetrated by their colleagues and supervisors. Utilising Hirschman's (1970) 'exit, voice and loyalty' model, the paper analyses how police officers are affected by, and respond to these experiences. Taken together, these arguments lay the foundation for future work to further understand the experiences of police officers as victims of bias and prejudice due to their multiple, intersecting identities

Twitter's Role in the Formation of Public Knowledge About COVID-19

This article analyzed the role of Twitter in the formation of public knowledge regarding COVID-19. During the pandemic, public knowledge became essential to take concrete actions for the prevention and handling of the situation. The authors used a qualitative descriptive method to describe in general terms information related to the pandemic that they found on Twitter. The results showed that Twitter is an effective communication network to provide public information. Central accounts can be created on Twitter that can act as information centers. As such, the public not only gains more diverse knowledge but can also participate in active virtual discussions. The authors thus view Twitter as a helpful form of collaborative learning to spread awareness about COVID-19. Keywords: public knowledge, Twitter, COVID-19, communication networ

Nottinghamshire police: experiences of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) police officers as victims of hate crimes/incidents (externally) and of bias and prejudice (internally)

This qualitative study investigated the occupational experiences of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) police officers working in Nottinghamshire Police. Using 33 individual interviews and 5 focus group interviews, the study explored BAME officers’ experiences of hate crimes/incidents ‘externally’ (e.g. from members of the public, suspects and offenders) and of bias and prejudice ‘internally’ within the force (e.g. from work colleagues and supervisors). The findings suggest that externally, the majority of participants experienced hate crimes and incidents on duty because of the intersectionality of their police identity and personal identities. Internally, the majority of participants experienced bias and prejudice from their colleagues and supervisors because of core aspects of their personal identity, namely race, religion and gender. However, it is important to point out that the size of the sample in this study is small, and also, it is not statistically representative to allow for generalising the findings. The report offers a list of recommendations for addressing, managing and reducing the problem both externally and internally. The report also outlines the actions taken by Nottinghamshire Police to address the identified problem. Building on the current findings of the study, it is imperative that further research is conducted in order to examine BAME officers’ occupational experiences further and evaluate the effectiveness of current actions put in place by Nottinghamshire Police to address the identified problem