Reflections after the University of Salford’s symposium on Islamophobia in Higher Education, 5 November 2026 Yesterday I travelled to Salford to give a keynote (with slides) at the University of Salford’s symposium on Islamophobia in Higher Education, held at the New Adelphi Theatre and convened by the University’s Pro Vice-Chancellor for Social Justice and Equity.…… Continue reading Pulling Together, Not Apart: Reflections on Islamophobia and the University
Category: Uncategorized
Booyakasha, Barely
It took me three nights to watch the new Ali G movie, largely because I found it heavy going, both as entertainment and as comedy. But I wanted to persist to the very end so that I could make up my mind about the film as a whole. That felt especially important given the immense…… Continue reading Booyakasha, Barely
Punk Days: A Powerful Reckoning
The lights dimmed at the MAC, the first notes of punk cut through the room, and Hassan Mahamdallie stepped onto the stage. What followed was not simply a return to the late 1970s, but a journey through memory, racism, resistance and the unfinished arguments of modern Britain. I went to see Hassan Mahamdallie perform Punk…… Continue reading Punk Days: A Powerful Reckoning
Birmingham at 101 seats: the end of a single-party city
On 7 May 2026, Birmingham goes to the polls with all 101 council seats in play, and the PollCheck projection points to a near-certain change of control. The model puts Labour on 10 seats, Conservatives on 23, Liberal Democrats on 13, Greens on 16, Reform on 20, and Others on 19, with 51 seats required…… Continue reading Birmingham at 101 seats: the end of a single-party city
Between Definition and Reality: Assessing the Prognosis for the UK’s Anti-Muslim Hostility Framework
Introduction On 9 March 2026, Communities Secretary Steve Reed stood before the House of Commons to announce the adoption of a non-statutory definition of anti-Muslim hostility – a milestone nearly a decade in the making. The definition, crafted by an independent working group chaired by former Attorney General Dominic Grieve KC, arrives at a moment…… Continue reading Between Definition and Reality: Assessing the Prognosis for the UK’s Anti-Muslim Hostility Framework
Goodwin’s World: Manufactured Anxiety, Epistemic Violence, and the Architecture of Islamophobia
In his March 2026 Substack newsletter, Matt Goodwin launched a comprehensive attack on the Labour government’s new official definition of “anti-Muslim hostility”. Goodwin aggressively frames this policy as an authoritarian “assault on our free speech” that will be forced upon taxpayer-funded institutions ranging from schools and universities to the health service and local government. Relying…… Continue reading Goodwin’s World: Manufactured Anxiety, Epistemic Violence, and the Architecture of Islamophobia
The Architecture of Manufactured Anxiety: Decoding the 2025 State of British Media Report
The release of the Centre for Media Monitoring’s (CfMM) State of British Media 2025: Reporting on Muslims and Islam marks a watershed moment for those of us engaged in British Muslim studies, media narratives, and policy development. Published today, this report presents an unprecedented, data-driven diagnostic of an information integrity crisis that places public understanding…… Continue reading The Architecture of Manufactured Anxiety: Decoding the 2025 State of British Media Report
Degrees of Distrust: How Higher Education Alienates British Muslims
I’m very happy to announce the forthcoming publication, ‘The Credential Reversal: Blocked Credentialism, Ethnic Penalties, and Institutional Trust among British Muslims’, in Ethnic and Racial Studies with my colleague Özge Onay of the Department of Sociology, University of Cambridge. This short blog is a summary of its key findings and contribution to current debates. For…… Continue reading Degrees of Distrust: How Higher Education Alienates British Muslims
The Secular Paradox: Why Britain’s Non-Religious Aren’t as Tolerant as You Think
The Hook: A Nation in Transition The prevailing “Progressive Secular Narrative” has long suggested that as the foundations of “Christian Britain” crumble, they are naturally replaced by a more inclusive, tolerant civic identity. The logic is enticingly simple: as religious dogma and “blood and soil” nationalisms fade, the frictions associated with them should vanish. We…… Continue reading The Secular Paradox: Why Britain’s Non-Religious Aren’t as Tolerant as You Think
The Geography of Discontent Revisited
New Publication: The Geography of Discontent RevisitedAccepted at National Identities I’m pleased to share that my latest paper, The Geography of Discontent Revisited: Decoupling Attitudinal Clustering and Affective Intensification in Urban Britain, has been accepted for publication in National Identities. This piece represents several years of work as scientific coordinator for the Horizon 2020 DRIVE…… Continue reading The Geography of Discontent Revisited