From multiculturalism to integration: the role of Muslim women in the implementation of ethno-religious minority policies in the UK (2001-2014)

This thesis examines the role of Muslim women in the implementation of ethno-religious minority policies in the UK from 2001-2014. Using Muslim women as a case study, I aim to understand how this relationship works in practice and whether the role played by Muslim women is symbolic or substantive. Also, I attempt to explore whether the engagement between the government and Muslim women has increased since 2010, with the change in the government from New Labour to the Coalition. Last but not least, the representative claims of the women involved in the policy process is examined to determine the legitimacy of the whole process. Specifying the ‘decentred’ theory of policy making, I employ a ‘hybrid’ approach to policy implementation and take further insight from ‘Saward’s (2006; 2009) ‘representation’ theory to answer the aforementioned questions. The theoretical framework helps me to justify the three level analysis, e.g. national, local and individual case studies. Using evidence from the documentary analysis and in-depth elite interviews, I highlight the positive role of non-elected Muslim women in the implementation of policies towards the Muslim community. The particular importance of the thesis lies in the way I apply the ‘decentred’ government’ approach and the ‘hybrid’ model of policy implementation to appreciate how Muslim women and local actors can ‘twist’ national policy to suit local needs. The empirical findings on how women approached engagement through Prevent, and how local actors negotiated a ‘grey space’ to pursue more locally appropriate approaches, are both significant interventions in the wider debate on Prevent and its implications for Muslim women’s and state-Muslim engagement