Post-Islamism and the Governance of Muslim Minorities: A Comparative Study of Muslim Democratic Practices in Western Europe
Keywords:
Post-Islamism, European Muslims, Democracy, Integration, Religious minoritiesAbstract
The presence of a large Muslim community in postwar Western Europe, now exceeding 25 million people, is one of the most significant socio-political phenomena shaping the contemporary European landscape. This community stands at the intersection of pressures to integrate into Europe's liberal democratic order and the desire to preserve religious identity. This study examines how the concept of post-Islamism helps explain the evolving political thought and practice of Muslim minorities in three Western European countries, France, Germany, and the Netherlands, each of which follows a distinct integration model. Using a qualitative comparative approach grounded in discourse analysis, policy review, and literature synthesis, the study finds that Muslim communities in the three countries display varied yet related patterns of identity negotiation and democratic participation that together illustrate a rich post-Islamist condition. Second- and third-generation Muslims increasingly adopt forms of democratic participation without abandoning their religious commitments, producing hybrid identities that unsettle simple oppositions between "Islam" and "the West". These findings affirm the relevance of post-Islamism for understanding diasporic Islam and carry implications for European integration policy, particularly the need to recognise internal diversity among European Muslims rather than treating them as a homogeneous bloc.
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