Newer Islamic Movements In Western Europe

Published in 1999, this book analyses the development of the recent cultural trend represented by the newer Islamic movements among Muslim immigrants in Western Europe. Included is a comprehensive description of the institutionalisation and organisation of Islam in Western Europe and an investigation of the organisation, activities, visions and strategies of the European and Islamic movements. Particular attention is paid to the most important Islamist trend among the Turkish minorities, Milli Gorus. The empirical data is original and has been primarily collected through interviews with leaders of Islamic organisations in Denmark, Berlin and Paris. The Islamistic stress on the validity of Islam as constituting the basis of particular social and cultural interest is analysed in the perspective of the concepts of ‘life world’ and ‘system world’ presented by Jurgen Habermas. The investigation demonstrates the existence of locally organised communities, whose social and cultural interests are in need of representation. It is shown that Islamism constitutes a clear and concrete point of departure from a positive identification in the Muslim immigrant societies. This critical relevance of Islamism is discussed in the light of the social and economic marginalisation characterising the situation of the immigrated Muslim minorities in Western Europe. The main conclusion is that Islamism is a collective political representation of an alternative position to the dominant cultural and social marginalisation.

'Islam in Europe' and 'Islamophobia' are subjects of vital global importance which currently preoccupy policy-makers and academics alike. Through the examination of various European Muslim groups and institutions that have branched off from Islamic movements - including the Muslim Brotherhood, Hizb ut-Tahrir and Jama'at-i Islami - this book outlines the configuration of social, political and religious processes that have given rise to new kinds of European Muslim organisations. The authors offer a new perspective on these Muslim groups and seek to reclaim them from the often highly-charged public debates by placing them within the context of their origins as politicised religious movements on the one hand and their ongoing incorporation into European societal structures on the other. They also consider the relationship of these organisations to their 'parent' movements and examine the presence of Islam in European education and higher education institutions. Taking into account the connection between Islamic movements and the perceived surge of 'Islamophobia' in Europe, this book does not debate the question of whether these groups fit into normative or cultural structures of European nation-states, but rather examines how these structures have changed through their interaction with these groups and the growing Muslim population within Europe. It does not consider political Islam as the antithesis to a refined notion of secularism, but as a form of public religion which contributes to the ever-changing structure of Europe's secular regimes. Featuring the work of more than 40 scholars from around the world, this is the comprehensive guide to Islamic movements in Europe, offering original, definitive perspectives on Muslims and Islam in Europe today. It will be essential reading for policy-makers, political commentators and scholars alike.

This book, based on interdisciplinary research, examines the establishment of Muslim institutions in Western Europe, and particularly focuses on the role played by agents from the host society and the political and ideological positions adopted by them in reaction to claims from Muslims.

Nielsen describes the history of early European Muslims and outlines the causes and courses of twentieth-century Muslim immigration. Explaining how Muslim communities have developed in individual countries, the book examines their origins, their present-day ethnic composition, organizational patterns, and the political, legal and cultural contexts in which they exist. The book also provides a comparative consideration of issues common to Muslims in all Western European countries, namely the role of the family, and questions of worship, education, and religious thought.In the third edition, all country-related chapters have been substantially updated. A new chapter has also been added on southern Europe, where the maturity of a new generation has seen moves toward political integration.

This text examines the evolving fate of Europe's Muslims; comparing the status, role and perceptions of these communities across Europe and Western Europe following the demise of communist authoritarianism.

A useful introduction to the social, political, cultural and religious position of Muslims living in contemporary Europe. It describes the history of early European Muslims and outlines the causes and courses of twentieth-century Muslim immigration.

The voices in this book belong to parliamentarians, city councillors, doctors and engineers, a few professors, lawyers and social workers, owners of small businesses, translators, and community activists. They are also all Muslims, who have decided to become engaged in political and civic organizations. And for that reason, they constantly have to explain themselves, mostly in order to say who they are not. They are not fundamentalists, not terrorists, and most do not support the introduction of Islamic religious law in Europe - especially not its application to Christians. This book is about who these people are, and what they want. This book is based on three hundred interviews with European Muslim leaders from six European countries: Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands, Great Britain, France, and Germany. The question of Islam in Europe is not a matter of global war and peace but raises difficult questions about the positions of Christianity and Islam in public life, and about European identities. Europe's Muslim political leaders are not aiming to overthrow liberal democracy and to replace secular law with Islamic religious law. Those are the positions of a minority. There is not one Muslim position on how Islam should develop in Europe but many views, and most Muslims are rather looking for ways to build institutions that will allow European Muslims to practice their religion in a way that is compatible with social integration.