Islam and European muslims - In conversation with Husein Kavazović

The presence of Islam in Europe has prompted an often acrimonious debate on the role, rights and obligations of Muslims in European societies. Far Right populists have seized on the arrival of mostly-Muslim refugees and migrants from Asia, Africa and the Middle East and the recent ISIS-inspired terrorist attacks in Europe to further intensify their anti-Islam diatribes. As the debate on Islam’s place in Europe becomes increasingly difficult and security-focused, it is important to remember that Islam has deep historic roots in Europe and that while some of Europe’s estimated 44 million Muslims are marginalised or radicalised, a vast majority are law-abiding and tax-paying citizens who are active in politics, business, education and the arts.

• Are European governments and the European Union doing enough to stop the spread of anti-Muslim hate and combat the negative narrative on Islam?
• What role can European Muslims play in addressing the challenges, dangers, and threats posed by irresponsible and extremist individuals and groups who claim to act in the name of Islam and Muslims?
• Can the experience of Bosnian Muslims, who have practised Islam for more than 500 years in an open and tolerant way within a secular state, be shared and made relevant to other European Muslims?
• Is enough being done by the leaders of Europe’s Muslim communities to ensure the emergence and development of a truly “European Islam” which responds to the realities of modern-day Europe?
• Is there a fast track to integrating Muslims in the West or is it the case “Western values” are incompatible with those of Muslims in Europe?

Related content:
Friends of Europe: Europe must remain a safe place for Muslim reformers, by Shada Islam
Europe’s World: Together we can save our children from terrorism, by Afzal Khan