Introduction

Abstract

Abstract The introduction establishes key arguments and questions at the heart of Muslims in Modern Europe. Being Muslim in Europe, it shows, was not simply a confessional identity or a matter of belief, but a legal category enshrined in decades of legal codes, institutionalized in the structures of state institutions, and embedded in European frameworks for political and cultural belonging. It demonstrates that Muslims in southeastern Europe were Europeans, and their histories need to be included as part of core European histories. Muslims in Europe were certainly victims of oppressive power structures, disingenuous negotiations, and discrimination. But they fought for the right to define the place of Islam in their states and societies, shaping the European project itself.