Summary – The paper will focus on Islam in the context of the rise of religious affiliation globally, highlight the demographic significance of ‘Muslim youth’ or young people of Muslim heritage and discuss the distinctive as well as common experience of Muslim and minority communities in the UK. Changing markers of discrimination, shifting affiliations and identities among young people of Muslim heritage will be discussed, drawing on research carried out for the European Commission on the beliefs and ideologies of violent radicals, and for Communities and Local Government Department on the characteristics of thirteen Muslim ethnic communities in England. The paper concludes by highlighting the increasing sophistication of multiple discrimination and stratification of groups in the UK.

Jagtar Singh is a founding Director of the Change Institute. An Expert Adviser to the European Commission on violent radicalisation and to the Council of Europe on Intercultural Cities he has over two decades experience in research, evaluation, and development consulting with public institutions, with particular expertise in the dynamics of discrimination and the sociology of marginalised and excluded groups. His work has spanned every area of race and public policy and all parts of the public sector.

This event has been recorded and is now available as a podcast at the following URL: http://backdoorbroadcasting.net/2009/12/jagtar-singh-islam-young-muslims-and-identity-the-stratification-of-discrimination-in-the-uk/