MADE a Difference? British Muslim Youth and Faith-Inspired Activism between ‘Post-Conventional Politics’, ‘Post-Secularity’, and ‘Post-Immigration Difference

Abstract

How do young British Muslims understand their political subjectivity and operationalize their agency? How are they mobilized by UK-based Muslim activist organizations? And how can these questions inform broader debates about the Muslim presence in the British and European public spheres? These are the questions that this paper explores through an analysis of the case-study ‘MADE in Europe', a youth-led, British Muslim faith-based organization concerned with issues of socio-environmental justice. Acknowledging the complexity of the relationship between religious commitment, social practice, and civic engagement, the paper adopts an analytical approach that attempts to move the debate on Muslim activism beyond crises narratives and reified categories. Through a contextualization within larger trends such as 'post-conventional politics', 'post-secularity' and ‘post-immigration difference', the paper argues that the type of political subjectivity and agency expressed by MADE can signal a broader shift in the basis and nature of the presence of young Muslims in the UK.