Muslim Integration Research Articles

Transnational Circulation of Ideas

Abstract During the Republican period, Chinese Muslim intellectuals engaged with both local Chinese and transnational Muslim thinkers as they selected, adapted, and appropriated from these different streams of thought. One reformist movement that appealed to a considerable number of Chinese Muslim intellectuals was the Ahmadiyya of India, which was considered “heterodox” by the majority of “orthodox” Muslims. This article explores how and why these prominent Chinese Muslims were attracted to the Ahmadiyya movement. It argues that Ahmadiyya, despite its marginal nature, offered an alternative interpretation of Islam to Chinese Muslims, who were looking for theological grounds that would enable them to argue for the compatibility of Islam and modernity and guarantee the integration of Muslims into modern China without jeopardizing their distinct Muslim identity.

Countering Radicalization in the North Caucasus

Abstract By the mid-2010s, a significant decrease in the number of jihadists in the North Caucasus, in addition to internal ideological differences, was facilitated by fundamental factors: the lack of mass support in local Muslim communities, the anti-terrorism activities of the state, its informational and ideological support, and the policy of post-conflict integration. The number of supporters of the Caucasus Emirate decreased due to the split after the 2014 Olympics in Sochi; in 2015, the Caucasus Emirate officially ceased its activities, and after 2017, the flow of radical Islamists leaving Russia and joining ISIS stopped—violent extremism has begun to de-escalate in the region. To reduce ethnoreligious extremism and strengthen the integration of Muslims into Russian society, the federal government adopted a multi-level deradicalization strategy, including anti-terrorism operations and a large-scale policy of co-optation and support for moderate Russian Muslim leaders and their traditional communities.

Wearing Many Hats: Chinese Muslim General Bai Chongxi and the Chinese Muslim Association during the War of Resistance

Abstract Bai Chongxi’s illustrious military career needs no introduction for military historians. What is less recognized is his influence on the development and integration of Chinese Muslims into the KMT’s national agenda during the War of Resistance. Bai leveraged his military positions to advance the aims of Chinese Muslims through his participation in the first national association for Chinese Muslims. By putting Bai’s military successes and failures during the War of Resistance into conversation with his efforts to mobilize Muslims, we see how his efforts were central to state making and nation building beyond the battlefield. In the ongoing reassessment of the Republican Era, showcasing the contributions of top generals like Bai off the battlefield presents an alternative narrative to the ongoing rehabilitation of the KMT. Bai’s influence furthers our understanding of KMT leaders in the making of modern China beyond the often-solitary focus on Chiang Kai-shek’s particular vision for the Chinese nation.

The Problem of Citizenship and the Question of Social Rights for Muslims in France

This study presents a definition of the problem of Muslim integration in the French public sphere, including the policy of discrimination between Muslim and non-Muslim citizens. It discusses a series of racist practices that have led to the suppression of the religious and social rights of Muslims in France. The study poses a general question: What is the situation of Muslims in France, and what is the nature of their citizenship in French? This question addressed in four sections covers: firstly, citizenship in the French manner; secondly, the dilemma of citizenship for Muslims in France; thirdly, the social status of the Muslim community in France; and finally, the arguments of the far-right against the social participation of Muslims. Using a descriptive approach, the study concludes that the citizenship of Muslims in France faces a real dilemma despite the widespread media propaganda about the fairness of French official policy towards the rights and social roles of Muslims.

İSLAMIN ALMANİYANIN DÖVLƏT-DİN MÜNASİBƏTLƏRİ SİSTEMİNDƏ YERİ

The Place of Islam in the System of State-Religion Relations in Germany Summary The German government regulates its relationship with Islam within the framework of state-religion relations reflected in the country's Constitution and based on democratic values. However, despite this, only the Christian and Jewish religious communities have the status of officially recognized religious communities in the country. Muslim communities operate in a semi-legal state. In modern times, such issues as regulating the relations between Islam and the state, controlling İslam, and ensuring the integration of Muslims into German society are the necessary issues facing the state in relation to Islam. These important issues are being implemented by the German Islamic Conference (AIC). The article examines the activities of AIC. Key words: Islam, Germany, state-religion relations, German Islamic Conference

