Political Islam and Islam in Politics in Europe

Abstract

About 5% of the EU's inhabitants identify themselves as Muslims. Thus, there is an increasing presence of Muslims and Islam in European society, and this has caused an increase in their presence in politics. Muslims living in Europe have entered the political arena in different ways, both with Islamic parties and as candidates for the main parties. An analysis of the evolution of Muslim political participation in Europe shows that Islamic parties have largely failed, while politicians with Muslim backgrounds who join parties with no Islamic identity have obtained good results. This means that Muslims with a strong religious identity are still seen as a world apart in Europe, while Muslims who either have a secular identity or who live their faith as a personal belief are considered to be ordinary citizens who people vote for based on their inner qualities, regardless of their religion.