New Book – Muslim Diaspora in the West

I had the honour of writing a chapter for a new volume Muslim Diaspora in the West edited by Haideh Moghissi and Halleh Ghorashi The book is the product of two workshops, one in Toronto and one in Amsterdam. In my chapter Understanding Dutch Islam – Exploring the Relationship of Muslims with the State and the Public Sphere in the Netherlands, I explore the culturalization of citizenship with the shifting modes of governance of minorities and the secular and the religious in the Netherlands during the last 30 years. This shift with a growing emphasis on cultural integration of migrants (focused on sexual and secular freedoms, tolerance and women’s rights), a defense of secular identity and a more compelling political populism with its focus on the Dutch moral community of citizens, a counter-radicalization policy emerges mainly directed against the Salafi movement.

The Netherlands has often been characterized as an open, tolerant country that changed into the opposite after 9/11 and the murder of van Gogh by a radical Moroccan-Dutch Muslim. It is stated that the secular freedoms of Dutch society are threatened by radical Islam. In this chapter I will explore the dominant model of managing religion in the Netherlands and problematize an unquestioned opposition between the secular and the religious by critically investigating the secularist assumptions of the Dutch state policy of domesticating Islam. A basic tenet of the Dutch model is treating Islam and Muslims as outsiders who do not belong to the Dutch moral community. Combined with recent changes in the public debates about Islam such as going from a consensual style to a confrontational style and the culturalization of citizenship the dominant political praxis of secularism leads to stimulating and integrating a so-called ‘liberal’ Islam while excluding a more assertive version of Islam that is labelled as ‘radical. As such, Dutch secularism does not advocate the complete removal of religion in the public sphere, particular strands of visible Islam are categorized as ‘radical’ and therefore to be excluded from the public domain. One of the main functions of the distinction between ‘liberal’ and ‘radical’ Islam is to create unity among the political elites who are divided over the management of religion but agree that ‘radical’ Islam does not belong to Dutch society.

During my stay in Toronto (and during the flights to Toronto and back) I enjoyed in particular the conversations with Frank Buijs, author of one of the first extensive books on radicalism among Muslim youth in the Netherlands. It seems that sometimes you have to travel to other side of the world in order to have a good conversation with a person who only lives 100km from you. Many thoughts in this chapter emerged during the discussions with him during our flight to Toronto and back. Unfortunately, Frank Buijs died suddenly in 2007. It is to him I dedicate my chapter.

In view of the growing influence of religion in public life on the national and international scenes, the volume Muslim Diaspora in the West constitutes a timely contribution to scholarly debates and a response to concerns raised in the West about Islam and Muslims within diaspora. It begins with the premise that diasporic communities of Islamic cultures, while originating in countries dominated by Islamic laws and religious practices, far from being uniform, are in fact shaped in their existence and experiences by a complex web of class, ethnic, gender, religious and regional factors, as well as the cultural and social influences of their adopted homes.

Within this context, this volume brings together work from experts within Europe and North America to explore the processes that shape the experiences and challenges faced by migrants and refugees who originate in countries of Islamic cultures. Presenting the latest research from a variety of locations on both sides of The Atlantic, Muslim Diaspora in the West addresses the realities of diasporic life for self-identified Muslims, addressing questions of integration, rights and equality before the law, and challenging stereotypical views of Muslims. As such, it will appeal to scholars with interests in race and ethnicity, cultural, media and gender studies, and migration.

Contents:

• Introduction, Haideh Moghissi;

Part I Women’s Agency Within Intersection of Discourses:

• Culturalist approach of women’s emancipation in the Netherlands, Halleh Ghorashi;
• Globalization and women’s leadership in the Muslim diaspora: an intersectional analysis, Fauzia Erfan Ahmed;
• Emergence of a transnational Muslim feminist consciousness among women in the WENAAZ (Western Europe, North America, Australia & New Zealand) context, Cassandra Balchin.

Part II Shifting Notions of Sexuality and Family in Diaspora:

• Multiculturalism and religious legislation in Sweden, Anne Sofie Roald;
• Iranians in Britain, Vida Nassehi-Behnam;
• Changing spousal relations in diaspora: Muslims in Canada, Haideh Moghissi;
• Sexing diaspora: negotiating sexuality in shifting cultural landscape, Fataneh Farahani.

Part III Reflections on Islamic Positionings of Youth in Diaspora:

• Styles of religious practice: Muslim youth cultures in Europe, Thijl Sunier;
• The struggle to stay on the middle ground: the radicalization of Muslims in Sweden, David Thurfjell;
• Young French women of Muslim descent: discriminatory social context and politicization, Sepideh Farkhondeh.

Part IV Diasporic Space and Locating Space: Making homes in turbulent times:

• Moroccan-Dutch Muslims contesting dominant discourses of belonging, Marjo Buitelaar and Femke Stock;
• Understanding Dutch Islam: exploring the relationship of Muslims with the state and the public sphere in the Netherlands, Martijn de Koning;
• Between Iraq and a hard place: Iraqis in diaspora, Jacqueline Ismael and Shereen Ismael;
• Conclusion, Halleh Ghorashi;

Index.

About the Editor:
Haideh Moghissi is Professor of Sociology and Women’s Studies at York University, Toronto

Halleh Ghorashi is PaVEM-chair in Management of Diversity and Integration in the Department of Culture, Organization, and Management at VU University Amsterdam

• Imprint: Ashgate
• Published: December 2010
• Format: 234 x 156 mm
• Extent: 236 pages
• Binding: Hardback
• ISBN: 978-1-4094-0287-9
• Price : £55.00 » Website price: £49.50
• BL Reference: 305.6’97’091713-dc22
• LoC Control No: 2010026830