Debunking the Myth: Muslim Politics in the West with Dr Asim Qureshi

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Come election time, Western Muslim communities have been asked to support mainstream political parties in exchange for representation. Some commentators have praised the multiculturalism of countries like the UK, where the party system has integrated many Muslims into the political system. Here in London, we have Sadiq Khan, arguably the highest-ranking elected Muslim official in the Western world. In the United States, there’s a similar push for Muslims to support the Democrats and even the Republicans, and some have broken the glass ceiling and represent the parties at local and national levels.

But does Muslim representation really work? On Gaza we have seen the limits of the ‘Muslim voice’. What are the structural compromises the system will always want to solicit from Muslim representatives? Does the system only support particular types of candidates, and indeed does the system change the people who set out to change the system?

To explore this topic, I have with me in the studio today Dr Asim Qureishi. Dr Asim Qureshi is the research director at CAGE, a UK-based advocacy organisation working to empower communities impacted by the War on Terror. He has a background in International Law and is the author of the books "Rules of the Game" and "A Virtue of Disobedience".

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The Thinking Muslim Podcast Episode 122

Timestamps:
0:00 Introduction
2:18 Are you angry?
3:42 Muslim representatives
9:00 The Liberal betrayal
12:10 Muslim’s in UK
16:41 Structural limits
22:42 Sidiq Khan
22:20 Representation?
28:57 Lobbying power
33:00 A palatable message?
38:09 Young people
42:15 Alternative ?
48:58 The MCB
53:53 The threat from the Right
1:01:01 US context and social issues
1:05:38 Disenfranchised
1:11:35 Organising
1:15:10 Internal splits