Reconceptualizing Islam in Europe

Dear Colleagues,

This issue tries to explore the potential of contextualizing the Islamic  culture in the European institutional environment. This experiment, that must be directed by scholars and experts, is necessary for the following arguments.

1. The first is a matter of fact but involves also the important field of Communication and Media: Muslims are today a relatively small minority in Europe, making up roughly 5% of the population. The Muslim share of Europe’s total population has been increasing steadily and will continue to grow in the coming decades. Despite the numbers, yet, the perception of the Islamic Ummah settled in Europe fosters Islamophobia, resentment and hostility toward the community and its members. The scope of this section is to focus on the reasons of this striking contradiction and to mind about consequences and possible remedies.
2. The second is a legal argument: in the spirit of pluralism the “European Union”, as a new international entity, was built. “United in diversity” is the motto of the European Union, first came into use in 2000, and it should signify how Europeans have come together, in the form of the EU, to work for peace and prosperity, while at the same time being enriched by the continent’s many different cultures, traditions, languages, and religions. This paradigm is the frame where the accommodation of the Ummah, with her special characteristics, must take place. The scope of this section is to contribute to the legal debate on this point, outlining policies and legal instruments to insert Islamic internal plurality in European pluralism.
3. The third is a socio-economic argument: “Religious Economics” is the field of studies cultivated by philosophers, theologians and economists who seek to evaluate economic policies on the basis of religious premises. The so called “Islamic economics”, which is rule based system, has shown growth globally, including in Europe. is considered as a pathway of social inclusion as it involves Muslim economic actors.

Essays on single arguments will be welcome, as are on the general topic of Islam and Muslims in Europe. More in general, the scope of this issue is cosmopolitan by nature, that is generating a “virtuous circle” in the European legal jurisprudence melting the asset of the Islamic law with the European pluralist and democratic spirit. The basic assumption of this argument is that the current situation of discrimination and marginalization of the Ummah in Europe should improve with a better understanding of the pluralistic vein of the Islamic law, when implemented by the pervasive and pragmatic function of the European theory of pluralism.

Prof. Dr. Giancarlo Anello
Guest Editor

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• Islam
• Europe
• Legal and Cultural Pluralism
• Democracy