An eastern scholar’s study of Muslims in west
Europe is home to around 50 million Muslims. But, has it culturally been a homeland to the minority community in the post-9/11 world, where sweeping generalisations and insouciant policies fuel a string of new societal, political and intellectual challenges?
Similarly, are the Muslims, who have benefited from the European economic opportunity and creative freedom, integrating into the mainstream systems, and rising to the occasion in terms of an intellectual discourse towards a multicultural peaceful coexistence?
How will the rise of ISIS militancy, which has drawn thousands of Europeans into Syria and Iraq, and the new US-led NATO fight against militants in yet another Muslim country sharpen perceptions on both sides? And what are the best ways to promote better understanding and relations between different religions and communities in today’s Europe?
These are some of the thoughts that underpin the quest of a forthcoming book by Dr Akbar Ahmed, Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies at Washington’s American University…
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