Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-m6dg7 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-05T08:43:52.822Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

On the (In)compatibility of Islamic Religiosity and Citizenship in Western Democracies: The Role of Religion for Muslims’ Civic and Political Engagement

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 March 2018

Mario Peucker*
Affiliation:
Institute for Sustainable Industries and Liveable Cities, Victoria University (Australia)
*
Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Mario Peucker, Centre for Cultural Diversity and Wellbeing, Victoria University, Melbourne, Australia. E-mail: [email protected].

Abstract

Questioning the compatibility of Islam with liberal democratic principles has become a common argument in the public rhetoric across the socio-political spectrum. This article examines this claimed irreconcilability through the prism of a constitutive dimension of healthy democracies: active citizenship. Drawing on a systematic synthesis of recent studies, the article argues that, while it is impossible to ultimately decide whether Islam as a faith is compatible with liberal democratic norms, the lived religiosity of most Muslims is generally not an obstacle to civic engagement in non-Muslim majority countries; active involvement in mosques rather tends to enhance their active citizenship. Data from an explorative study on Muslims’ engagement in Australia and Germany allow new insights into the different ways civically active Muslims refer to their faith as a driver for their citizenship. Some describe it as a religious duty, while for others ‘serving humanity’ constitutes a fundamental aspect of lived religiosity.

