Hindutva in Britain

Description:

In late 2022, the English city of Leicester provided the backdrop for the convergence of international and local dynamics as unrest erupted between the city’s Hindu and Muslim communities. The events that unfolded highlighted the existence of Hindutva/Hindu nationalism and Islamophobia in the UK, and how online voices (both locally and globally) used social media platforms to inflame tensions and spread mis/disinformation. Join The Bridge Initiative and Community Policy Forum as we launch a new report examining the presence of Hindu nationalism in the UK, and how last year’s events in Leicester were used by anti-Muslim voices to sow division in one of the UK’s most multicultural cities.

Panelists:

Kazim Ukka is a Researcher at the Community Policy Forum. He holds a BSc in International Relations and History, and an MSc in Conflict Studies, both from the London School of Economics (LSE).

Mobashra Tazamal is the Associate Director of The Bridge Initiative. Her work focuses on the impact of the War on Terror discourse and state-sponsored Islamophobia around the globe. She holds a Master’s degree from SOAS, University of London.  

Dr. Fatima Rajina is a Senior Legacy in Action Research Fellow at the Stephen Lawrence Research Centre at De Montfort University, Leicester. Completing her PhD at SOAS, Fatima’s work looks at British Bangladeshi Muslims and their changing identifications and perceptions of dress and language. She has also worked as a Research Assistant at the Institute of Criminology, University of Cambridge looking at police and counter-terrorism. Fatima was also a Teaching Fellow at SOAS, Research Fellow at UCL IoE, and, additionally, she worked as a Lecturer in Sociology at Kingston University London.

Dr. Chris Allen is an Associate Professor in the School of Criminology at the University of Leicester. For more than two decades he has been researching the topic of Islamophobia in the UK, which has included investigating the use of anti-Muslim discourses among the British far-right. He has written widely on the topic, his most recent book titled “Reconfiguring Islamophobia” was published in 2020.