Localizing Islam in Europe: Turkish Islamic Communities in Germany and the NetherlandsIn the twentieth century, Muslim minorities emerged in Europe seeking work, a refuge from conflict, and higher life standards. As a result, there are now more than 12 million Muslims in Western Europe. As these immigrants became permanent residents, the Islamic communities they developed had to respond to their European context, reinterpreting Islam in accordance with local conditions. In Localizing Islam in Europe, Yükleyen brings this adaptation to light, demonstrating how Islam and Europe have shaped one another and challenging the idea that Islamic beliefs are inherently antithetical to European secular, democratic, and pluralist values. Yükleyen compares five different religious communities among Muslim immigrants in the Netherlands and Germany that represent a spectrum from moderate to revolutionary Islamic opinions. Drawing on extensive fieldwork, he finds that, despite differences in goals and beliefs, these communities play an intermediary role, negotiating between the social and religious needs of Muslims and the socioeconomic, legal, and political context of Europe. Yükleyen’s rich ethnography shows that there is no single form of assimilated and privatized “European Islam” but rather Islamic communities and their interpretations and practices that localize Islam in Europe. |
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activists Alevi caliph citizenship communities and organizations cultural debate Despite develop DİB Diyanet İşleri Başkanlığı Dutch authorities Dutch Milli Görüş Dutch society Erbakan ethnic ethno-national European European Islam fatwa Fethullah Gülen followers forms of Islam Germany gious goal Görüş leaders groups Gülen community hatim headscarf Hoca imams integration inter-religious dialogue interpretation of Islam Interview Islam in Europe Islamic communities Islamic field Islamic interpretations Islamic knowledge Islamic organizations Islamitische İstanbul Kaplan community Karacaer labor larger society Metin Kaplan migration Moroccan munity Muslim immigrants Muslims in Europe Nederland Netherlands non-Muslims North Milli Görüş Nursi official organizational Party percent political Islamic public sphere Quranic courses relations religion religious activism religious authority religious discourse religious field religious interpretations religious knowledge revolutionary Islamic Risale-i ritual role Rotterdam secular social organization spiritual Sufi Sufi orders Süleymanlı Süleymanlı community tion Tunahan Turkey Turkish immigrants Turkish Muslims Turks Ümmet-i Muhammed Ünye