Producing Islamic Knowledge. Transmission and Dissemination in Western Europe * Edited by MARTIN VAN BRUINESSEN and STEFANO ALLIEVI

Abstract

This short but highly instructive book deals with Islam emerging in Europe as a regional variety of a world religion: Islam in (rather than of) Europe. (This being in contrast to Euro-Islam as conceived, though quite differently, by Bassam Tibi and Tariq Ramadan.) The editors, sociologists van Bruinessen (Utrecht) and Allievi (Padua), were able to enlist six other competent authors, among them Jonathan (Yahya) Birt (Leicester). In his opening chapter (pp. 1–27) van Bruinessen describes how ordinary Muslims in Europe develop their basic Islamic knowledge: via Qurʾān and prayer. For the author the enormous variety of Islam(s) here is due less to madhāhib than to linguistic and sectarian differences (Barelvis vs. Deobandis; pro and anti-Kemalist Turkish Muslims; Sufi affiliations; … ). On imāms, hocas or recteurs in Europe, the author identifies a tension. On the one hand, these imāms—mostly imported (and cheap)—are markedly inferior in education to Catholic priests and Protestant ministers (stars like Dalil Boubakeur and Larbi Kéchat are exceptions.) On the other hand, in Europe much more is expected from imāms than in the Muslim world: they must deal with Western-educated Muslims and (mostly non-Muslim) local authorities; provide a primary meeting place for the Muslim community; run near the mosques cafeterias, barber shops and bookshops, small supermarkets; offer language teaching, computer classes and ping-pong facilities … not to mention hosting large iftār invitations, which welcome also non-Muslims … Indeed, while mosques may be accused of being or encouraging ‘parallel societies’, they, and only they, can combat early school leaving and youth unemployment (p. 10).