In Islamophobia and Securitization: Religion, Ethnicity and the Female Voice, Tania Saeed explores the impact of securitisation discourses on British Muslim women of Pakistani origin who are studying at UK universities. Bringing to the fore the women’s complex experiences of gender, Islamophobia and racism through the inclusion of their own voices and narratives, this book is a must-read that challenges dominant discourses and provides crucial and timely insight into the multiplicity of British Muslim experience, writes Amani El Sehrawey

El Sehrawey, Amani

LSE Research Online

Book	Review:	Islamophobia	and	Securitization:Religion,	Ethnicity	and	the	Female	Voice	by	TaniaSaeedIn	Islamophobia	and	Securitization:	Religion,	Ethnicity	and	the	Female	Voice,	Tania	Saeed	explores	theimpact	of	securitisation	discourses	on	British	Muslim	women	of	Pakistani	origin	who	are	studying	at	UKuniversities.	Bringing	to	the	fore	the	women’s	complex	experiences	of	gender,	Islamophobia	and	racism	throughthe	inclusion	of	their	own	voices	and	narratives,	this	book	is	a	must-read	that	challenges	dominant	discoursesand	provides	crucial	and	timely	insight	into	the	multiplicity	of	British	Muslim	experience,	writes	Amani	ElSehrawey.	Islamophobia	and	Securitization:	Religion,	Ethnicity	and	the	Female	Voice.	Tania	Saeed.	Palgrave.	2016.Find	this	book:	Recent	terror	incidents	in	the	United	Kingdom	have	once	again	brought	the	British	Muslimcommunity	and	its	role	in	countering	violent	extremism	to	the	forefront	of	muchmainstream	media	and	governmental	discourse.	On	4	June	2017,	the	morning	after	threemen	committed	terror	attacks	in	London	Bridge,	Prime	Minister	Theresa	May	stated	that‘we	cannot	and	must	not	pretend	that	things	continue	as	they	are.	There	is—	to	be	frank—	far	too	much	tolerance	of	extremism	in	our	country.’		Although	tempered	by	May’scondemnation	of	the	subsequent	Finsbury	Park	attack	as	‘every	bit	as	sickening’	as	thosein	Manchester	and	London,	what	these	comments	and	the	ensuing	dialogue	aboutextremism	in	Britain	mean,	in	the	milieu	of	the	UK’s	existing	architecture	for	challengingviolent	extremism,	has	no	doubt	caused	trepidation	amongst	Britain’s	Muslims.	It	is	in	thiscontext	that	Tania	Saeed’s	recently	published	Islamophobia	and	Securitization:	Religion,Ethnicity	and	the	Female	Voice	becomes	an	even	more	important	read.In	the	wake	of	terror	incidents,	both	in	the	UK	and	even	abroad,	British	Muslims	have	suffered	a	well-documentedbacklash	of	abuse,	becoming	targets	for	hate	crimes	because	of	mainstream	associations	between	members	oftheir	faith	and	groups	such	as	ISIS	who	claim	responsibility	for	the	attacks.	Muslims	and	their	communitiesbecome	characterised	within	a	security	framework,	whereby	members	are	expected	to	both	monitor	and	bemonitored	and	are	classified	along	a	spectrum	of	moderates,	radicals	and	those	who	have	yet	to	be,	but	are	seenas	vulnerable	to	being,	radicalised.	Social	institutions,	such	as	schools,	universities	and	mosques,	are	alsosecuritised	in	ways	that,	laced	with	discrimination,	inhibit	human	and	civil	rights,	ironically	for	the	sake	ofprotecting	‘British	values’	(2).In	this	book,	Saeed	explores	the	securitisation	of	British	Muslims,	specifically	Muslim	women	of	Pakistani	origin.Utilising	a	narrative	approach,	Saeed’s	research	centres	on	interviews	with	young	British	Pakistani	Muslimwomen	between	the	ages	of	19	and	28	who	are	studying	at	university.	Through	these	narratives,	Saeedcontextualises	the	unique	securitisation	of	her	subjects,	anchored	in	their	experiences	of	gender,	Islamophobiaand	racism.LSE Review of Books: Book Review: Islamophobia and Securitization: Religion, Ethnicity and the Female Voice by Tania Saeed Page 1 of 3		Date originally posted: 2017-07-13Permalink: http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/lsereviewofbooks/2017/07/13/book-review-islamophobia-and-securitization-religion-ethnicity-and-the-female-voice-by-tania-saeed/Blog homepage: http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/lsereviewofbooks/Image	Credit:	(Hernán	Piñera	CC	BY	SA	2.0)British	Muslims	exist	in	an	environment	where	‘the	right	to	practise	Islam	is	often	portrayed	as	antithetical	toBritishness’	(26).	