Engaging or Contesting the Liberal State? ‘Muslim’ as a Politicised Identity Category in Europe

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Abstract
This article examines the use of ‘Muslim’ as a politicised identity category in Europe, connecting it to broader geopolitical developments, and asking why and to what extent it is employed by different actors to either engage or contest the liberal state. Examples of two distinct types of deployment of the term are presented. The Muslim Council of Britain provides an example of an umbrella organisation that has deployed the identity category as a means of making collective claims on behalf of British Muslims and/or lobbying vis-à-vis the state, thus engaging in identity politics and acting as an interest representation group. A contrasting example is provided by the organisation Hizb ut-Tahrir, which deploys the category as a means of asserting a political identity in opposition to the liberal state, directly juxtaposing the category of ‘Muslim’ with ‘British’. While a group such as Hizb ut-Tahrir represents a minority perspective, it nonetheless provides a concrete example of an explicitly ‘illiberal politics’ from within civil society to which liberal states must respond. More broadly, I discuss some potential problems with the increased use of ‘Muslim’ as a politicised identity category by civil society groups and state authorities.

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