exploring muslim identities in europe & north america

Although not directly related to the theme of this weblog I felt it was important to dedicate a note to the Words of Women from the Egyptian Revolution project which  sheds light on, and documents the participation of women in the Egyptian revolution. Although the Egyptian middle class is over-represented in the women interviewed, the sheer diversity of outlooks, lifestyles and pathways to taking part in the protests and the movement that surrounds them reveals the complexity of the social dynamics in Egypt today. And, more importantly, the voices of the women interviewed are voices of determination, courage, steadfastness and resilience, yet, at the same time, they are voices of ordinary people, simple, devoid of bravado and pretense. This is a worthy project that explores the encounter of the mundane and the trivial with the heroic, that injects the experiences of ordinary women in a male-dominated collective memory. And although  the enunciators are women...

A report on Muslim Participation in Contemporary Governance published by the Centre for the Study and Citizenship at University of Bristol, examines British Muslims’ inclusion in governance related to the areas of equality and cohesion; faith sector governance; and security. Drawing upon an analysis of public policy since 1997, 112 interviews with key policymakers and Muslim activists, as well as case studies of Birmingham, Leicester, and the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, the report suggests that ”Muslims have become increasingly visible in governance recently” and that, through a combination of developments within national level legislation and policy and increasing Muslim activism in the areas of equalities and the recognition of Muslim distinctiveness within legislation and social policy. Overall, the report evaluated the degree of activity and effectiveness of Muslim interaction with government in three key areas: presence, voice and impact. The report asks a number of signif...

Introduction: Back to the Drawing Board: Rethinking Multiculturalism Spyros A. Sofos   &   Roza Tsagarousianou pages 263-271 The Terror in Norway and the Multiculturalist Scapegoat Elisabeth Eide pages 273-284 European Muslim Audiences and the Negotiation of Belonging Roza Tsagarousianou pages 285-294 Ethno-Cultural Clusters and Russian Multicultural Cities: The Case of the South Russian Agglomeration Oxana Karnaukhova pages 295-305 ‘And People's Concerns Were Genuine: Why Didn't We Listen More?’: Nationalism, Multiculturalism and Recognition in Europe Umut Ozkirimli pages 307-321 excerpt from the introductory article Immigration and the Limits of Tolerance Current debates about immigration in Europe, in many ways are not that dissimilar to those of the 1980s as they still revolve around the question of whether (national) societies have the capacity to ‘absorb’ people with different cultures and values. This qu...

In the video below (in Greek with English subtitles), Anna Stamou, Public Relations at MEE (Greek Muslim Union), speaks at Tatiana Stefanidou's show "Αξίζει να το Ζείς", on Star Channel. The conversation revolves around  her decision to convert to Islam and, perhaps more importantly, her decision to wear the hijab. This was a very positive moment for Muslims in Greece, especially for those who have converted to Islam and face disapproval and marginalization. Stamou's presence in the programme went some way to challenge representations of Islam and Muslims as alien - she represented an example of both boundary crossing (converting to Islam) and challenging boundaries (as she did not fit to the stereotype of an "outsider", of someone who "did not quite belong").  Having said that, interestingly, the discussion was advertised as focusing on the " Greek woman who married to the President of the Muslims [Greek Muslim Union] and wore the...

Michael Gove, Secretary of State for Education, has reignited a row over plans for a mosque in his constituency, remarking cryptically that there were “other reasons” it should not be built to replace an existing facility with no washing facilities or toilet. “It would mean the replacement of a handsome Victorian building with a building which would not fit in with the street scene in Camberley and, because of the way it would overlook the Royal Military Academy, would not be appropriate for all sorts of other reasons.” (http://politicalscrapbook.net/2011/04/michael-goves-other-reasons-for-opposing-a-mosque/) Gove's "all sorts of other reasons" is effectively a misnomer for questioning the place of Islam in British urban space and, ultimately, British society. The underlying discourse is deeply hierarchical and, for lack of a better word, ethnocentric.  It prioritizes the "handsomeness" of Victorian architecture and the "Britishness...

originally published as  'Muslimska föreningar i Malmö och Lund – en ögonblicksbild' in islamologi.se on December 2nd, 2010 and translated from the Swedish original by Spyros A. Sofos   By Erica Li Lundqvist & Leif Stenberg History The first large groups of Muslims arrived in Sweden during the 1960s and 1970s.[19] They mainly consisted of guest migrants from Turkey and former Yugoslavia, and were then followed by a wave of family reunification –widespread during the late 1970s and early 1980s. During the mid-1980s, asylum seekers from Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria and Turkey started arriving in Sweden and at the end of the decade they were joined by asylum seekers from Somalia and Kosovo. [20] The subsequent Yugoslav disintegration meant that a large number of Muslim Bosnian refugees came to Sweden, the majority of whom have settled in Malmö. [21] To all these different Muslim migrants one should add a number of Swedes who have converted to Islam. Despite their s...

originally published as  'Muslimska föreningar i Malmö och Lund – en ögonblicksbild' in islamologi.se on December 2nd, 2010 and translated from the Swedish original by Spyros A. Sofos By Erica Li Lundqvist & Leif Stenberg If we compare with the Lund municipal statistics from 2006, 136 different countries of origin are represented, with the largest group coming from Nordic countries (21%) followed by Germany (7.1%), the US (4.9%), Poland (4.8 %) and Iraq (4.7%). A total of 1635 people originate in Asia, with Iraq being the single largest country. The district of North Fäladen has the largest proportion of foreign nationals (1468), representing 13% of its population. [13] According to Imam Ali Ibrahim, of Lund's Islamic Center, there are approximately between 4 and 5,000 Muslims in the town, however, not all of them practicing. [14] During a typical Friday visit, for example, to the mosque, there are around 90 people while the larger festivals can attract u...