Islam in Europe: The Lure of Fundamentalism and the Allure of Cosmopolitanism

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Islam in Europe is a book full of striking images: the assassination of and the death threats against artists and intellectuals; violent demonstrations demanding Sharia law for Europe; and acts of terrorism, Also detailed are European political initiatives and, in some cases, new laws that forbid the wearing of the burka in public spaces, the ban on minarets in Switzerland, and other efforts to keep Western culture "pure." But there is another reality, as NilxFC;fer GxF6;le describes it from her own life experience: Muslims who are politicians in European parliaments; scholars teaching in European universities; and artists who use this creative intercultural exchange as a theme in their art. More visible are the hundreds of thousands of students, workers, merchants, and professionals who participate in every aspect of public lifewithout concealing their heritage. GxF6;le sees the best hope for a modern and European Islam in the Muslim women who--in contrast to the men--demonstrate their commitment to their heritage by wearing head scarfs while participating in modern Western life. In manifesting their professional and public experience in their own communities, they become the agents of change and modernism. GxF6;le thus sees European Islam as "feminine," in contrast to the male-dominated traditional Islam.