When Islam and Democracy Meet: Muslims in Europe and in the United States

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-x

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2. From Clash to Encounter

   1. Introduction: From Clash to Encounter

      • Jocelyne Cesari

      Pages 1-7

3. The Numbers Debate

   1. The Numbers Debate

      • Jocelyne Cesari

      Pages 9-18

4. Islam and the West: Mutual Transformation

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 19-19

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   2. Islam as Stigma

      • Jocelyne Cesari

      Pages 21-42

   3. The Secularization of Individual Islamic Practice

      • Jocelyne Cesari

      Pages 43-63

   4. The Secularization of Islamic Institutions in Europe and the United States: Two Approaches

      • Jocelyne Cesari

      Pages 65-88

5. The Imagined Community

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 89-89

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   2. The Absolutized Community

      • Jocelyne Cesari

      Pages 91-109

   3. The Virtual Community

      • Jocelyne Cesari

      Pages 111-122

6. The Reinvented Community: New Figures of Islamic Authority in the West

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 123-124

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   2. Bureaucratic and Parochial Leaders

      • Jocelyne Cesari

      Pages 125-140

   3. Transnational Leaders and Charismatic Speakers

      • Jocelyne Cesari

      Pages 141-158

   4. The Reformation of Islamic Thought

      • Jocelyne Cesari

      Pages 159-174

   5. Toward a Reconciliation of Islam and the West?

      • Jocelyne Cesari

      Pages 175-181

7. Back Matter

   Pages 183-267

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Exploring the woefully neglected reality of Islam as a major cultural and relgious facet of American and European politics and societies, Cesari examines how Muslims in the West are challenging the notion of an inevitable clash or confrontation. With nearly twelve million Muslims living in the larger countries of Western Europe and almost six million in America, the challenges of integrating newcomers within different countries, and the place of Islam in democratic and secular context in the post 9/11 context, have become more pertinent. Comparing the interaction of Muslims with their new countries, this book addresses the implications of increased Islamic visability, violent clashes, beneficial cooperation, and questions within the Muslim community about their role and the role of Islam in democratic states. Pursuing a holistic approach to Muslims as a new minority within western democracy, Cesari provides important insights.

• democracy
• Islam
• politics

'Wide-ranging and thoughtful...contributing greatly to our understanding of contemporary intra-Muslim politics.' - Karen Leonard, University of California, Irvine, USA

'A pioneering attempt to engage in a comparative study of Muslim experiences on both sides of the Atlantic.' - Ali S. Asani, Harvard University, USA

'A close reading of Cesari's book leaves the reader with a desire for more; not only regarding the many topics she discusses, but also concerning the numbers and the practical information she offers. This book deserves a future edition.' - Tirza Visser, International Journal of Public Theology

Jocelyne Cesari, is a political scientist, specializing in contemporary Islamic societies, globalization and democratization. She is Senior Research Fellow at the Berkley Center for Peace, Religion and World Affairs at Georgetown University. At Harvard University, she directs the international research program called 'Islam in the West." She has written numerous articles and books on Islam, Globalization, Democratization and Secularism in Western and Muslim-majority contexts. Her most recent publications include Encyclopedia of Islam in the United States (2007), Muslims in the West After 9/11: Religion, Politics and Law (2010), and The Awakening of Muslim Democracy: Religion, Modernity and the State (2013).

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