Muslim Europe or Euro-Islam

Abstract

The chapters comprising this volume arise out of a conference held in 1998:"Islam and the Changing fdentity of Europe." The conference organizers,frustrated with what they regarded as the insular nature of European andMiddle Eastern area studies research, wanted to examine Islamic identityand citizenship from a broader interdisciplinary perspective. This volumetherefore brings together specialist contributors from the social sciences,political science, Middle Eastern studies, and international relations, toname just some of the disciplines represented.The editors set the scene by exploring changing realities and percep­tions of identity within Europe. They note that in some places, the fact ofreligious and ethnic diversity has yet to be fully acknowledged and accommodatedas part of a European identity that, historically, was forged largelyin opposition to ''the other" - especially the Muslim "other." As a consequence,Muslim populations in Europe find themselves part of, and to someextent a cause of, a complex process of European identity deconstructionand reconstruction from above and below. The presence of Islam withinEurope's borders is forcing a reexamination of what it means to beEuropean, and raising profound and challenging questions about issues ofcitizenship, participation in civil society, political recognition, inclusion,and exclusion.Each contributor approaches the discussion with a common desire toavoid reductionism, essentialism, and a view of Muslims as members ofhomogeneous monolithic communities. Indeed, the diversity within Muslimcommunities is seen as part of an important dynamic that will help to forgewhat Bassam Tibi calls "Euro-f slam," a form of Islam that is acceptable(without compromises) to both Muslim migrants (and converts) and secularEuropean societies. Just as there are forms of Islam - each absolutely"authentic" - that are distinctive in Africa, Malaysia, or the ArabianPeninsula, Tibi calls for developing a form of Islam that is adjusted toEuropean society and the values of individual human rights and liberaldemocracy ...