The Impact of Securitized Citizenship and Cohesion Policies on Sikhs and Muslims in the UK

This paper examines the impact of illiberal and securitised migrant integration regimes (including, importantly, anti-terror legislation and ‘prevention of terrorism’ programmes) on the citizenship of ethnic minority populations in the United Kingdom. Citizenship is understood both in its individual dimension (perceptions and practices) and as patterns of collective action (styles of community organisation and political mobilisation). Two types of populations are examined : Muslims and Sikhs, based on ongoing survey work in the Sikh community in Bristol and among Muslims in London, statutory organisations involved in the delivery of  relevant policies, as well general reviews of Sikh and Muslim politics in Britain and existing survey data on Muslims.

Existing evidence on Muslims strongly suggests that a large segment of that population experiences difficulties in experiencing fully their British citizenship in a context where they are viewed with suspicion and asked to prove their conformity to dominant values. This paper compares these perceptions to Sikh ones in order to assess the impact of securitised approaches to citizenship and social cohesion on other, non-Muslim minorities.

Regarding patterns of collective action, the comparatively sudden emergence of the ‘Muslim community’ to the fore of the British political, academic and media scene since the late 1980s has continued in the post 9/11 and 7/7 context, in particular with the PREVENT programme which has placed local community groups at the heart of the British government’s anti-terrorist strategy. This tended to overshadow the remarkably consistent and co-ordinated mobilisation displayed by Britain’s Sikhs over the past sixty years.