Islam In Dutch Society

This book generally discusses three main topics connected to the situation of Muslims in Dutch society. First of all, attention is given to the subject of faith and rituals such as the existing mystical orders, mosque sermons and the institutionalization of ritual slaughter. The second subject deals with Islam and the second-generation Muslims in the Netherlands. In this context, the situation of the so-called runaway girls and education in general are discussed. Special attention is given to the development and functioning of Islamic schools and to the education in one's own language and culture. The last topic deals with Muslim organizations, their development and role in the emancipation of these religious groups in Dutch society. Furthermore, obstacles hindering the establishment of a Muslim council on a national level are thoroughly discussed. This book can be of interest to various categories of people, such as scholars (theologians, social scientists, lawyers), policy makers, and those who, through their profession, are in regular contact with members of the Muslim community in the Netherlands.

Confessions: the composite relationship of the secular and the religious -- The established and the outsider of the European integration? -- Immigration without integration -- How Europe's secularism became contentious: mosques, imams, and issues -- Prisoners of the mosque -- Pim Fortuyn versus Islam: Muslims, gays and the media's reliance on conflict -- The public intellectual versus Islam: a year of sex and rhetoric -- Riding Pim's wave: Islam, women, the sacred, and the naked -- Conclusion: the vanishing Muslim individual.

The book contains twelve essays on topics related to the subject “Media and Muslim Society.” It is compiled as a textbook for students taking the course of the same title at the International Islamic Universiti Malaysia. Thus, the topics selected are those covered in the course. The topics include media at various stages in the development of a Muslim society, the role of communication in a Muslim society, media control, media effects on Muslim society and the roles of ulamas in influencing the media. A special topic on Muslim society is also included at the beginning of the book. The contributors of these essays are experts in their field. They have also helped developed and taught the course. In this first edition, most of the examples and discussions are based on two Muslim societies, i.e., Peninsular Malaysia and Indonesia. This is understandable because most of the writers in this first edition are from the Malay world. We hope to include examples from other Muslim societies in the next edition when we get contribution from writers from other parts of the Muslim world. Finally, we welcome criticisms and suggestions to improve this book from our readers. We shall certainly consider these criticisms and suggestions in the next edition

The involvement of minorities in politics has been the subject of a considerable number of studies. However, these studies are rarely concerned with the views of Muslims on their participation in the political processes of non-Muslim societies. Several Western scholars have thought and still think that the world, from the perspective of Muslims, can be divided in accordance with the dichotomy of the classical Islamic Law that distinguishes between the "Territory of Islam" and the "Territoryof War". however, during the last decennia various Muslim scholars have tried to reinterpret the position of Muslims in non-Muslim societies in new religious terms by which this classification has been emended and corrected. In this book, four different views are distinguished: the pragmatic, idealistic or utopian, re-interpretative, and traditionalist views. It goes without saying that the practical implementaion of these views to a large degree depends upon the types of Muslim organizations and representative bodies in those societies, as well as their denominational and ethnical backgrounds. From an international comparative perspective it appears that, contrary to the situation in Australia, Muslims of most Western European states have been thus far unsuccessful in creating representative organizations at national levels. This is also illustrated by studies of Muslim organizations in Germany, Italy and the united Kingdom. Another important factor consists of the views of the younger generations of Muslim immigrants about the compatibility of their Islamic identiity and full participation in the non-Muslim, secular societies in which they are living. Research on this subject contained in the present book responds to this question in an affirmative way.

In 2004, Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh was brutally murdered on a busy Amsterdam street. His killer was Mohammed Bouyeri, a twenty-six-year-old Dutch Moroccan offended by van Gogh's controversial film about Muslim suppression of women. The Dutch government had funded separate schools, housing projects, broadcast media, and community organizations for Muslim immigrants, all under the umbrella of multiculturalism. But the reality of terrorism and radicalization of Muslim immigrants has shattered that dream. In this arresting book, Paul Sniderman and Louk Hagendoorn demonstrate that there are deep conflicts of values in the Netherlands. In the eyes of the Dutch, for example, Muslims oppress women, treating them as inferior to men. In the eyes of Muslim immigrants, Western Europeans deny women the respect they deserve. Western Europe has become a cultural conflict zone. Two ways of life are colliding. Sniderman and Hagendoorn show how identity politics contributed to this crisis. The very policies meant to persuade majority and minority that they are part of the same society strengthened their view that they belong to different societies. At the deepest level, the authors' findings suggest, the issue that government and citizens need to be concerned about is not a conflict of values but a clash of fundamental loyalties.

The involvement of minorities in politics has been the subject of a considerable number of studies. However, these studies are rarely concerned with the political role in Western Europe of both Islam as a mobilising factor, and the Muslims as a religious group comparable with other confessional groups creating political parties. The importance of political participation of Muslims for the improvement of their social, economic, and cultural position as well as for the establishing of religious infrastructure, has been widely recognized by politicians and scientists alike. As relative newcomers in Western Europe, most Muslims still occupy a marginal position, which makes their active political participation all the more urgent. Over the last decades, initiatives have been taken in several countries to create Islamic political parties. At the same, in most countries of Western Europe, the established political parties are nominating members with an Islamic background among their candidates. Furthermore, many discussions have taken place about the feasability of the integration of Islam within the European social and political systems. Cabinet ministers and established political parties have developed views about the nature of Islam, which are being crystalized in the policies of the national governments. Central issues in these discussions are, for instance, the compatibility of Islam and parliamentary democracy and human rights, the fear of religious fundamentalism and fanaticism, as well as the oppression of women by Islam. The present book contains fourteen contributions by specialists from various European countries.