British [Muslim] Values @MuslimValuesUEA @eylematakav @LeeJarvisPols @leemarsdenuea British [Muslim] Values https://britishmuslimvalues.wordpress.com Dr Lee Jarvis, Prof Lee Marsden & Dr Eylem Atakav

Context Growth of political interest in ‘British values’ 'freedom, tolerance, respect for the rule of law, belief in personal and social responsibility and respect for British institutions‘ (Cameron, 2014). Perception of conflict between ‘British values’ and (some) Muslims or (variants of) Islam 55% of British voters posit ‘a fundamental clash between Islam and the values of British society’ (March 2015) The Casey Review – a review into opportunity and integration (December 2016)

Muslims Like Us (BBC 2, 2016) http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/showbiz-tv/bbcs-muslims-like-everyone-talking-12312151 (the trailer) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLHMCuKs_xA (2:15)

Muslims Like Us a ‘Big Brother’ strategy of selecting 10 Muslims – seemingly cherry- picked with confrontation in mind – to live in a house together. And then to introduce non-Muslims into this house. Bowtie-wearing, war memorial-visiting, non-Muslims. (Jarvis, 2016) Muslims and non-Muslims are depicted as separate actors – physically separate The actions and arguments of those ‘Muslims like us’ are made meaningful, moreover, by sporadic subtitles and a faceless narrator

Commission on Religion and Belief in British Public Life (2015) The Casey Review – a review into opportunity and integration (2016) the media’s construction of what it means to be a Muslim in the UK is highly problematic. A failure to talk about all this only leaves the ground open for the Far Right on one side and Islamist extremists on the other. These groups are ideologically opposed to each other but actually share the same goal: to show that diversity and modern Britain or Islam and modern Britain are somehow incompatible. But of course they are wrong. (p.6)

Research Questions How is debate on ‘British values’ and Islam understood, experienced, negotiated and contested by Muslim individuals and communities? How important are geographical, experiential or demographic factors? How would Muslims in the UK recast this discussion?

Rationale Why East England? Significant; neglected; researcher access; diversity Why video auto-ethnography? meaningful, accessible, and evocative research grounded in personal experience “Individuals aggregated into data points cannot share their voices, their power, their agendas, and their experiences … And that is my point: in IR [International Relations], individuals are studied using someone else’s script, not their own’- Christine Sylvester (2013: 614).

Rationale Contribution and impact? Academic work on: Securitisation of Islam/Muslims ‘Everyday’ conceptions of politics Representations of conflict and religion Non-academic beneficiaries: Participant researchers - professional training Regional and wider communities – screenings and discussion events Policy audiences – reports and presentations

Method Video auto-ethnographies Focus groups   Video auto-ethnographies Focus groups Semi-structured interviews Bedford 2 auto-ethnographies: 1 female participant researcher 1 male 3 focus groups: 1 Muslim 1 non-Muslim 1 mixed 4 interviews: 2 with participant researchers; 2 ‘follow up’ interviews with selected focus group members Ipswich Luton Norwich

Call for participants Why my film (max 500 words): A brief description of the proposed focus, style and locations of your film. Why me (max 500 words): A brief description of why you are interested in taking part in the project, and any relevant or interesting background.

Benefits to participants Successful participants will be given control over the content and style of their film, and will benefit from the following: Training in filmmaking and editing from our project partners: BBC Voices. Training in research design and research ethics from academics at the University of East Anglia Access to the technology needed to produce and edit the films. Opportunities to screen their film and to discuss it in focus group situations. Named credit for the final film, and permission to re-screen it as desired. Experience of working in a team of experienced researchers at the University of East Anglia.

BBC Voices 4 participant “filmmakers” December – technical training End of January – filming ends End of February – editing and completion of films

Project Blog/Research Diary https://britishmuslimvalues.wordpress.com/2016/12/16/research- diary-lee-jarvis-16-december-2016/