Not in my House: EU-citizenship among East-Central European Citizens: Comparative Analyses

Abstract The successes of right -wing populist parties in Central and Eastern Europe, as well as a repeated distancing from the European Union, raise the question of whether there is such a thing as European citizenship at all. Citizenship is not understood as formal nationality, but as a sense of belonging. This ties in with the considerations of political cultural research. This article uses representative surveys to address the question: What about European Citizenship in Central and Eastern Europe? The results show that the feeling of belonging to the European Union in Eastern and Central Europe is better than its reputation and not lower than in Western Europe. However, there are differences in the recognition of plurality between the majority (not all) of Eastern European states compared to the majority of Western European states. In particular, the integration of Muslims is more strongly rejected. The same applies to the social acceptance of homosexuality. This partly explains the success of right -wing populists in Central and Eastern Europe and marks a certain cultural difference, which is primarily directed against a wet model of democracy that is considered too open to plurality. In short: Central and Eastern Europeans also see themselves as Europeans and EU members, but their ideas of a European democracy differ from Western ideas – especially in peripheral regions.

Danger of Drowning?

The integration of Muslims has been a core issue within German socio-political debates for over 20 years. The participation of Muslim pupils in certain school subjects, most prominently in school swimming lessons, has been a core issue within those larger debates. This article demonstrates that Germans, including Muslims in Germany, dispute not merely the participation of members of a religious minority in one of dozens of school activities. Rather, all parties involved negotiate recognition, share, and power within society at large. Muslims seek to take part in determining the character of a society they have been making a home since the 1960s. Inspired—among other factors—by Global Islam movements, they challenge notions of ethnic hegemony, the public visibility of different religions, and interpretations of liberalism, including aspects of gender equality. The article illustrates how the encroaching integration of Muslims in Germany led to the demand for respect for religio-cultural difference by a minority among them; and how the struggle by Muslims to become equal members of society created resistance among those in Germany who seek to protect their inherited share of influence. The development is also illustrated by court decisions about the degree of religious difference accepted in schools. As agents of change, Muslims have forced non-Muslim Germans to answer some uneasy questions about what they want society to be like. Key words: Islam in Germany, Islam Debate, Migration and Integration, Islam and Education, Islam and Swimming, Muslim Minorities in the West, Global Islam

Human Rights in Islamic Law and the Integration of Muslims in European Countries

The steady growth of Muslim communities in European countries makes possible conflict situations due to the difference between Eastern and Western worldviews. The study of the European experience of finding possible ways to overcome intercultural crisis situations is relevant and expedient from the point of view of possible further implementation into national legislation. To achieve the goal, a set of methods was used: dialectical (for objectivity and comprehensive knowledge of the institution of human rights, taking into account various factors (in particular, religion), formal-legal method (for establishing the content of legal norms, analyzing the practice of their application), methods of analysis and synthesis (for the analysis of the constitutional legislation of foreign countries, which enshrines human rights and freedoms) and others. The comparative legal method was used as the leading one. The article compares Muslim and European approaches to the nature and content of human rights. The key characteristics of the legal status of a person, peculiar to Islamic law, are highlighted in the aspect of bringing such an understanding of human rights to the European environment. The constitutional-legal institution of human rights and freedoms in European states is based on the natural-law concept in the conditions of a liberal democracy and a secular state. Constitutional and legal norms on human rights in Muslim countries establish the inalienable influence of religion. The measures taken by the authorities of European countries are not effective enough. Only compromises, mutual respect for culture and preservation of religious foundations, and the use of primarily legal means of conflict resolution on both sides will help reduce tension and resolve disputes that arise between Muslims and European society. On the basis of the analysis and synthesis of constitutional and legal acts, scientific works, etc., possible ways of avoiding the problems of integration of Muslim minorities in Europe are suggested.

Exiled at home: British Muslims' experiences of integration.