For	Pakistani	Muslims,	Saeed	argues,	the	link	to	Pakistan	places	them	squarely	in	an	otheringnexus	shaped	by	racism,	Islamophobia	and	securitisation.	Despite	mainstream	characterisations	by	the	mediaand	society,	Saeed	emphasises	throughout	the	text	that	for	her	subjects	there	is	‘no	dominant	narrative	aboutBritishness,	Muslimness,	or	Pakistaniat’	(40).	Rather,	Pakistani	British	Muslim	women	identify	differently	andoverwhelmingly	claim	themselves	capable	of	successfully	balancing	their	diverse	identities.	Of	the	women	Saeedinterviewed,	many	specifically	clarified	that	they	felt	no	conflict	between	being	both	Muslim	and	British.	One	of	theyoung	women	Saeed	interviewed	noted:	‘I	can	be	Pakistani	British	and	Muslim	at	the	same	time.	I	don’t	see	whypeople	have	to	argue	with	that.	I	find	it	really	easy	to	be	all	at	once’	(40).With	little	consideration	as	to	how	she	self-identifies,	the	Pakistani	British	Muslim	female,	especially	if	she	wearsthe	hijab	or	other	assumed	visual	signs	of	Islam,	is	forced	into	a	particular	narrative	imposed	by	the	whitedominant	culture	within	which	she	is	both	a	victim	and	a	threat.	Muslim	women	are	first	characterised	accordingto	a	moderate/extremist	binary,	whereby	women	who	wear	the	veil	are	deemed	extreme	and	non-veiled	womanconsidered	moderate/integrated	(58).	Those	who	fall	within	the	extremist	category	are	then	further	placed	within	avulnerable	fanatic	framework,	being	viewed	as	victims,	vulnerable	to	oppression	by	forced	veiling,	forcedmarriages,	genital	mutilations,	honour	killings	as	well	as	the	more	recent	fears	surrounding	jihadi	brides	(62):cultural	practices	sensationalised	by	the	British	media	as	though	endemic	in	the	Muslim	community.	At	the	sametime,	British	Muslim	women	are	perceived	as	being	vulnerable	to	radicalisation.	So	emerges	the	securitisation	ofthe	Muslim	female,	the	potential	hidden	terrorist	who	must	be	protected	and	rescued	from	radicalising	elementslest	they	too	become	a	terrorist.In	contrast	to	this	narrative,	Saeed’s	subjects	—	who	would	be	classified	according	to	this	logic	as	extremebecause	of	their	appearance	—	identify	as	‘law	abiding,	peaceful	individuals	who	have	been	swept	away	in	asocio-political	discourse	about	their	identities’	(65).	On	this	imposed	identity,	one	of	Saeed’s	subject	observes:	‘ifyou	are	a	moderate	Muslim,	the	one	who	chills	and	hangs	out,	has	a	beard	occasionally,	you	are	okay	becauseyou	are	moderate,	but	the	moment	you	start	going	too	much	into	your	religion	be	that	daari	[beard],	hijab,whatever	praying	a	little	more,	fasting	more,	then	you	are	in	the	danger	zone’	(65).LSE Review of Books: Book Review: Islamophobia and Securitization: Religion, Ethnicity and the Female Voice by Tania Saeed Page 2 of 3		Date originally posted: 2017-07-13Permalink: http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/lsereviewofbooks/2017/07/13/book-review-islamophobia-and-securitization-religion-ethnicity-and-the-female-voice-by-tania-saeed/Blog homepage: http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/lsereviewofbooks/The	securitisation	of	Pakistani	British	Muslim	women	is	particularly	acute	in	British	universities,	Saeed	writes.	Inthe	narrative	about	Muslims	in	Britain,	educated	Muslims	are	perceived	to	be	a	greater	threat,	with	Muslimwomen	continuing	to	be	categorised	along	the	vulnerable	fanatic	spectrum.	Government	policies	that	imposeresponsibility	on	universities	to	identify	radical	and	‘at	risk’	students	focus	almost	exclusively	on	Muslim	students.Thus,	Muslim	students	find	themselves	learning	in	an	environment	where	they	are	frequently	under	surveillance,which	leads	only	to	further	stigmatisation	and	alienation—not	a	particularly	effective	strategy	in	combatting	radicalideologies.The	students	Saeed	interviewed	particularly	described	discrimination	against	Islamic	societies	(ISocs)	on	theirrespective	campuses.	