Islam in Europe Diversity, Identity and Influence

'Perhaps no mistake is greater in discussion of the contemporary world than the belief that identity is one-dimensional, and fixed, and that, on its own, religion, as part of such identity, can explain social and political behaviour. The essays in this volume challenge such simplistic ideas in general, and the particular variant that is applied to Muslims, in the Middle East and in Europe, and as much by Islamist fundamentalists as by western observers. In disaggregating 'identity' and in demonstrating the many varieties of ethnicity, context, religious practice, class belonging and political affiliation of the Muslims who live in Europe, Aziz al-Azmeh and Effie Fokas have produced a book of great relevance to public debate and academic research alike. Professor Fred Halliday, LSE and author of 100 Myths About the Middle East