Citizenship and Civic Engagement (House of Lords Committee)
September 2017
The House of Lords Select Committee was been appointed to consider the issues of citizenship and civic engagement in the twenty-first century. Its aim was to understand the nature of the citizenship challenge for different parts of society; the aim being to identify new ways of building bridges within and between communities, and to support civic engagement. MWNUK responded to this consultation which can be downloaded here. We said that 'universal values' should be used instead of the term 'British values,' and British citizenship should not mean imposing restrictions on individual liberties and human rights. We also highlighted that barriers to active citizenship of British Muslims in public life included Islamophobia / discrimination and issues of misogyny and patriarchal attitudes from within the Muslim community and its institutions. These issues impacted on the ability of Muslim women to participate fully in public life. We provided two examples, one of mosques not allowing women on their governing boards and able and competent women blocked from becoming local councillors. |
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