Description
This paper is part of a broader project investigating how Islamophobic productions of Muslim subjectivity are both constituted and sustained in UK counterterror discourses and state security practices through entanglements of race and sexuality. More specifically, this paper investigates the ways in which heteronormativity functions and upholds UK counterterror discourses. It will interrogate how depictions of radicalisation of British Muslims – or transitions into terrorism – are often centred on heteronormative ideas of romantic relationships, through exploring “Jihadi Bride” narratives and portrayals of British Jihadists as those who “can’t make it with girls” (Johnson 2015). In turn, it will also draw attention to the very racialised and contradictory ways heteronormativity functions in UK counterterror discourses through an examination of media coverage and reactions to the 2021 Plymouth Shooting. It will show the disparity in the framing of the actions of Jake Davison, a young white male who indiscriminately slaughtered 5 people. It will be argued that the widespread reluctance of the UK media and senior counterterror officials to call Davison a terrorist and his actions terrorism despite his frustrations of “failing to get a girlfriend” and expressions of sympathy with “Incels”, reveals the racialised and obscure ways heteronormativity often surfaces in UK counterterrorism.
