When people commit acts defined as criminal, terrorist or
extremist and associate their actions with Islam, condemnation
is part of society’s response. Politicians, journalists, neighbours
and colleagues expect Muslims to condemn these acts. Yet
to condemn is to give in to a narrative that creates “good”
and “bad” Muslims and places the burden on Muslims to
demonstrate their humanity. The contributors to the new
volume, I Refuse to Condemn: Resisting Racism in Times of
National Security, published by Manchester University Press,
explore these tensions in a series of essays. In a joint seminar
between the Islam-UK Centre and the School of Journalism,
Media and Culture, we invited some of the contributors to share
their work and ideas. Discussants Dr Michael Munnik (IUKC)
and Dr Kerry Moore (JOMEC) offer their analysis of the book.