Isim – Workshop Muslim Religious Authority
Isim organizes: Workshop Muslim Religious Authority in Europe
30 September 2005 – 1 October 2005
Venue: Leiden University, Spectrum room,
Plexus building, Kaiserstraat 25, Leiden
Convenors: Frank Peter & Elena Arigita
Organized in cooperation with Zentrum Moderner Orient (ZMO)
Current processes of institutionalization of Islam in Western Europe display some paradoxical features. Muslims and non-Muslims alike often emphasize the egalitarianism inherent in Islam. In recent years, however, discussions on who is entitled to claim religious authority have become an increasingly prominent feature of Europe�s Muslim communities. This phenomenon, which may be seen in part as a response to the political need for representative Muslim spokespersons, is at the same time challenged by processes of religious individualization and the diversification of the Muslim associational network. This workshop explores approaches able to capture the complex development of Muslim religious authority in the new Western European context.