Given the history of post-war labour migration to the UK which was predominantly male and that of later family migration which was overwhelmingly female, and given the patriarchal structures of the communities established from these migrations, it is unsurprising that the civic and political organisations which emerged from them were entirely male-dominated.

Muslim women’s organisations have a recent history, a relatively small presence and have not been considered credible interlocutors by the state and other agents. Following the 7/7 London bombings, the Labour government targeted Muslim women as potential ‘bridge-builders’ between radicalised or potentially radical sections of their communities and majority British society. The state’s call to Muslim women to become active and ‘empowered’ in the public sphere, accompanied by certain incentives, led to the emergence of numerous Muslim women leaders and organisations in the 2000s.

This paper maps the rise of these organisations and Muslim women’s leadership after 7/7, examines the interaction between these organisations, the state and other actors and asks if they have strengthened democracy in times when elected representatives are mistrusted, voter turnout is down and when historically marginalised populations are claiming increased representation.