Producing Islamic Knowledge: Transmission And Dissemination In Western Europe

Book Summary

How do Muslims in Europe acquire discursive and practical knowledge of Islam? How are conceptions of Islamic beliefs, values and practices transmitted and how do they change? Who are the authorities on these issues that Muslims listen to? How do new Muslim discourses emerge in response to the European context? This book provides a comprehensive discussion of these deceptively simple questions about Islam and Muslims in Europe. Four key areas where the production and/or reproduction of Islamic knowledge take place are singled out for in-depth treatment. The first of these concerns fatwas, authoritative answers in response to explicit questions. The second area is the setting of much formal and informal transmission of Islamic knowledge, the mosque and mosque association. Third is the role of Muslim intellectuals in articulating alternative Muslim discourses. The final area is that of higher Islamic education in Europe, the institutions in which imams and other religious functionaries are trained. Featuring contributions from leading sociologists and anthropologists, the book presents the findings of empirical research in these issues from a range of European countries such as France, Italy, the Netherlands and Great Britain.

Book Details