BOOK REVIEW: “Muslims Don’t Matter: Sayeeda Warsi’s Candid Dissection of Britain’s Relationship with Islam”, Bridge Street Press, London, 3 Oct 2024
Barely in the two decades since the infamous 9/11 marker, Muslims are right at the centre of the political discourse of assertive liberalism and more evident. Caught between the rampant Islamophobia in everyday life in the West and the unfolding Genocide in Gaza, the most urgent philosophical question of the 21st century is: Who is a Muslim? Our inability to engage with this philosophical question is to our detriment. Baroness Warsi, as if summoned by the question itself, confronts this philosophical dilemma head-on in her latest book, Muslims Don’t Matter, and exposes the vacuity of David Cameron speech to the British American Project on the 9/11 anniversary in 2006.
Sayeeda Warsi, the former chair of the Conservative Party, stepped down from David Cameron’s cabinet in 2014, condemning its policies towards Palestine as “morally indefensible.” She did not stop with that but expressed hope of something meaningful coming out of the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims that was launched in 2017. Dominic Grieve, the Chair of the Citizens UK Commission on Islam, Participation and Public Life, reflected: “The overwhelming message that the Commission received was that Islamophobia was playing a major role in undermining integration and community cohesion. Much of it is subtle and goes unreported but its impact is no less corrosive for its rarely coming to the notice of wider society.”
This political process of creating a government’s special envoy’s has taken its toll and has its own politics. Gaslighting clouds the truth, making it tough to push back. But here’s the thing: no ideology owns a monopoly on wisdom, foolishness, or violence. Canada created its federal office of the Special Representative on Combatting Islamophobia in January 2023. While the Australian effort ran into a challenge on its appointment of the special envoy towards the end of September this year.
In an astonishing feat, Warsi completed the remarkable manuscript of 150 pages within a mere twelve weeks, coinciding with the summer riots that erupted around her. The irony lay in the fact that this very violence served as a stark testament to the themes she had explored in her writing, illuminating the profound disarray that had taken hold of Britain by the turn of the century. Yet, despite her considerable accomplishments and the legacy of over sixty years of settlement in the country, she found herself grappling with a poignant question: how does one define their belonging within the fabric of British society?
Muslims Don’t Matter
Warsi’s title itself is a provocation, echoing and subverting the language of the “Black Lives Matter” movement, challenging readers to confront the reality of Muslim marginalization in Britain. It is a strategic and rhetorical move that frames the stakes of her text: Muslims, their struggles, and their contributions are sidelined in Britain’s national narrative, reduced to symbols of suspicion if not outright scapegoats. It is a wake-up call to a society unwilling to reckon with its failings, hoping that it might yet find a way to reform by doing so.
With a singular blend of political authority and lived experience, Warsi pulls back the curtain on a Britain that continues to wrestle with its colonial legacy, exposing the veneer of tolerance that masks the underlying prejudices. The book emerges not merely as a memoir but as a searing critique of Britain’s contemporary identity crisis. It is a text that interrogates, deconstructs, and lays bare the contradictions within a nation once lauded as the global paragon of multiculturalism.
By early 2011, the insidious rise of “muscular liberalism” and the vilification of multiculturalism infiltrated Conservative politics. A party that once prided itself on individual liberty, freedom of speech, and the sanctity of belief now curiously embraced a narrative that sought to define the parameters of British Muslim identity—clashing starkly with its own declared principles. In its quest to uphold the values of freedom, it appeared all too willing to impose restrictions on who could claim that freedom and in what form it might manifest.
Politics, Religion, and the Double Standard
A former Conservative Party chair and cabinet minister, Warsi writes from the vantage point of an insider-turned-outsider. This position allows her to comment with both authority and empathy. Her experiences in government reveal the machinery behind political decisions that scapegoat Muslims. Warsi’s critique is not limited to any one party; it is systemic, encompassing the political class as a whole. From anti-terror legislation to the Prevent strategy, Warsi paints a damning picture of policies that securitize Muslim communities and establish a culture of fear. The most chilling moments in her book arise when she recounts how Muslim Britons are forced to prove their loyalty, live under surveillance, and become the subjects of an ever-present scrutiny that impinges on their fundamental rights and freedoms.
Warsi’s famous “dinner-table test”—her assertion that Islamophobia had become socially acceptable enough to be freely discussed in casual, everyday settings—echoes throughout the text. The normalization of anti-Muslim sentiment, she argues, extends beyond the walls of Parliament; it has become embedded in the daily fabric of British life. She provides examples of how inflammatory rhetoric about Muslims, often disguised as legitimate political debate, has made its way into media discourse, workplaces, and dinner conversations. This creeping acceptability is not benign; it creates the social conditions that justify discriminatory policies and deepens Muslim alienation from the broader society.
Her narrative also expands beyond her encounters with discrimination and Islamophobia; it is an intellectual history of Britain’s evolving relationship with its Muslim population. Warsi’s argument echoes that of Edward Said’s Orientalism, revealing how Britain’s policies toward Muslims are rooted in colonial logic and the West’s enduring anxieties about Islam as a cultural and political force. She contends that while Britain has long claimed to champion democracy and human rights abroad, it has failed to extend the same values to its Muslim citizens. This contradiction exposes the hypocrisy at the heart of Britain’s self-conception as a liberal and inclusive society.
