Muslim Active Citizenship in the West

This insightful book is the result of a comparative study conducted in Australia, Germany and the United Kingdom funded by the Australian Research Council. The researchers conducted twenty-five extensive open-ended face-to-face interviews in English or German with leading figures. The interviewees were selected on the basis of their leading role in community organisations and public opinion-making. The selected interviewees were justified on the basis that the researchers considered them to be able to talk with authority on a range of grassroots initiatives that have taken place in their respective countries and to articulate the ways in which Muslim groups have worked to overcome obstacles to their social and political inclusion. According to the researchers, the thematic ground that was covered by most interviews, with varying emphasis, depended on the individual’s expertise and interest and included the following areas: Muslims’ socio-economic situation, the public and political portrayal of Islam, national citizenship and diversity policy framework, accommodation of religious needs, Muslim active participation and claim-making, Muslim communities’ approaches to inclusion and participation, and the risk-factors of radicalization and ways to address them. Their fieldwork was carried out between June 2011 and March 2012.