Description

Islam in the West: Beyond Integration offers an overview and a profile of Muslims living in the West, their identity, integration and citizenship. The book tries to answer some hard questions surrounding the interplay between religious and national identities, and how these two types of identities negotiate their place in the hearts of Western Muslims.

Case studies cover constructive integration in Canada, assimilation in France and the exclusionist approach in Bosnia. Some answers to the questions on citizenship are presented from an Islamic perspective, taking into account Islamic formative principles -- the Qur'an and Sunnah (the Prophetic tradition) -- as they pertain to the globalized world of today. This includes an examination of historical perspectives found in the scholarly discourses on citizenship unearthed from early Muslim history as well as from contemporary times. These issues are analyzed through the prism of a religiously pluralistic and culturally diverse society.