The wars in the Middle East and representations of Muslims in this context have an immediate effect on Muslim minority ethnic groups, particularly youth in western European countries. This article explores the relationship between the construction of identities of British Muslim Asians between the ages of 16 and 23 years and the mass media. It is based on fieldwork conducted from 2002 to 2004 in Bradford, an impoverished northern ‘milltown’ in Britain that witnessed violent protests known as ‘race riots’ in 2001. The results of the fieldwork suggest a correlation between the conceptions of media messages about the wars in the Middle East and the construction of a global Muslim community with which youths associate themselves. Using excerpts from individual and focus group interviews, the article aims to investigate the link between the challenging local and national conditions caused by racial discrimination and the affiliation of these youths with a global Muslim community.
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