This paper is based on the experiences of young people in secondary and post-secondary education at critical points in their lives when important decisions about their future educational careers clashed with growing dis-engagement with school and society. ‘Social Justice’ is defined and experienced in unique ways by Muslim youth, as is the interaction with different ‘cultures’ inside and outside school. Issues such as human rights, freedom, and individualism taught at school clashed with community based expectations about conformity, respect and family ‘honour’. Positioned at the centre of these contradictory expectations from different sets of adults are young people who feel that they are ‘not understood’ because of the prevailing perceptions of their ethnic and religious identities at school and their negative portrayal in the media on the one hand, and the low key but powerful parental expectations about conformity to the ‘ideal’ image of a son or a daughter on the other. The research was conducted in two a multiethnic communities in England. It has implications for young people facing similar circumstances in other parts of Europe.

Method All 16 year old young people in one class of the final (GCSE) year of compulsory schooling were contacted in two schools with a mixed multiethnic intake. The same was done with 18/19 year olds who were preparing for their A level examinations with the intention to continue with further studies. Those interested in taking part were invited to fill in a simple questionnaire indicating their willingness to participate in a series of interviews. 10 young people agreed. Community groups were also contacted in local community centres and provided with further information about the project. Three in-depth interviews were conducted with every participant and all were invited to look and comment on the interview transcripts. Ethical protocols were followed in each case. These ethnographic interviews became the main source of data collection and analysis using grounded theory.

The paper hopes to present the experiences of young people from their own perspectives.