Publications

Before the immense changes of the 2011 ‘Arab Spring’, it was Sunni-Shia sectarian rivalry that preoccupied most political analyses of the Middle East. This book presents wide-ranging and up-to-date research that sheds light on the political, sociological and ideological processes that are affecting the dynamics within, as well as the relationships between, the Shia and Sunni worlds. The growing tensions and occasional clashes between believers in the two main strands of Islam have been major concerns. Upheavals within the Shia sphere of influence had altered the relationship: the Iranian revolution of 1979 changed the politics of Iranian Shiism, and impacted on Shia communities regionally, while the 2003 Anglo-American invasion of Iraq initiated a new phase of tension in Sunni-Shia relations. The spectre of a sectarian war in Iraq, a diplomatic and military offensive against the Lebanese Hezbollah and a potentially nuclear armed Iran (along with Tehran’s support for Hamas) prompted King Abdullah II of Jordan to warn of an emerging ‘Shia crescent’. However, away from such grand geopolitical gestures, Sunni-Shia relations are being rearticulated through an array of local, regional and global connections. This book presents wide-ranging and up-to-date research that sheds light on the political, sociological and ideological processes that are affecting the dynamics within, as well as the relationships between, the Shia and Sunni worlds. Among the themes discussed are the ideological and doctrinal evolutions that are taking place, the contextualisation of the main protagonists’ political practices, transnational networks, and the role of intellectuals, religious scholars and the media in shaping and informing this dynamic relationship.

This volume provides an overview on the history of the Muslim Brotherhood and the ways its heritage is appropriated by its European members today. They define themselves as the “community of the middle way”, in the centre of Islamic orthodoxy, proposing an ethos and an ideology. However their heritage is composed of many different intellectual strata and these inputs are in tension. The current movement is both powerful and fragile as certain fundamental principles remain respected while many other themes are currently being cautiously questioned. By analysing private interviews and public discourse, this book fills in an important gap in scholarly research. No other in-depth study exists about this little known and reserved but important reference for European Muslims.

Drawing on qualitative research conducted in Brussels, Wallonia and Flanders, Islam and Turks in Belgium examines the interdependence between Muslim community and association. With a focus on social groups, religious structures and circles within Turkish populations, this book demonstrates how communal and associative movements operate through a combination of relationships of proximity and distance. Proximity is a way in which Muslim organisations establish religious, social, and cultural ties with communities. Distance, on the other hand, takes into account social, historical, and political elements from abroad, and refers to the relationship with the Muslim world more broadly. As this reciprocal web of relations gives rise to Islamic mobilisations, it leads to the emergence or persistence of different figures of authority within associations and communities who articulate traditional, charismatic, and bureaucratic legitimacies. This book will be of interest to students and scholars of the sociology of religion, migration, race, ethnicity and Islamic studies.

This report presents the current stakes concerning the Muslim presence in Europe. It adresses four main areas: organizational processes underway within Muslim communities; the questions of education and leadership; the juridical profiles and political management of Muslims; cohabitation as a decision to live together. Based on the findings of the study, proposals are made.

This volume describes a clear and overall overview on contemporary European Islam, dealing with both Western and Eastern sides. Based on wide bibliographic research as well as original national contributions from recognised scholars, it is concerned with the process of construction of Islam as well as its co-inclusion in the European societies.

The Yearbook of Muslims in Europe provides an up-to-date account of the situation of Muslims in Europe. Covering 37 countries of western, central and south-eastern Europe, the Yearbook consists of three sections: the first section presents a country-by-country summary of essential data with basic statistics with evaluations of their reliability, surveys of legal status and arrangements, organizations, etc. providing an annually up-dated reference resource. The second section contains analysis and research articles on issues and themes of current relevance written by experts in the field. The final section provides reviews of recently published books of significance. The Yearbook is an important source of reference for government and NGO officials, journalists, and policy makers as well as researchers.

The Yearbook of Muslims in Europe provides an up-to-date account of the situation of Muslims in Europe. Covering 46 countries of Europe from the Atlantic to the Urals, the Yearbook consists of three sections: the first section presents a country-by-country summary of essential data with basic statistics with evaluations of their reliability, surveys of legal status and arrangements, organisations, etc. Data have been brought up to date from the first volume. The second section contains analysis and research articles on issues and themes of current relevance written by experts in the field. The final section provides reviews of recently published books of significance. The Yearbook is an important source of reference for government and NGO officials, journalists, and policy makers as well as researchers

The Yearbook of Muslims in Europe provides an up-to-date account of the situation of Muslims in Europe. Covering 46 countries of Europe in its broader sense, the Yearbook consists of three sections: the first section presents a country-by-country summary of essential data with basic statistics and evaluations of their reliability, surveys of legal status and arrangements, organisations, etc. Data have been brought up to date from the previous volume. The second section contains analysis and research articles on issues and themes of current relevance written by experts in the field. The final section provides reviews of recently published books of significance. The Yearbook is an important source of reference for government and NGO officials, journalists, and policy makers as well as scholars

This book is a philo­so­phical study of Islamic law. It argues that Islamic legal herme­neutics are best under­stood as an ethics of practical reason. As such, Islamic legal herme­neutics is grounded in the Anti­quity’s tradi­tion which engaged legal inter­pre­ta­tion as ethics. The mono­graph covers both pre-modern modern Islamic theo­ries of law.