(Il)liberal Europe: Islamophobia, Modernity and Radicalization

Europe sees itself as embodying the ideals of modernity, especially in relation to democracy and the respect for human rights. Faced on the one hand with the need for public recognition of a new population of Muslim identity, and the threat of violent radicalization on the other, Europe is falling prey to the politics of fear and is tempted to compromise on its professed ideals.

Reflecting on the manifestations and causes of the contemporary fear of Islam gaining ground in contemporary Europe, as well as on the factors contributing to the radicalization of some Muslims, (Il)liberal Europe: Islamophobia, Modernity and Radicalization offers a diversity of perspectives on both the challenges to social cohesion, and the danger of Islamophobia encouraging a spiral of co-radicalization. Combining empirical studies of several European countries with a comparative account of India and Europe, the book analyzes vital issues such as secularity, domophilia, de-politicization, neo-nationalism, the European unification project and more. Spanning a variety of disciplinary approaches, the volume offers novel insights into the complex landscape of identity politics in contemporary Europe to widen the scope of intellectual inquiry. This book was originally published as a special issue of Politics, Religion & Ideology.

Introduction: Islamophobia, European Modernity and Contemporary Illiberalism1. ‘Alien Religiosity’ in Three Liberal European States2. Swiss Shock: Minaret Rejection, European Values, and the Challenge of Tolerant Neutrality3. Something Varied in the State of Denmark: Neo-nationalism, Anti-Islamic Activism, and Street-level Thuggery4. In Defense of Ho(s)tels: Islamophobia, Domophilia, Liberalism5. Islam and the Quest for a European Secular Identity: From Sovereignty through Solidarity to Immunity6. Islam, Depoliticization and the European Crisis of Democratic Legitimacy7. Radicalization in Prison: The French Case8. Mohamed Merah: From Petty Criminal to Neojihadist

Natalie J. Doyle is Deputy Director of the Monash European and EU Centre, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia, and part of the editorial collective for the journal Social Imaginaries. She has researched European social and political thought, classical and contemporary, with particular reference to interpretations of modernity. She is particularly interested in the place of religion in modernity.

Irfan Ahmad, is an anthropologist and Senior Research Fellow at the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Religious and Ethnic Studies in Gottingen, Germany. He is the author, most recently, of Religion As Critique: Islamic Critical Thinking From Mecca to the Marketplace and founding co-editor of the Journal of Religious and Political Practice.