The de-risking policy, which is a key part of counter-terrorism financing measures, has hampered the operational capacities of charities across a spectrum of states. Nevertheless, few works have interrogated how Muslim charities make sense of and respond to the de-risking policy and the ways their responses are shaping state-Muslim community relations. Thus, this study examines the responses of Muslim charities to the de-risking policy in the United Kingdom and Nigeria. In doing so, it will underscore how the experiences of Muslim charities to the policy is changing the relations between the state and communities in both countries. Therefore, this study adopts a comparative case study of the United Kingdom and Nigeria to examine the similarities and differences of the experiences and responses of Muslim to de-risking policy. There has been an increase in studies on the effects of counter-terrorism measures on the operations of charities in various political contexts. Also, arguments have centred on how Muslim charities have faced more constraints in the implementation of counter-terrorism measures, as state actors often deploy discriminatory practices that are rooted in the narrative that equates terrorism with Islam. Through a purposive sampling technique, Muslim charity executives, bank managers, Charity commission, National Counter-Terrorism Security Office, Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit, the Office of the National Security Adviser, will be selected for interview. The interviews will be triangulated with official documents analysis. The study makes a significant contribution to the literature on how the enforcement of counter-terrorism is closing civic spaces. It would inform the rethinking of a de-risking policy that is inclusive.

Funder: British Academy Newton International Fellowship award