Drawing from the voices of young Muslim women living just south of Paris, this article argues that Muslims are developing a form of Islam shaped by French customs, values, and institutions. The... Show moreDrawing from the voices of young Muslim women living just south of Paris, this article argues that Muslims are developing a form of Islam shaped by French customs, values, and institutions. The development of this form of religiosity is apparent in the way French Muslims negotiate their multiple identities. In this process, space plays a crucial role in the form of the banlieue. Show less
Although Islam in France is composed of currents found in Muslim societies around the world, France is currently primarily affected by the assertion of purist Salafis, whose main concern is to... Show moreAlthough Islam in France is composed of currents found in Muslim societies around the world, France is currently primarily affected by the assertion of purist Salafis, whose main concern is to bring Muslim believers back to the path of Islamic orthodoxy. Purist Salafi Muslims strictly differentiate themselves from non- Muslims and Muslims alike. They emphasize a break with society in order to return to Islam practiced in its “original” form, but their purist Salafism nonetheless retains some trappings of the modernity it shuns. Show less
In secular France visible religious practice is socially discouraged within public spheres. For pious Muslims, in particular pious Muslim women, who actively participate in these spheres, piety... Show moreIn secular France visible religious practice is socially discouraged within public spheres. For pious Muslims, in particular pious Muslim women, who actively participate in these spheres, piety cannot be lived out without encountering certain problems. The negotiations that these women engage in, favouring at times visibility, at times invisibility, not only allow the living of virtuous lives under often difficult circumstances, but more importantly are part of a process by which ethical Muslim selves are constituted in secular, non-Islamic contexts. Show less
In October and November 2005, France witnessed a series of riots and violent clashes between youths and its police. Laurent Chambon, a French sociologist, born in one of the Paris banlieues and now... Show moreIn October and November 2005, France witnessed a series of riots and violent clashes between youths and its police. Laurent Chambon, a French sociologist, born in one of the Paris banlieues and now living in the Netherlands, emerged, at that time, as an engaged social scientist worried by the islamization of the riots-discourse and by the way the French state handles the problems of the areas he knows so well from his childhood. Instead of riots of “youth gangs inspired by radical Muslims,” he argues in this interview that these riots should be seen as part of a movement against the “precariousness” of everyday life in the French banlieues. Show less
A French fatwa condemning the 2005 riots in Islamic terms gave rise to a controversy around the legitimacy of this particular Muslim technology in a secular polity. To seize the significance of the... Show moreA French fatwa condemning the 2005 riots in Islamic terms gave rise to a controversy around the legitimacy of this particular Muslim technology in a secular polity. To seize the significance of the text one must place it in the tradition of the Salafiyya, where Islamic forms of reasoning acquired a distinctively public dimension, and map out the recent—and contested—discursive shifts in French laïcité. Show less
Muslim collective identifications in Europe are to a large extent shaped by national dynamics. In France, the call for a French Islam which dominates public debates has forced Muslim leaders to re... Show moreMuslim collective identifications in Europe are to a large extent shaped by national dynamics. In France, the call for a French Islam which dominates public debates has forced Muslim leaders to re-position themselves. One of the most intriguing responses has come from Tareq Oubrou. This self-learned imam has been working within the Islamic tradition to establish a sharia de minorité, building the premises of a “legal Islam” adapted to the secular context of France and the religious practices of Muslims. Show less
This article explores the work of Majida Khattari, a Parisian/Moroccan artist whose fashion catwalks /performances challenge taken-for-granted assumptions about the veil. In the context of... Show moreThis article explores the work of Majida Khattari, a Parisian/Moroccan artist whose fashion catwalks /performances challenge taken-for-granted assumptions about the veil. In the context of increased interest in Modern Islam, she proposes an aesthetic approach towards the intersection between Muslim and European forms of expression. Show less
Islamic presence in western Europe is usually perceived as a post-war immigration phenomenon. However, early in the twentieth century Muslims were also sojourning on a regular basis in Europe,... Show moreIslamic presence in western Europe is usually perceived as a post-war immigration phenomenon. However, early in the twentieth century Muslims were also sojourning on a regular basis in Europe, where they founded provisions and accommodations for their religious needs. The French city Marseilles is an interesting site for a historical reconstruction of representations about Islam and mosques in Europe. In colonial times, Muslims –mostly colonial workers or soldiers in the French colonial armies—frequented Marseilles. Since the 1950s, large numbers of Muslims arrived in the city as migrant labourers, and many settled there to become permanent residents. Show less
