Muslim Citizenship in Liberal Democracies : Civic and Political Participation in the West

Based on in-depth interviews with Muslims who havebeen active within a Muslim community context, mainstream civil society and thepolitical arena, this comparative study reveals the enormous complexities and dynamicsof active Muslim citizenship.

This book explores Muslims’civic and political participation in Australia and Germany, shedding light ontheir individual experiences, motives for, and personal implications of theirmulti-faceted engagement. Based on in-depth interviews with Muslims who havebeen active within a Muslim community context, mainstream civil society and thepolitical arena, this comparative study reveals the enormous complexities and dynamicsof active Muslim citizenship. The author paints a picture of Muslims as ‘almostordinary’ citizens, who – despite experiences of stigmatisation and exclusion –often seek to contribute to the advancement of society and the promotion ofsocial justice. Their civic engagement, even within a Muslim community context,builds intra- and cross-community networks, and contrary to widespreadcontestation of Islam and its place in the West, their faith is anything but acivic obstacle to their active citizenship agenda. Thisbook will be ofinterest to scholars and students in the fields of Sociology,Politics, Islamic Studies, Sociology of Religion and Political Participation.