Islam in a Changing Europe

Abstract

The conference Islam in a Changing Europe was held amid growingconcern about the future of Islamic and other minority conununities inEurope. The organizers, Hafiz Mirza and David Weir (both at the ManagementCentre), Waqar Ahmad, Charles Husband, and Reg Walker (Departmentof Social and Economic Studies), regarded it as opportune forseveral reasons. First, the Gulf War, the tragic situation in Bosnia, and thecontinuing crises throughout Europe and the Middle East are grim buttimely reminders of the tensions pervading European and Islamic relations,despite strong political, social, and economic ties of mutual interest.The impact on European Muslims is of particular concern, as they are thelarge t minority in Europe and thus primary targets of the "new" racism.Second, this precarious position is further affected by the EuropeanCommunity's pursuit of a Single European Market and, ultimately, a unifiedpolity. The large Islamic communities in the EC, the geographicalproximity of the Islamic world, and the "demonization" of Islam in thewe tern media and political imagination rai e the specter of "Europeanness"being defined in contradistinction to "Islam." Rising fasci t attackson minority conununities throughout Europe are the harbinger of dimgersthat must be understood and addressed now. Moreover, these attacks aremerely the overt manifestations of underlying social change in Europe.The implications for Muslims in Europe need to be examined, as they arcpotentially more invidious because of their subtle and subliminal impact.Finally, and symbolically, in marked contrast to the triumphalist celebrationsin Spain and elsewhere, and a a warning that today's racist andfascist attacks on "non-Europeans" have deep-rooted historical antecedents,it is worth recalling that 1992 is also the five-hundredth anniversaryof the European invasion of the Americas, the expulsion of theJews from Spain, and the extinction of the Muslim kingdom of Granada.In sum, the organizers opined that the position of all minorities willbe thrown into harp relief by the European quest for identity as the majoritycultures of the EC (and further afield) seek to integrate. Islamwould perforce act as the "Other" for a variety of reasons. The focus onIslam was not intended to suggest that the consequences of ongoing276 The American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences 102events in Europe for other minorities were insignificant, but that Islambeingon the front line, as it were-could be treated as a metaphor for theserious predicament of all minorities in a changing Europe. With the helpof a contribution of six thousand pounds sterling from CCETSW (theCentral Council for Education and Training in Social Work), the conferencewas convened to examine the many issues relating to "Islam in aChanging Europe" at both the conceptual and the concrete levels.The conference took place over three days. The fitst day looked atbroader conceptual and historical issues, including "The Other as Islam,""Muslim Communities of Europe," and "citizenship and Participation."FolIowing an initial address by Cllr. Mohammed Ajeeb (Deputy Leaderof Bradford Council), the discussion was initiated by five papers: YasminAlibhai-Brown, "Islam in a Changing Europe: Issues of Citizenship andParticipation"; Noshaba Hussain, "Islam in a Changing Europe: An AlternativePerspective"; Hafiz Mim, "Some Reflections on the EuropeanPerimeter"; Haleh Afshar, "Identity Ascribed and Adopted: The Dilemmaof Muslim Women in Europe"; and Ali Hussein, "Culture, Faith and PoliticalIdeology: Islam in an International Context."The second day was devoted to more concrete case studies: education(initiated by Moeen Yaseen's "Islam and the Educational Systems ofEurope," with David Weir acting as discussant); immigration (PaulGordon, "Islam as Europe's Other: Restrictive Immigration Policy as aResponse to the Muslim Presence," with S. I. Ananthakrishan as the discussant);gender and social policy (Sitara Khan, "Muslim Women inBritain: The Lessons of Experience"); and social welfare (Charles Husbandand Waqar Ahmad, "Religious Identity, Welfare and Citizenship:The Case of Muslims in Britain," with David Divine as the discussant).The final day examined practical strategies relating to specific areasof concern via a series of workshops, including ones on education (convener:Abdul Mabud); women (Noshaba Hussain); and participation(Mansur Ansari). In addition, to round off the conference, two views onMuslim futures were presented by Ishtiaq Ahmad and Zaki Badawi.The whole conference was characterized by a forthright openness.Participants disagreed explicitly and at length, and the invited speakerspresented analyses that were partisan and undiluted by euphemism. Yetwhile the discussions were robust and many different positions werevigorously asserted and defended, there was an exceptional lack of personalanimosity. There was a very real sense of dialogue between the participantsand a commitment to sharing both analyses and experience.The mixture of Islamic scholars, community activists, academics, andother interested individuals, as well as of Muslims and non-Muslims,proved to be an important ingredient in facilitating the successful exchangeof perspectives. What may be incapable of retrieval in the bookthat is planned to follow up the conference will be the atmosphere of ...