Overhauling Islam: Representation, Construction, and Cooption of "Moderate Islam" in Western Europe

Abstract

In the wake of September 11 and the attacks in Amsterdam, London, and Madrid, governments in Western Europe have initiated bold and controversial new policies aimed at the institutionalization of a moderate, Euro-friendly Islam. Official agendas range from relatively benign encouragement of the integration of immigrant populations and discouragement of extremism, to the explicit attempt to impose a state-approved formula for the organization of Islamic communities. Despite widely divergent legacies of church-state rela tions and seemingly disparate nationalist traditions, European governments appear to be converging on a common solution to their Muslim problem—religion-change and the construction of an acceptable Islam. This essay will highlight the growing trend among European governments to adopt interventionist policies in the religious affairs of Muslims since September 11, focusing on two that are particularly central to the agendas of the respective state: (1) institutionalizing representative Islamic bodies ana empowering designated Muslim interlocutors, and (2) facilitating the construction and maintenance of