Debates on the role of Muslim citizens in Europe question how European liberal democracies should engage with non-liberal ideas. Until now the debate has focused on how Muslim groups and... Show moreDebates on the role of Muslim citizens in Europe question how European liberal democracies should engage with non-liberal ideas. Until now the debate has focused on how Muslim groups and individuals should behave. The author seeks ways to redefine liberal democracy in order to make it more inclusive of those who may hold illiberal views, Muslim or otherwise. Show less
In the current debate on migration to Europe, a central concern has emerged over the “marginality” of Muslim communities, in other words, their seeming failure to “integrate” into the mainstream... Show moreIn the current debate on migration to Europe, a central concern has emerged over the “marginality” of Muslim communities, in other words, their seeming failure to “integrate” into the mainstream life world. Migrants congregating in mosques or Muslim community centres, attending Islamic schools, wearing headscarves and exotic “traditional” clothes, and turning to non-European television programmes are seen as an anomaly in the social body of European societies. Underlying this anxiety is the implicit assumption that Muslim peoples have an exceptionally primordial attachment to “tradition”—some immutable “Islamic ways of life”—that is incompatible with modern European values and which stands in the way of their integration. Show less
Since its foundation in 1928, the Muslim Brotherhood has advocated a holistic vision of Islam as being both a political ideology and a social doctrine. This vision is now also propagated in Europe,... Show moreSince its foundation in 1928, the Muslim Brotherhood has advocated a holistic vision of Islam as being both a political ideology and a social doctrine. This vision is now also propagated in Europe, where members and sympathizers of the Brotherhood form a largely informal but nevertheless quite influential movement. The author argues that the Muslim Brotherhood in Europe, while encouraging citizenship and integration within European societies, still promotes the totalizing discourse of the days of Hassan al-Banna. Show less
Questions about the impact of 9/11 on Muslim communities in the European Union in terms of social interaction and conceptualizations of Muslim identity led to the comparative project “Europe’s... Show moreQuestions about the impact of 9/11 on Muslim communities in the European Union in terms of social interaction and conceptualizations of Muslim identity led to the comparative project “Europe’s Muslim communities: Security and Integration post 9/11” from 2003 to 2007. The project was initiated by Ethnobarometer, the International Research Network on Interethnic Politics and Migration, and directed by Alessandro Silj. It involved national research teams in six EU countries (Italy, France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands). Show less
In Europe, face veils have become the ultimate symbols of Muslim “otherness.” The (presently stalled) attempts of the Dutch government to introduce a burka-ban highlight how misguided arguments... Show moreIn Europe, face veils have become the ultimate symbols of Muslim “otherness.” The (presently stalled) attempts of the Dutch government to introduce a burka-ban highlight how misguided arguments about women's emancipation and national security are used to push a strongly assimilationist agenda. Ironically, while politicians hold on to a singly negative view of face-veils, trends in the fashion industry show that the boundaries between religion, fashion, and everyday social life are far more flexible than the political gaze is able to capture. Show less
Focusing on two recent controversies—the cancellation of Mozart’s Idomeneo in Berlin and the death threats against a French teacher for criticizing Islam—this article revisits the flawed... Show moreFocusing on two recent controversies—the cancellation of Mozart’s Idomeneo in Berlin and the death threats against a French teacher for criticizing Islam—this article revisits the flawed construction of a clash between Islam and freedom of expression, and seeks to show how the debates are connected to a problematic vision of Europe which necessarily excludes Muslims. Show less
The caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten have certainly taken on different meanings since they were first printed in September 2005. In Europe, the larger... Show moreThe caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten have certainly taken on different meanings since they were first printed in September 2005. In Europe, the larger debate about the integration of Islam and Muslims became the framework for the discourse on this most recent controversy over Islam and Muslims. Nevertheless, the cartoon controversy provides an opportunity to question this framework as it both obscures as much as it clarifies the public debate on the controversy in particular, and about Islam in general. Show less
Over the last ten years or so, migrants to Europe who used to be labelled as Moroccans, Turks, Algerians, Pakistani, and so on, have increasingly come to be labelled in religious terms. This... Show moreOver the last ten years or so, migrants to Europe who used to be labelled as Moroccans, Turks, Algerians, Pakistani, and so on, have increasingly come to be labelled in religious terms. This article provides a brief analysis of how and why this transformation of public discourse in European contexts has taken place, and discusses the consequences of defining immigrants with Muslim background in terms of an essentialized religious identity. The current text is based on the workshop “Public Debates about Islam in Europe” held in March 2006 in Montecatini. Details about this workshop can be found on page 56. Show less
An ISIM research proposal on “Individualization, Fragmentation of Authority, and New Organizational Forms among Muslims in Europe” has been selected for funding by the Nederlandse Organisatie voor... Show moreAn ISIM research proposal on “Individualization, Fragmentation of Authority, and New Organizational Forms among Muslims in Europe” has been selected for funding by the Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek (NWO, Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research). Show less
The murder of Theo van Gogh in the Netherlands (2 November 2004) represents a recent example of how westernized Muslims and converts have been implicated in acts associated with Islamic radicalism... Show moreThe murder of Theo van Gogh in the Netherlands (2 November 2004) represents a recent example of how westernized Muslims and converts have been implicated in acts associated with Islamic radicalism in Europe. Despite widespread interpretations that Islamic radicalization represents the failure of the multiculturalists approach vis-à-vis Muslim immigrants, radicalism can better be explained as the consequence of de-culturation and globalization. Radicals endeavour to reconstruct a “pure” religion outside traditional or Western cultures, outside the very concept of culture itself. Show less