This article takes up the question of Muslim integration in the United Kingdom with one main argument: British Muslims, including those who are UK-born, endure wider exilic narratives that stand in clear contradiction to a rooted sense of belonging and equal citizenship. Referring to data from 12 months of ethnographic research, this article argues that integration as a lived experience for this community is ironically characterised by a range of exilic narratives entailing stereotyping, misrecognition, misrepresentation, and inequalities that put their sense of Britian as 'home' at stake. While these conditions do not necessarily work in the same way for all Muslims across their differences, they generally shape-in many different ways-their perceptions and understandings of belonging, home, and integration. Exploring everyday integration practices and dynamics in a local community, this paper discusses Muslims' sense of belonging and the barriers they encounter in achieving a sense of home. It investigates the roles of fear and citizenship built in inequalities in creating an exilic space that impinges on Muslims' sense of belonging. The analysis at the end extends this to highlight the responses and approaches Muslims adopt in their efforts to construct belonging in an exilic context.

Роль религии в консолидации мусульманских сообществ в странах ЕС: проблемы и перспективы

Population migration is a complex social process by its nature and diverse in forms and consequences. Migration in its essence is a multidimensional phenome- non, including demographic, ethno-religious, political, economic and other compo- nents. Ethno-religious migration processes are primarily ethnosocial and confessional factors leading to transformation in the territorial and social situation of individual representatives and groups of certain ethnic groups and confessions, which occur un- der the influence of socio-political and other factors. The experience of interethnic relations over the years clearly shows that misunderstandings and conflicts arise more often and manifest themselves more acutely in the multicultural world and polyethnic communities.The article examines the causes and consequences of the migration of Muslims to Europe, the prospects of increasing the number of Muslim population in the countries of the European Union. At the same time, the article pays special atten- tion to the reasons for the weak integration of Muslims, as well as the role of traditional values and religion in the consolidation of migrants and opposition to liberal European values. At the same time, the article reveals the reasons for the radicalization of Mus- lims in Europe and outlines the prospects for the development of integration processes in European Muslim communities. The author makes an attempt to show the role of religion in the process of preserving their identity by Muslims and in consolidation to solve social, economic and other problems.

Тавассул, истигаса и рабита как элементы суфийской ритуальной практики в контексте критики дагестанскими реформаторами-просветителями первой трети XX века

At the beginning of the 20th century, the ideas of Muslim reformism spread widely in the North Caucasus. Dagestani enlightening reformers (renovationists) in their works dealt with a wide variety of issues, such as the reform of Islamic education, Muslim law, “the women's question”, combating obso-lete adats, etc. On the whole, the reformers had a positive attitude toward Sufism, but criticized such elements of Sufi ritual practice as tavassul, istigasa, and rabita. Some of them went to even greater ex-tremes and even denied the legitimacy of Sufism from the point of view of the Qur'an and the Sunnah. This mainly concerned such disciples and followers of Ali Kayaev (1878–1943) as Mukhammad Abdar-rashida al-Harakani (1900–1927), Mukhammad ‘Umari al-Uhli (1897 – the mid 1940s), Mas'ud al-Muhuhi (1893–1941), Abdarrahim al-Aimaki (died in the 1980s), and Magomed-Said Saidov (1902–1985). Dagestani renovationists of the first third of the 20th century were representatives of the ethical direction in Islamic thought characterized by a modernizing orientation in their programmes, including in matters of Sufism. They set themselves the task of spiritual education of the Muslims of Dagestan under the conditions of an industrial society and scientific advancement at the beginning of the 20th century. The issue of spiritual purification through a new perception of Islam was part of their pro-gramme aimed to form a new inner image and worldview foundations of a Muslim, a citizen of the country and an architect of a new society in a difficult transition period of the era. To do this, they as-pired to “adapt” religion by finding and interpreting new ways for the progressive development of socie-ty with the goal of peaceful and equal integration of Muslims in the North Caucasus into the Russian legal space.

