Yasmin Alibhai-Brown and Anila Baig Interviewed by Stephen Law

Journalist and commentator Yasmin Alibhai Brown launches a new report on what it is like to be a young British Muslim today and is joined by one of the authors, fellow journalist Anila Baig.

There is a great deal of ignorance of what is going on in the minds of young British Muslims. Little research has been done, partly because of fear of stigmatising or causing offence. The report, instigated by Alibhai-Brown, reveals what it’s like to be a young impressionable British Muslim during a time of rising suspicion, fear, and prejudice. Many agree with Baroness Warsi about the Government’s anti-terrorist Prevent Strategy when she said it is ‘broken. I think it is toxic’. The war in Iraq also turned some young Muslims against the British Government. As a result of competing family, religious, cultural, and social pressures, many Young Muslims hide their true identities and lead double lives, which can lead to anxiety and depression.

The collection of papers by six female Muslim authors: two academics, two journalists, and two experts on British Muslim matters, provides insights into the turmoil being experienced by many young British Muslims, and what we can do to help. It views young Muslims through the lens of well-being, rather than as a potential threat.

Alibhai-Brown is a British journalist and author who has written extensively on issues of diversity and social justice. Her books include In Defence of Political Correctness, Refusing The Veil, and Exotic England: The Making of A Curious Nation. Baig is a journalist from Bradford. She has worked for her local newspaper the Bradford Telegraph and Argus and for The Sun and The Mirror. Discussions are chaired by Dr Stephen Law, a philosopher and academic, author of bestselling introductions to philosophy for adults and children, and editor of the Royal Institute of Philosophy Journal Think.