Security Measures or Islamophobic Policies? A Systematic Review Using the WPR Approach

Abstract

This study systematically reframes problem representations within the UK’s counterterrorism policy by applying Carol Bacchi’s (2009) innovative ‘What is the Problem Represented to be?’ (WPR) approach to policy analysis, with a specific focus on the ‘CONTEST’ strategy and its pivotal component, Prevent. This article revisits the consistent construction of the ‘problem’ within policy frameworks through a retrospective analysis of policy documents and existing academic literature, rather than proposing a new argument. By tracing the genealogy of Islamophobia as represented in these policy texts, this study reveals the dominant portrayal of Islam and Muslims as underlying ‘problems’, highlighting the implications for governance practices that shape both policy and societal perceptions. The analysis identifies three recurrent problems in successive versions of CONTEST—namely, the perceived failures of Multiculturalism, surveillance deficiencies and concerns around Radicalisation—demonstrating how these framings reinforce the depiction of the so-called ‘Islamic terrorism’ and the Muslim ‘Other’ as central to security initiatives. By systematically reframing existing academic and policy discourse, this review underscores the influence of these representations on shaping security-oriented perceptions of Islam and Muslim communities in the UK.

Keywords

• Problem Representation
• Counterterrorism
• Islamophobia
• Power Relations
• Security Discourse

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