About our Project
The religious diversity of European society – and in particular the visibility of Muslims in public space – reveals that the geographical space is a key factor in the study of anti-Muslim discrimination. Indeed, Islamophobia is very much present and has intensified especially since the armed attack of Charlie Hebdo publishing offices (a French satirical magazine) in January 2015. By analysing the spatial effects of Islamophobia, this project is looking to assess the impact of the Muslim presence throughout European society, and in particular in France and United Kingdom. More exactly in the SAMA project, we will identify the spaces where anti-Muslim acts have occurred, the spatial practices and the scales of belonging of those who are discriminated against, and the intersectional dimensions of Islamophobia in both the Greater Paris and Greater London regions. In addition to recording the highest levels of anti-Muslim acts, Paris and London are also “socio-spatial laboratories” that offer a useful context for exploring and understanding the dynamics that revolve around anti-Muslim discrimination.
To do this, the researcher - Dr Kawtar Najib - has moved from France to Newcastle University in United Kingdom in order to undertake a research on “spaces of anti-Muslim acts in the Greater Paris and Greater London regions”. This project will offer significant insights for the fight against racism and hate crimes in Europe.