Resisting the margins

Blog post by Samira Azabar, University of Antwerp, Belgium and Radboud University, Netherlands

In public debates, Muslims in the West are often presented and perceived as the dangerous Other opposing democracy and Western values, situating them as outsiders to the nation. Consequently, Muslim minorities frequently find themselves grappling with multifaceted forms of marginalization and exclusion. This marginalization has been exacerbated by the success of radical right parties in the European countries, which often promote anti-Muslim rhetoric and policies, further entrenching prejudice and exclusion. This blog post delves into the political endeavours of Muslims in Belgium, exploring how they navigate and resist their marginalization through everyday hidden resistance tactics aiming for recognition as co-members of the polity.

Understanding Muslims’ resistance
While research on Muslims’ political engagement often focuses on recognized forms of political participation such as voting and protests, my Identities article, ‘Good Muslims, good citizens? An intersectional approach to Muslims’ everyday (hidden) resistance tactics in Belgium’, pays special attention to more subtle forms of resistance enacted by Muslims in a society characterized by Islamophobia. To understand these forms of resistance, Du Bois’ concept of double consciousness is helpful in conceptualizing the duality experienced by marginalized groups, including where they view themselves through the eyes of the dominant group that discriminates against them. 

Approaching double consciousness through an intersectional lens shows us how people are aware of how Muslim men are perceived as dangerous and potential terrorists, while Muslim women are seen as ‘the oppressed women’. It is the awareness of their positionality, however, that shapes Muslims’ resistance, in particular in a society that often views them with suspicion and prejudice. Additionally, the works of Michel de Certeau and James C. Scott on resistance offer valuable insights into everyday resistance tactics highlighting how individuals navigate and subtly aim to subvert dominant power structures in order to challenge dominant anti-Islam narratives.
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Everyday (hidden) resistance tactics
Drawing on Muslims’ lived experiences and narratives, the findings show that Muslims engage in everyday resistance tactics to rearticulate the widespread gendered and racialized constructions. The research identifies three key tactics used by Muslims including an inversion of the (Muslim) gaze, as some Muslim participants voiced to gather information about those in power – i.e. through observing the media - in order to critically examine and challenge the stereotypes and prejudices imposed on them by the dominant society. Thus, the observed becomes the observer. For instance, Muslims are informed about how Islam is perceived as a violent and terrorist faith, trying to influence this portrayal by distancing themselves from terrorist groups. By doing so, Muslims refuse to internalize these negative perceptions of Islam-as-a-threat and instead assert their own narratives and identities disrupting the dominant discourse that seeks to marginalize them.

Second, the Islamic repertoire is actively brought to bear to counter these dominant negative stereotypes and misconceptions by visibly practicing their faith and exemplifying its positive aspects, as a form of da’wa. Muslim participants were strongly aware of how their behavior reflects upon other Muslims, as Muslims are perceived as a homogenous bloc, thus underlining the importance of everyday encounters with non-Muslims. Participants therefore stressed the necessity of showing good Muslim behaviour (and thus being a good citizen) i.e. being polite while refraining from aggressive behaviour in order to not confirm dominant negative portrayals of Muslims. In particular Muslim men iterated this position, as they are mainly seen as dangerous and violent actors, while Muslim woman aimed to debunk the ‘being oppressed’ narrative through stressing their social engagement. This form of resistance transforms everyday religious practices into acts of political significance. Thirdly, Muslim participants invest in building counterpower and spaces where they can express their multiple identities and advocate for their interests, for instance by organizing conversations between the mayor, the police and Muslim youngsters to discuss ethnic profiling. These alternative spaces foster collective action and solidarity, allowing Muslims to challenge power structures and advocate for systemic change.

These key hidden resistance tactics highlight the agency of Muslims in Belgium, although one can ask whether these tactics are similar to Muslims’ resistance strategies employed in other West-European countries. Further research should investigate more hidden and creative forms of resistance contesting anti-Islam discourses in racialized societies to gain insight in the myriad ways in which the marginalized navigate society. Additionally, a more in-depth analysis focusing on how intersections of religion, race, ethnicity, education and gender shape how Muslims challenge oppressive discourses in their everyday life would be a fruitful endeavour.

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Image credit: Photo by Aron Marinelli on Unsplash

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Read the Identities article:
Azabar, Samira. (2024). Good Muslims, good citizens? An intersectional approach to Muslims’ everyday (hidden) resistance tactics in Belgium. Identities: Global Studies in Culture and Power. DOI: 10.1080/1070289X.2024.2347782

Read further in Identities:

​On the shifting (ir)relevance of national and ethnic identifications in urban children’s everyday lives

Integrating by means of art? Expressions of cultural hybridisations in the city of Antwerp

Family rights-claiming as act of citizenship: an intersectional perspective on the performance of intimate citizenship