European Approaches to Stopping Islamophobia are Inadequate: Lessons for Canadians Combating Anti-Muslim Racism and Hatred

The United Kingdom, France, and Spain have in common a large and growing Muslim population. The influx of immigrants and refugees has left many European states fearful of Muslim migrants because they perceive potential increases in terrorism and job insecurity, which would have significant social and economic policy implications. European governments have sought to strengthen security measures and immigration laws, often with consequences that disproportionately and negatively affect Muslims. At the same time, European governments have increased their efforts to address Islamophobia and improve Muslim integration, partly in response to the growth in the reporting of anti-Muslim hate crimes. Each of the aforementioned states has adopted different approaches to tackle issues affecting Muslim communities. Although some of the countries (e.g., Spain) have taken positive approaches in the fight against Islamophobia, others (e.g., France) pave the way for social disintegration and segregation by entrenching low socioeconomic status, passing discriminatory laws, and blaming violent attacks on Muslims as a whole. It appears that the European nations examined in this comparative analysis have failed, to varying degrees upholding values of equitable diversity and encouraging meaningful dialogue with Muslim organizations. Their approaches demonstrate a clear lack of adequate governmental response to growing levels of Islamophobia.

Not Murat or Pašič, but rather Christianized Turks were the other inhabitants of “Lotmerk”

The contribution discusses Ottoman prisoners of war of Muslim faith that were baptized in Ljutomer or lived there. During the Great Turkish War 1683–1699, when by far the greatest number of both male and female Ottoman prisoners of war were baptized in Slovenian territory and Habsburg lands in general, the register of births kept by the parish of Ljutomer documents three cases of baptism, and one convert most likely came to Ljutomer after marrying in Sv. Lenart, in the wine-growing hills of Slovenske Gorice. On the other hand, the origin of persons from the Ottoman state cannot be determined based exclusively on family names such as Murat and Pašič. The contribution puts the problem concerning the baptism and integration of Muslims in a broader spatial and temporal context.

Not Murat or Pašič, but rather Christianized Turks were the other inhabitants of “Lotmerk”

The contribution discusses Ottoman prisoners of war of Muslim faith that were baptized in Ljutomer or lived there. During the Great Turkish War 1683–1699, when by far the greatest number of both male and female Ottoman prisoners of war were baptized in Slovenian territory and Habsburg lands in general, the register of births kept by the parish of Ljutomer documents three cases of baptism, and one convert most likely came to Ljutomer after marrying in Sv. Lenart, in the wine-growing hills of Slovenske Gorice. On the other hand, the origin of persons from the Ottoman state cannot be determined based exclusively on family names such as Murat and Pašič. The contribution puts the problem concerning the baptism and integration of Muslims in a broader spatial and temporal context.

Not Murat or Pašič, but rather Christianized Turks were the other inhabitants of “Lotmerk”

The contribution discusses Ottoman prisoners of war of Muslim faith that were baptized in Ljutomer or lived there. During the Great Turkish War 1683–1699, when by far the greatest number of both male and female Ottoman prisoners of war were baptized in Slovenian territory and Habsburg lands in general, the register of births kept by the parish of Ljutomer documents three cases of baptism, and one convert most likely came to Ljutomer after marrying in Sv. Lenart, in the wine-growing hills of Slovenske Gorice. On the other hand, the origin of persons from the Ottoman state cannot be determined based exclusively on family names such as Murat and Pašič. The contribution puts the problem concerning the baptism and integration of Muslims in a broader spatial and temporal context.

Isma‘il Gasprinsky on integration of Muslims into socio-political space of the Russian Empire

The article examines the socio-political “Muslim project” put forward at the turn of the XIX–XX centuries by the famous Muslim figure, publisher and teacher Isma’il Gasprinsky (1851–1914), in the light of the problem of integration of Russian Muslims. A key factor in ensuring better social mobility of Muslims in the Russian Empire is the diverse initiatives of Isma’il Gasprinsky in the field of education. Moreover, Isma‘il Gasprinsky consistently advocated for restructuration and gradual unification of the Muslim spiritual assemblies in his own “Perevodchik-Terjiman” newspaper. At the same time, he justified the existence of this institution as a rational governing body for imperial Muslim subjects. Under the circumstances of the Russian Revolution of 1905 his attitude towards unification of Muslim spiritual assemblies has evolved into a paradigm of “national-cultural autonomy” for Russian Muslims. This idea, in particular, was proposed by the All-Russian Muslim Union, affiliated with Gasprinsky. This article argues that despite the questions, which this project posed, gradually transformed, the project itself kept following its dual, though, consistent aim. On the one hand, to consolidate Muslims as a particular group of subjects and inform them about the potential social opportunities in the imperial society, on the other, to assure the official authorities that imperial Muslims are eager to be integrated (not assimilated, though).

