Constructing the ‘European Muslim Crisis’

This Reprint interrogates the dominant narratives constructing a supposed ‘European Muslim crisis’. The collection originates from a Special Issue of the journal Religions and provides a critical, multidisciplinary examination of the discourses, policies, and everyday realities shaping contemporary Muslim life in Europe. The contributing authors systematically contest the dominant depiction of Muslim communities as perpetually in crisis. Instead, the volume explores the active and innovative methods through which Muslims address and counteract oversimplified, generalised representations of their identities and religious practices. The research investigates how individuals and communities navigate their religious affiliations within varied national frameworks of secularism, church–state relations, and multiculturalism. This collection advances beyond singular interpretations of Islam or Muslims; it studies the specific, lived experiences of diverse populations, such as Hazara migrants in Scotland and third-generation Turkish women in The Netherlands, highlighting processes of adaptation, agency, and individualisation. Key themes addressed include the persistent securitisation of Muslim populations, the mechanisms of institutionalised Islamophobia, the dynamics of identity construction amid policies such as the British Values agenda, and the recent political mobilisation of European Muslims in response to geopolitical events. This Reprint provides essential and timely analysis for scholars and policymakers involved in sociology, security studies, criminology, public policy, and Islamic studies.