Muslim communities in Europe: Reconstruction and transformation

This article introduces issues relevant to the presence of Muslims in Europe. While European nations are still in the process of acknowledging the diversity and rich cultural heritages of Muslim communities, Muslims are adjusting to living as minorities within a non-Muslim society. The predominant `us'/`other' dichotomy embedded in historical and political encounters has raised significant issues affecting mutual integration and acceptance. On the one hand, European essentializing of both their own and Muslim cultures has fixed the integration debate in static stereotypes. On the other hand, Muslims in search of social cohesion are increasingly attracted to the concept of a fixed, homogeneous supranational ummah. However, both majority and minority communities are undergoing transformation and restructuring that is centred around the negotiation of new composite identities, changing family patterns and relationships, political activism and the fight against social exclusion.