Muslim Active Citizenship in the West investigates the emergence and nature of Muslims' struggle for recognition as full members of society in Australia, Great Britain and Germany. What actions have been taken by Muslims to achieve equal civic standing? How do socio-political and socio-economic factors impact on these processes? And how do Muslims negotiate their place in a society that is often regarded as sceptical - if not hostile - towards Muslims' desire to belong? This book sheds new light on Muslims' path towards citizenship in Australia, Great Britain and Germany. Existing research and statistics on Muslims' socio-economic status, community formation, claim-making and political responses, and the public portrayal of Islam are systematically examined. These insights are tested 'through the eyes of Muslims', based on in-depth interviews with Muslim community leaders and other experts in all three countries. The findings offer unique perspectives on Muslim resilience to be recognised as equal citizens of Islamic faith in very different socio-political national settings. Pursuing an interdisciplinary and comparative approach, this book examines the country-specific interplay of historical, institutional, political, and identity dimensions of Muslims' active citizenship and will be invaluable for students and researchers with an interest in Sociology, Religious Studies and Political Science.

Muslim Active Citizenship in the West investigates the emergence and nature of Muslims' struggle for recognition as full members of society in Australia, Great Britain and Germany. What actions have been taken by Muslims to achieve equal civic standing? How do socio-political and socio-economic factors impact on these processes? And how do Muslims negotiate their place in a society that is often regarded as sceptical - if not hostile - towards Muslims' desire to belong? This book sheds new light on Muslims' path towards citizenship in Australia, Great Britain and Germany. Existing research and statistics on Muslims' socio-economic status, community formation, claim-making and political responses, and the public portrayal of Islam are systematically examined. These insights are tested 'through the eyes of Muslims', based on in-depth interviews with Muslim community leaders and other experts in all three countries. The findings offer unique perspectives on Muslim resilience to be recognised as equal citizens of Islamic faith in very different socio-political national settings. Pursuing an interdisciplinary and comparative approach, this book examines the country-specific interplay of historical, institutional, political, and identity dimensions of Muslims' active citizenship and will be invaluable for students and researchers with an interest in Sociology, Religious Studies and Political Science.

This edited volume explores various facets of Muslims' civic engagement in Western post-secular societies, fundamentally challenging simplistic boundaries between Islamic ethical conduct and liberal-democratic norms and practice. Bringing together scholars from sociology, anthropology, and Islamic theology, the collection offers sound theoretical and empirical elaborations on the complex ways in which Islamic piety, principles and norms interact with, and shape, Muslims' everyday practice of volunteering as a performance of active citizenship in liberal societies. The contributions cover diverse manifestations of Muslim volunteering in North America, Europe and Australia, from environmentalism to mental health volunteering, and critically examine the national and global socio-political context within which certain forms of Muslims' civic engagement are viewed with skepticism and suspicion. It will be of use to students and scholars across sociology, political science, community studies and Islamic studies, with a focus on migrant integration, diaspora studies, and inter-ethnic relations.

This edited volume explores various facets of Muslims' civic engagement in Western post-secular societies, fundamentally challenging simplistic boundaries between Islamic ethical conduct and liberal-democratic norms and practice. Bringing together scholars from sociology, anthropology, and Islamic theology, the collection offers sound theoretical and empirical elaborations on the complex ways in which Islamic piety, principles and norms interact with, and shape, Muslims' everyday practice of volunteering as a performance of active citizenship in liberal societies. The contributions cover diverse manifestations of Muslim volunteering in North America, Europe and Australia, from environmentalism to mental health volunteering, and critically examine the national and global socio-political context within which certain forms of Muslims' civic engagement are viewed with skepticism and suspicion. It will be of use to students and scholars across sociology, political science, community studies and Islamic studies, with a focus on migrant integration, diaspora studies, and inter-ethnic relations.

This book explores Muslims' civic and political participation in Australia and Germany, shedding light on their individual experiences, motives for, and personal implications of their multi-faceted engagement. Based on in-depth interviews with Muslims who have been active within a Muslim community context, mainstream civil society and the political arena, this comparative study reveals the enormous complexities and dynamics of active Muslim citizenship. The author paints a picture of Muslims as 'almost ordinary' citizens, who - despite experiences of stigmatisation and exclusion - often seek to contribute to the advancement of society and the promotion of social justice. Their civic engagement, even within a Muslim community context, builds intra- and cross-community networks, and contrary to widespread contestation of Islam and its place in the West, their faith is anything but a civic obstacle to their active citizenship agenda. This book will be of interest to scholars and students in the fields of Sociology, Politics, Islamic Studies, Sociology of Religion and Political Participation.

This book is the first to elaborate on radical and extreme right movements in contemporary Australia. It brings together leading scholars to present cutting edge research on various facets and manifestations of Australia's diverse far-right, which has gained unprecedented public presence and visibility since the mid-2010s. The thematic breadth of the chapters in this volume reflects the complexity of the far-right in Australia, ranging from the attitudes of far-right populist party voters and the role of far-right groups in anti-mosque protests, to online messaging and rhetoric of radical and extreme right-wing movements. The contributions are theoretically grounded and come from a range of disciplines, including media and cultural studies, sociology, politics, and urban studies, exploring issue of far-right activism on the micro and macro level, with both qualitative and quantitative research methods.

This book is the first to elaborate on radical and extreme right movements in contemporary Australia. It brings together leading scholars to present cutting edge research on various facets and manifestations of Australia's diverse far-right, which has gained unprecedented public presence and visibility since the mid-2010s. The thematic breadth of the chapters in this volume reflects the complexity of the far-right in Australia, ranging from the attitudes of far-right populist party voters and the role of far-right groups in anti-mosque protests, to online messaging and rhetoric of radical and extreme right-wing movements. The contributions are theoretically grounded and come from a range of disciplines, including media and cultural studies, sociology, politics, and urban studies, exploring issue of far-right activism on the micro and macro level, with both qualitative and quantitative research methods.

The book focusses on the historical emergence and contemporary challenges of Muslim community organizations and their struggle for recognition as ordinary voices in multiethnic and multi-religious civil societies of Western democracies. It offers a range of different perspectives on how Muslim communities position themselves and navigate the social and political landscape shaped by, on the one hand, normalization of ethno-religious diversity and, on the other, ongoing misrecognition and essentialisation of Muslims in the West. The contributions from internationally acclaimed scholars as well as emerging researchers from Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Switzerland and Australia shine new light on both country-specific similarities and divergences.