Despite anti-immigrant political rhetoric, parties across Europe are increasingly selecting ethnic minority female politicians to broaden their electoral base. Consequently, the political representation of ethnic minorities appears gendered (see Celis and Erzeel, 2013). The position of Muslim women in Flanders, for instance, is often politically problematized in relation to empowerment and sexual freedom. This paper examines how Flemish Muslims perceive and assess their political representation and addresses whether the increasing visibility of minority women remediates how they feel politically represented in the context of anti-Muslim rhetoric. Alongside other components of minority representation, attention is given to the extent descriptive similarities between representatives and the represented are important for the citizens to feel represented, especially at the intersection along the axes of religion and gender. This paper presents data from the first round of exploratory focus groups where Flemish Muslims reflect on the representation they receive as a politically salient group.
