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 ofinterest to scholars and students in the fields of Sociology,
Politics, Islamic Studies, Sociology of Religion and Political Participation.
