Abstract:
According to some researchers (Hopkins, 2004a; Hopkins & Smith, 2008), there is a perception among certain Muslims that anti-Muslim racism is higher in areas where there is a high density of Muslim residents, such as Glasgow. In contrast, other Muslims may feel that Islamophobia is higher in places with fewer numbers of Muslim residents. Through an investigation of Muslims’ experiences of Islamophobia in major Scottish cities, this paper discusses the influence of the size of Muslim communities in experiencing Islamophobia1. It also examines the importance of other possible factors, such as socio-economic status and deprivation on Islamophobia. To this end, the experience and accounts of 33 Muslim participants in major Scottish cities (Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Dundee) were documented and analyzed through qualitative methods. The findings of this paper suggest that Muslims’ individual and social aspects of life play a more important role on Islamophobia, as opposed to the size of their population in a certain area. More precisely, the analysis of Muslims who experienced Islamophobia suggests that Muslims’ identity and visibility, especially racial and religious signifiers such as skin color, beard or hijab, were crucial to their experiences of Islamophobia.
Machine summary:
More precisely, the analysis of Muslims who experienced Islamophobia suggests that Muslims’ identity and visibility, especially racial and religious signifiers such as skin color, beard or hijab, were crucial to their experiences of Islamophobia Keywords: cities, Islamophobia, Muslims, racism, Scotland.
Since the majority of British Muslims in general, and two-thirds (67%) of Muslims (Office of the Chief Statistician, 2005) in Scotland are Pakistani, and because South Asian culture has had a large impact on the development of Islam Muslims’ Experience of Islamophobia in Major Scottish Cities: Different Experiences and Diverse Perceptions in Britain (Meer, 2010), Muslims in Britain are often racialized as ‘Asian’ or ‘Pakistani,’ and in a more offensive way, ‘Paki’.
He was originally from Pakistan but he had no visible religious markers such as having a beard or going to the mosque every day, and he Muslims’ Experience of Islamophobia in Major Scottish Cities: Different Experiences and Diverse Perceptions was a less-practicing Muslim.
Considering the importance of double consciousness (Du Bois, 1969; Essed, 1991; 2002: 176) in the understanding of ‘racist ideas and interpretations of reality’ in everyday racism and Islamophobia, it can be asserted that being integrated into Scottish society economically, educationally, and socially could offer a better understanding of 207 {مراجعه شود به فایل جدول الحاقی} 208 {مراجعه شود به فایل جدول الحاقی} Reza Bagheri people’s attitudes and behavior to second-generation Muslims.
Nader: Glasgow; Male, Second Generation, Scottish born, Pakistani origin, Sunni, 38 Year-old, PhD, Employed, Interviewed on 21/09/2011 Muslims’ Experience of Islamophobia in Major Scottish Cities: Different Experiences and Diverse Perceptions 23.