Muslim Minorities and Application of Islamic Law in Europe

This paper provides a comprehensive analysis of the findings in current research focusing on the implementation of Islamic law in Europe. It explores the concept of fiqh al-aqalliyyāt (minority jurisprudence) or context-specific jurisprudence and how it is debated and contested in Europe. While shedding light on a normative application of Islamic law, the paper focuses on the role and work of European Council for Fatwa and Research (ECFR) and how it has made an important contribution to addressing issues related to Muslim communities by issuing fatwas based on the methodology of fiqh al-aqalliyyāt. Since a wide range of actors both in Europe and the Islamic world currently voice calls in favour of integration of Muslims in Europe as opposed to assimilation and segregation, the paper attempts to understand the specific grammar of this integration talk and how it translates into fiqh discourse produced by the European Council for Fatwa and Research (ECFR).

Liberal-secular power and the traps of muslim integration in Western Europe.

Throughout the last decades, integration programmes in Western Europe have centrally revolved around debates on Muslim populations and the institutionalization of Islam. The concept of integration has become a master paradigm with which to structure plurality of immigration societies across Western Europe. Critically reflecting this inflation, this article argues that the integration of Muslims is animated by a contingent liberal-secular matrix through which the sovereign state, in close connection with civil society, is enabled to decide what counts as proper and improper religion. Integration directed toward Muslims as a "religious minority" is therefore indicative of the very problems that it purports to resolve. In a genealogical vein, the article begins by suggesting that integration is a liberal "recursion" of earlier projects of minority management such as assimilation and conditional recognition within emerging nation-states. It argues that the epistemological ground which animated the assimilatory forces of the modern nation-state has been intimately bound by an imperial knowledge order which classifies and hierarchizes people along a race-religion nexus. The analysis continues by dwelling on contemporary examples of state organized dialog with Muslims, and more specifically the establishment of Islamic Theology Chairs at state universities. Through these examples the article shows that the institutionalization of Islam in Europe reconfigures a pattern which conditionally embraces religious difference, while at the same time continuing hierarchical rankings and by transforming it to make it fit for religion's legitimate place in public life. Finally, the article suggests that the somatic aspirations prevalent in assimilation projects and imperial race-religion constellations are both inscribed and concealed in the frequent invocation of Muslims to reveal their loyalty to the liberal-secular contract by bracketing their religious sensibilities for the sake of secular reason.

THE PROCESS OF SETTLING MUSLIMS IN CHINA DURING THE MING DYNASTY

The article presents information about sociopolitical, economic, and cultural conditions of China in the XIV-XVI centuries, the spread of Islam in China and its adaptation to the local environment, the participation of Muslim nations in the social, economic, cultural life, and educational process of the country. During this period, the status of Muslims as a “community migrating from Central Asia” changed to the name of an “ethnic minority” firmly established in China. In the reign of the Ming Dynasty, the Hui Muslim population in Shanghai and Gansu increased even more. The Ming emperors granted Muslims certain religious, political, economic, and social freedoms. Most Muslims served in the Ming army and held senior military and civilian positions. The reign of Ming Taizu, one of the Ming emperors, was a period of social change for the Muslim community from outsiders to insiders. We can describe this period as a period in which Muslims are relatively adapting to Chinese cultural norms or experiencing a process of sinicization. In this regard, Muslim communities that lived peaceful and prosperous life during the Ming Dynasty underwent cultural changes. During the Ming period, regional differences were observed in the integration of Muslims into society. For example, Muslims living in the northern and southwestern regions of China were fully adapted to local conditions. Muslims in the Northwest, on the other hand, had maintained ethnic and religious identity, worldviews, and lifestyles.

What Does It Mean to be Danish? The Integration of Muslims in Denmark in a Historical Perspective

What Does It Mean to be Danish? The Integration of Muslims in Denmark in a Historical Perspective