Tariq Ramadan’s «European Islam» as a project of rethinking the logic of cultural identity

Abstract

The present article examines the theoretical foundations of the «European Islam» project, that can be understood as a set of the following factors: a new understanding of the «universal» and «individual» correlation in Islam, differentiation of sharia and fiqh, deconstruction of traditional (in terms of «Islamic sacred geography») opposition between «the world of Islam» and «the world of infidelity». This project deserves serious attention as an attempt to re-conceptualize the very essence of cultural identity. The author demonstrates that the existential motive for developing Tariq Ramadan’s theory is the urge to overcome the «inferiority complex» of Islamic youth inEurope. The path of integration of Muslims into the European environment presented by Ramadan’s project leads to their energy being redirected to more constructive endeavors, so that they can actively participate in building a common future society and politics. The author proves, that the notion of «European Muslim» transforms the concept of «European citizenship», even for Christian and secular people inEurope.