The Crescent and the Commons
Inside the New British Muslim Politics
Featuring interviews from across the political spectrum, a groundbreaking exploration of how British Muslims embrace national identity and assert their political views against establishment smears.
Description
British politics and media today are dominated by the narrative that multiculturalism has failed, leaving extremism, segregation and sectarianism in its wake. At its heart is the idea that Muslims acting as Muslims pose a fundamental threat to British values and culture. But little is really understood about British Muslims, their aspirations and their varied politics locally and nationally.
Imran Mulla and John Holmwood look behind the scenes, drawing on forensic reporting and exclusive interviews to explore the rise of Muslim politicians across the spectrum. Who are they? What are their beliefs? What does their participation in political life mean for the future of Britain? Exploding political myths, they show how commentators and government institutions have collaborated to attack successful Muslims. They reveal the largely untold story of the pro-Gaza independents, elected to parliament at the 2024 general election; chronicle how Muslims have reshaped the left as the two-party system collapses; and explore their often unexpected presence on the right.
Muslim integration is happening organically, even against a campaign to undermine it. The Crescent and the Commons paints a vibrant picture of the new Muslim politics: diverse, democratic and profoundly British.
Table of contents
Introduction
Chapter 1: How The Political Establishment Rejected Multiculturalism
Chapter 2: How An Attack on Successful Multicultural Integration in the Education System Reshaped ‘Counter-Extremism’ Discourse
Chapter 3: The Establishment Fear That Ethnic Minorities Are Undermining a Nationwide Trend Towards Secularism Through Their Religiosity
Chapter 4: The Dawn of a New Type of Muslim Politics in the 2024 General Election
Chapter 5: Sectarians? How Muslims Ha Ve Helped Reconfigure British Politics
Chapter 6: The Success of Muslims Across the Political Spectrum
Conclusion
Index
Author(s)
Imran Mulla is a journalist at Middle East Eye in London, before which he studied history at the University of Cambridge. He is the author of The Indian Caliphate: Exiled Ottomans and the Billionaire Prince and co-author of The Crescent and the Commons: Inside the New British Muslim Politics (both published by Hurst).
John Holmwood is Emeritus Professor of Sociology at the University of Nottingham and co-author of Countering Extremism in British Schools?: The Truth about the Birmingham Trojan Horse Affair (Policy Press, 2017).
FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions
What is "The Crescent and the Commons" about?
British politics and media today are dominated by the narrative that multiculturalism has failed, leaving extremism, segregation and sectarianism in its wake. At its heart is the idea that Muslims acting as Muslims pose a fundamental threat to British values and culture. But little is really understood about British Muslims, their aspirations and their varied politics locally and nationally.
Imran Mulla and John Holmwood look behind the scenes, drawing on forensic reporting and exclusive interviews to explore the rise of Muslim politicians across the spectrum. Who are they? What are their beliefs? What does their participation in political life mean for the future of Britain? Exploding political myths, they show how commentators and government institutions have collaborated to attack successful Muslims. They reveal the largely untold story of the pro-Gaza independents, elected to parliament at the 2024 general election; chronicle how Muslims have reshaped the left as the two-party system collapses; and explore their often unexpected presence on the right.
Muslim integration is happening organically, even against a campaign to undermine it. The Crescent and the Commons paints a vibrant picture of the new Muslim politics: diverse, democratic and profoundly British.
Who wrote "The Crescent and the Commons"?
"The Crescent and the Commons" was written by Imran Mulla and John Holmwood.
Imran Mulla is a journalist at Middle East Eye in London, before which he studied history at the University of Cambridge. He is the author of The Indian Caliphate: Exiled Ottomans and the Billionaire Prince and co-author of The Crescent and the Commons: Inside the New British Muslim Politics (both published by Hurst).
John Holmwood is Emeritus Professor of Sociology at the University of Nottingham and co-author of Countering Extremism in British Schools?: The Truth about the Birmingham Trojan Horse Affair (Policy Press, 2017).
What is the Table of Contents for "The Crescent and the Commons"?
Introduction
Chapter 1: How The Political Establishment Rejected Multiculturalism
Chapter 2: How An Attack on Successful Multicultural Integration in the Education System Reshaped ‘Counter-Extremism’ Discourse
Chapter 3: The Establishment Fear That Ethnic Minorities Are Undermining a Nationwide Trend Towards Secularism Through Their Religiosity
Chapter 4: The Dawn of a New Type of Muslim Politics in the 2024 General Election
Chapter 5: Sectarians? How Muslims Ha Ve Helped Reconfigure British Politics
Chapter 6: The Success of Muslims Across the Political Spectrum
Conclusion
Index
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