Muslim Spaces of Hope

A plethora of books dealing with the question of Islam in Europe usually adopts a particular template which starts with the events of 9/11 and continues to the Madrid, London bombing and often concludes with the Danish cartoon controversy and the murder of the Dutch politician Pim Fortuyn. It is always refreshing when one comes across a book which ruptures that template and embraces the idea of ‘Muslim spaces on hope’ in the West. This collection of articles edited by Richard Philips is a useful, timely and important contribution.

Peter Hopkins’ article provides a valuable direction for the book. He starts with a plea for academics and cultural commentators to actively break down the world of binary opposites through which the Muslim question is framed. He shows how the question of ‘West versus the Muslim Rest’ or segregation is ‘bad’ whilst integration is ‘good’ is not a helpful or genuine way of approaching the study of Muslims in the West.