Identity, the Middle East, and Britain’s Foreign Policy
Muslims Don’t Matter goes beyond the political sphere, delving into more profound philosophical questions about identity, belonging, and the limits of citizenship in contemporary Britain. In light of the ongoing war in the Middle East, Warsi draws a direct connection between Britain’s foreign policies and its domestic treatment of Muslims. She argues that Britain’s interventions in the region, often framed as humanitarian or security operations, have only fueled perceptions of Muslims as perpetual outsiders or potential threats. Warsi points out that the media’s portrayal of these conflicts further exacerbates anti-Muslim sentiment, as images of violence and extremism become synonymous with Muslim identity in the public imagination.
Warsi criticizes the double standard that permeates discussions about the Middle East, particularly when compared to the discourse surrounding European conflicts. She notes that the Western response to the Middle East is often marked by an underlying assumption of cultural and political inferiority, which not only shapes foreign policy but trickles down into how Muslims are treated at home. She argues that as long as Britain continues to engage with the Middle East from a position of dominance rather than partnership, Muslim communities in Britain will continue to bear the brunt of the resulting tensions.
Yet, Warsi’s success does not distract her from the collective struggles faced by British Muslims. She repeatedly emphasizes the paradoxes of her position: as a prominent Muslim figure in British politics, she was often lauded as a “model minority,” yet her achievements did not shield her from the suspicion and prejudice that Muslim communities collectively endure. She recounts instances where her loyalty was questioned, her faith was used against her, and her presence in the political arena became a point of contention. Her reflections are poignant; they illustrate the painful reality that success, no matter how significant, cannot override the structural and societal biases that continue to define Britain’s relationship with its Muslim citizens.
Reckoning with the Politics of Fear
A recurring theme in Muslims Don’t Matter is the role of fear in shaping public perception and policy. Warsi’s assessment of the media’s portrayal of Muslims is both scathing and precise. She details how sensationalist headlines, stereotypical portrayals, and the focus on extremism have constructed a narrative that reduces Muslims to caricatures—terrorists, radicals, or, at best, victims in need of saving. Warsi traces the origins of these narratives to the post-9/11 climate, where an intensified focus on security allowed the state to justify intrusive surveillance and policing tactics.
She analyses how successive governments, regardless of political affiliation, have relied on the politics of fear to gain and maintain power. Warsi challenges the dichotomy that pits national security against civil liberties, arguing that such a trade-off is a false choice designed to entrench state control while legitimizing discriminatory practices. Her emphasis on the Prevent strategy is particularly compelling; she critiques it not only for its ineffectiveness but for its corrosive impact on community relations, further alienating and stigmatizing Muslim youth who are often its targets.
Warsi’s framing of Islamophobia hinges on the idea of “perceptions of Muslimness,” emphasizing that it isn’t about actual beliefs but rather about appearance and association. It was not surprising for the leading conservative voice in the media to say, “Her concept of Islamophobia remains a threat to free speech”. Sharing an episode involving Sajid Javid, highlighting that anyone perceived as Muslim is vulnerable, she posits that distinguishing between Islamophobia and racism is a semantic exercise, while religion and race are different. This distinction falters in practice, as a 2022 poll ranked Muslims as the second most disliked group after Gypsies and Irish Travellers. A report from Birmingham shed light on the extent and nature of Islamophobia in the UK.
The recent riots of summer that engulfed 23 cities show this animosity has deep historical roots, exemplified by the tragic case of three children killed in Southport, wrongfully attributed to a fictitious Muslim refugee, which unleashed violence against non-white communities and led to horrific attacks on mosques and hostels, highlighting the deadly impact of entrenched stereotypes.
Warsi’s writing is infused with a sense of urgency, calling for a broader discourse on Muslims in the public sphere. In the context of the ongoing conflict in Gaza and Lebanon, she warns of the dangerous feedback loop that arises when Britain’s foreign policy amplifies domestic tensions, creating a pretext for more invasive surveillance and policing. Warsi’s solution is both political and cultural: she demands that Britain move beyond its fixation on Muslim bodies as threats and begin to engage with Muslim communities as equal citizens, integral to the fabric of British society.
Warsi’s prose is incisive, and her narrative voice is compelling, moving between the roles of the politician, the critic, and the daughter of immigrants to offer a holistic view of the issues at hand. Muslims Don’t Matter functions as a political manifesto, blending policy critique with anecdotes that reveal the personal toll of living in a society marked by suspicion and prejudice. Despite its critical tone, Muslims Don’t Matter is not a text of despair but a call to action. Warsi’s solution involves not just legislative change but a cultural shift. She argues for a Britain that can embrace its multicultural identity without fear and that can celebrate the contributions of its Muslim communities without resorting to tokenism. Her call for solidarity extends beyond Muslims, as she aligns their struggles with those of other marginalized groups, advocating for a collective movement against systemic racism and discrimination.
Ultimately, Muslims Don’t Matter is not just a book about Muslims in Britain; it is a text that challenges the very foundations of what it means to belong, to be a citizen, and to participate in the life of a nation. Warsi’s incisive critique and hopeful vision for the future make her work an essential read for anyone interested in the future of multicultural Britain and the politics of belonging in an increasingly polarized world.
Narendra Pachkhédé is a critic, essayist and writer who splits his time between Toronto, London and Geneva