One	subject	recounted	her	ISoc	repeatedly	being	accused	of	connections	to	Hizb-ut-Tahrir.Other	students	described	their	fear	of	organising	events	that	may	be	construed	as	‘radical’	if	they	have	any	sort	ofpolitical	tilt.	The	result	is	that	debate	and	discussion,	a	critical	aspect	of	a	university	education,	are	silenced	inuniversity	ISocs.	Muslims	students	find	themselves	isolated	and	afraid	to	participate	in	certain	aspects	of	studentlife,	lest	they	be	considered	someone	to	watch	for	signs	of	radicalisation.In	Islamophobia	and	Securitization,	Saeed	explores	the	complex	socio-political	narratives	about	British	Muslimwomen	that	places	them,	particularly	those	of	Pakistani	origin,	within	a	framework	of	radicalisation	andsecuritisation.	Muslim	women	are	viewed	with	suspicion	in	a	story	that	encapsulates	both	post-colonial	racistnarratives	about	Pakistanis	as	well	as	gendered	perceptions	of	the	subjugation	of	Muslim	women	within	abackwards	and	barbaric	culture	depicted	as	being	antithetical	to	the	British	way	of	life.	Saeed	notes	that,ironically,	the	security	agenda	enforced	upon	British	Muslim	women	has	actually	further	removed	agency	fromyoung	women,	who	find	their	own	stories	drowned	out	by	socio-political	narratives	imposed	on	their	perceivedexperiences.Through	engaging	with	first-hand	accounts	of	Pakistani-origin	Muslim	women,	Saeed	helps	to	return	that	agencyas	her	subjects	describe	their	lived	experiences	in	a	way	that	highlights	the	diversity	within	the	Muslim	communityand	shows	that	the	reality	for	Muslim	women	in	Britain	is	very	different	from	what	the	media	and	governmentoften	attempt	to	depict.	They	describe	little	difficulty	in	reconciling	their	multiple	identities,	do	not	considerthemselves	vulnerable	to	radicalisation	and	push	back	against	binaries	that	equate	piety	with	extremism.	Tothem,	their	securitisation,	and	the	discrimination	that	often	comes	with	it,	is	a	regular	part	of	navigating	their	life	asBritish	Muslims,	but	it	does	not	define	how	they	perceive	themselves.Saeed’s	work	provides	an	important	contribution	to	the	discourse	about	Islam	in	Britain.	It	challenges	thedominant	narratives	about	British	Muslim	women	not	only	through	Saeed’s	own	analysis,	but	crucially	with	directtestimony	from	British	Muslim	women,	who	have	largely	been	excluded	from	discussions	about	their	ownexperiences.	It	is	a	must-read	for	anyone	working	on	or	interested	in	understanding	the	British	Muslim	experienceand	countering	extremism	in	Britain.Amani	El	Sehrawey	holds	a	Master’s	degree	in	European	Public	Policy	from	King’s	College	London	and	aBachelor’s	degree	in	International	Relations	and	Muslim	Studies	from	Boston	University	Pardee	School	of	GlobalStudies.	She	currently	works	at	the	Harvard	Kennedy	School	of	Government.	Her	research	interests	includeimmigration	and	integration	policy,	European	governance	and	Middle	Eastern	politics.	She	is	particularlyinterested	in	where	Europe	and	the	Middle	East	intersect,	and	how	to	design	sustainable	policies	whicheffectively	address	changing	demographics	in	Europe	as	they	relate	to	migratory	flows	from	the	Middle	East	andthe	integration	of	European	Muslim	communities.Note:	This	review	gives	the	views	of	the	author,	and	not	the	position	of	the	LSE	Review	of	Books	blog,	or	of	theLondon	School	of	Economics.	LSE Review of Books: Book Review: Islamophobia and Securitization: Religion, Ethnicity and the Female Voice by Tania Saeed Page 3 of 3		Date originally posted: 2017-07-13Permalink: http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/lsereviewofbooks/2017/07/13/book-review-islamophobia-and-securitization-religion-ethnicity-and-the-female-voice-by-tania-saeed/Blog homepage: http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/lsereviewofbooks/

Book review: Islamophobia and securitization: religion, ethnicity and the female voice by Tania Saeed

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