Islam in Liberal Europe: Freedom, Equality, and Intolerance

by Kai Hafez

Overview

Islam in "Liberal" Europe provides the first comprehensive overview of the political and social status of Islam and of Muslim migrants in Europe. In addition to offering a critical assessment of positive and negative trends in Islamic-Western relations, Kai Hafez also engages in a theoretical debate revolving around integration, tolerance, multicultural liberalism, and modern liberal democracy. Assessing Islamophobia as it is manifested in politics, society, media, academia, school, and churches, the author debates the question of whether liberal society in Europe, in order to avoid a growing gap between integrative politics and discriminatory societies, needs a complete renewal not only of political ideologies but also of cultures and institutions.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781442229518
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	02/07/2014
Pages:	416
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Kai Hafez is chair and professor of international and comparative media and communication studies at the University of Erfurt, Germany.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Is Liberal Society Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde? Chapter 1: Politics and Law Chapter 2: Society Chapter 3: Media Chapter 4: The Academy and Education Chapter 5: Religious Institutions Conclusion: The Reinvention of Liberal Society in Europe Bibliography

Editorial Reviews

The 16th-century Peace of Westphalia, ending the Hundred Years War, is considered a milestone on the road to removing sectarian conflicts from the arenas of war and politics in Western Europe. Now that the Muslim population in Western Europe exceeds five percent, is rapidly rising, and is concentrated in a relatively small number of urban areas, new sets of challenges to church-state relations—long thought dormant—are reemerging. Hafez’s careful comparisons of the legal, political, cultural, and intellectual challenges flowing from these demographic changes show just how unsettled these issues are. His in-depth analyses of France, Germany, and the UK, in particular, show surprising variations both in public attitudes and legal approaches to mosque/state issues. Blatant prejudice against Muslims, Hafez shows, is characteristic not just of some of the more virulent rightist parties but is also found in the mainstream media, in centrist politics, and in academia.. . .[H]is case for a reexamination of the true nature of multicultural liberalism, secularism, and religious tolerance is timely and on point. This is an important book, raising important questions about challenging issues. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduate, graduate, and research collections.

Choice Reviews

Kai Hafez’s book offers a theoretical and systematic basis for one of the key questions of European migratory society—the integration of Islam.

Klaus J. Bade

Kai Hafez gets to the bottom of the most essential questions of our time.

Wiener Zeitung

Hafez’s well-documented argument and theoretically founded reflections reach far beyond the usual critique of Islamophobia.

Internationale Politik

The 16th-century Peace of Westphalia, ending the Hundred Years War, is considered a milestone on the road to removing sectarian conflicts from the arenas of war and politics in Western Europe. Now that the Muslim population in Western Europe exceeds five percent, is rapidly rising, and is concentrated in a relatively small number of urban areas, new sets of challenges to church-state relations—long thought dormant—are reemerging. Hafez’s careful comparisons of the legal, political, cultural, and intellectual challenges flowing from these demographic changes show just how unsettled these issues are. His in-depth analyses of France, Germany, and the UK, in particular, show surprising variations both in public attitudes and legal approaches to mosque/state issues. Blatant prejudice against Muslims, Hafez shows, is characteristic not just of some of the more virulent rightist parties but is also found in the mainstream media, in centrist politics, and in academia.. . .[H]is case for a reexamination of the true nature of multicultural liberalism, secularism, and religious tolerance is timely and on point. This is an important book, raising important questions about challenging issues. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduate, graduate, and research collections.

CHOICE

The 16th-century Peace of Westphalia, ending the Hundred Years War, is considered a milestone on the road to removing sectarian conflicts from the arenas of war and politics in Western Europe. Now that the Muslim population in Western Europe exceeds five percent, is rapidly rising, and is concentrated in a relatively small number of urban areas, new sets of challenges to church-state relations—long thought dormant—are reemerging. Hafez’s careful comparisons of the legal, political, cultural, and intellectual challenges flowing from these demographic changes show just how unsettled these issues are. His in-depth analyses of France, Germany, and the UK, in particular, show surprising variations both in public attitudes and legal approaches to mosque/state issues. Blatant prejudice against Muslims, Hafez shows, is characteristic not just of some of the more virulent rightist parties but is also found in the mainstream media, in centrist politics, and in academia. . . .[H]is case for a reexamination of the true nature of multicultural liberalism, secularism, and religious tolerance is timely and on point. This is an important book, raising important questions about challenging issues. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduate, graduate, and research collections.

Choice