Type
Article
Copyright
Copyright © Religion and Politics Section of the American Political Science Association 2018 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Adamczyk, A., and Pitt, C.. 2009. “Shaping Attitudes about Homosexuality: The Role of Religion and Cultural Context.” Social Science Research 38:338351.Google Scholar
Adler, R. P., and Goggin, J.. 2005. “What Do We Mean By ‘Civic Engagement.’” Journal of Transformative Education 3:236253.Google Scholar
Ayers, J. W., and Hofstetter, C. R.. 2008. “American Muslim Political Participation, Following 9/11: Religious Beliefs, Political resources, Social Structures, and Political Awareness.” Politics and Religion 1:326.Google Scholar
Bellamy, R. 2010. “Introduction.” In Citizenship, eds. Bellamy, R., and Palumbo, A.. Farnham: Ashgate, xixxv.Google Scholar
Cesari, J. 2013. Why the West Fears Islam: An Exploration of Islam in Western Liberal Democracies. New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan.Google Scholar
Crick, B. 2008. “Democracy.” In SAGE Handbook of Education for Citizenship and Democracy, eds. Arthur, J., Davis, I., and Hahn, C.. London: SAGE, 1319.Google Scholar
Cultural and Indigenous Research Centre Australia (CIRCA). 2010. Civic and Social Participation of Australian Muslim Men. Leichhardt: CIRCA.Google Scholar
Dana, K., Wilcox-Archuleta, B., and Barreto, M.. 2017. “The Political Incorporation of Muslims in the United States: The Mobilizing Role of Religiosity in Islam.” Journal of Race, Ethnicity, and Politics 2:170200.Google Scholar
Dunn, K., Atie, R., Mapedzahama, V., Ozalp, M. and Aydogan, A.. 2015. The Resilience and Ordinariness of Australian Muslims. Sydney: ISRA/Charles Sturt University.Google Scholar
Environics Institute. 2016. Survey of Muslims in Canada 2016. Toronto: Environics Institute.Google Scholar
Fleischmann, F., Martinovic, B., and Böhm, M.. 2016. “Mobilising mosques? The role of service attendance for political participation of Turkish and Moroccan minorities in the Netherlands.” Ethnic and Racial Studies 39:746763.Google Scholar
Giugni, M., Michel, N., and Gianni, M.. 2014. “Associational Involvement, Social Capital and the Political Participation of Ethno-Religious Minorities: The Case of Muslims in Switzerland.” Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies 40:15931613.Google Scholar
Halm, D., and Sauer, M.. 2005. Freiwilliges Engagement von Türkinnen und Türken in Deustchland (Volunteer Engagement of Turks in Germany). Essen: Zentrum for Türkeistudien.Google Scholar
Halman, L. 2003. “Volunteering, Democracy, and Democratic Values.” In The Values of Volunteering Cross-Cultural Perspectives, eds. Dekker, P., and Halman, L.. New York, NY: Kluwer, 179198.Google Scholar
Harris, A., and Roose, J.. 2014. “DIY Citizenship amongst Young Muslims: Experiences of the ‘Ordinary.’Journal of Youth Studies 17:794813.Google Scholar
Hoskins, B. L., and Mascherini, M.. 2009. “Measuring Active Citizenship through the Development of a Composite Indicator.” Social Indicators Research 90:459488.Google Scholar
Isin, E. F. 2008. “Theorising Acts of Citizenship.” In: Acts of Citizenship, eds. Isin, E.F., and Nielsen, G. M.. London: Zed Books, 1543.Google Scholar
Isin, E. F., and Nielsen, G. M.. eds. 2008. Acts of Citizenship. London: Zed Books.Google Scholar
Isin, E. F., and Turner, B.S.. 2002. “Citizenship Studies: An Introduction.” In Handbook of Citizenship Studies, eds. Turner, B.S., and Isin, E.F.. London: Sage Publications, 110.Google Scholar
Jabir Al-Alwani, T. 2004. “Towards a Fiqh for Minorities. Some Reflections.” In Muslims' Place in the American Public Square: Hope, Fears, and Aspirations, eds. Bukhari, Z. H., Nyang, S. S. Ahmad, M., and Esposito, J. L.. AltaMira: Walnut Creek, CA, 337.Google Scholar
Jakubowicz, A., Collins, J. and Chafic, W.. 2012. “Young Australian Muslims: Social Ecology and Cultural Capital.” In Muslims in the West and the Challenges of Belonging, eds. Mansouri, F., and Marotta, V.. Carlton: Melbourne University Press, 3459.Google Scholar
Jamal, A. 2005. “The Political Participation and Engagement of Muslim Americans: Mosque Involvement and Group Consciousness.” American Politics Research 33:521544.Google Scholar
Johns, A., Mansouri, F., and Lobo, M.. 2015. “Religiosity, Citizenship and Belonging: The Everyday Experiences of Young Australian Muslims.” Journal of Muslim Minority Affairs 35:171190.Google Scholar
Jones, R. P., Cox, D., Galston, W.A., and Dionne, E. J.. 2006. What it Means to be American. Attitudes in and Increasingly Diverse America Ten years after 9/11. Washington, DC: Brookings Institution and the Public Religion Research Institute.Google Scholar
Kalmijn, M., and Kraaykamp, G.. 2017. “Determinants of Cultural Assimilation in the Second Generation. A Longitudinal Analysis of Values about Marriage and Sexuality among Moroccan and Turkish Migrants.” Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies doi:10.1080/1369183X.2017.1363644.Google Scholar
Kazemipur, A. 2017. “Reckoning with the Minority Status: On Fiqh al-aqalliyyat al-Muslema (Jurisprudence of Muslim Minorities).” In Muslim Community Organizations in the West. History, Developments and Future Perspectives, eds. Peucker, M., and Ceylan, R.. Wiesbaden: Springer, 1334.Google Scholar
Lipka, M. 2017. Muslims and Islam: Key Findings in the U.S. and around the World. Washington, DC: Pew Research Center.Google Scholar
Madkhul, D. 2007. Supporting Volunteering Activities in Australian Muslim Communities, Particularly Youth. Melbourne: Volunteering Australia.Google Scholar
March, A. F. 2009. Islam and Liberal Citizenship. The Search for an Overlapping Consensus. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
McAndrew, S., and Sobolewska, M.. 2015. “Mosques and Political Engagement in Britain. Participation or Segregation?” In Muslims and Political Participation in Britain, ed. Peace, T. London: Routledge, 5381.Google Scholar
McAndrew, S., and Voas, D.. 2014. “Immigrant Generation, Religiosity and Civic Engagement in Britain.” Ethnic and Racial Studies 37:99119.Google Scholar
Monash University. 2009. Mapping Employment & Education among Muslim Australians. Caulfield East: Monash University.Google Scholar
Morgan, G., and Poynting, S.. eds. 2012. Global Islamophobia: Muslims and Moral Panic in the West. Farnham: Ashgate.Google Scholar
Mouffe, C. 1992. “Preface. Democratic Politics Today.” In Dimensions of Radical Democracy: Pluralism, Citizenship, Community, ed. Mouffe, Ch. London: Verso, 114.Google Scholar
Mustafa, A. 2016. “Active Citizenship, Dissent and Civic Consciousness: Young Muslims Redefining Citizenship on Their Own Terms.” Identities: Global Studies in Culture and Power 23:454469.Google Scholar
Nagel, A., and El-Menouar, Y.. 2017. Engagement fuer Geflüchtete – eine Sache des Glaubens? Die Rolle der Religion für die Flüchtlingshilfe (Engagement for Refugees – A Question of Faith? The Role of Religion for the Civic Support of Refugees). Gütersloh: Bertelsmann Stiftung.Google Scholar
O'Loughlin, B., and Gillespie, M.. 2012. “Dissenting Citizenship? Young People and Political Participation in the Media-security Nexus.” Parliamentary Affairs 65:115137.Google Scholar
Peucker, M., and Akbarzadeh, S.. 2012. “The Vicious Cycle of Stereotyping: Muslims in Europe and Australia.” In Muslims in the West and the Challenges of Belonging, eds. Mansouri, F., and Marotta, V.. Carlton: Melbourne University Press, 171197.Google Scholar
Peucker, M., and Akbarzadeh, S.. 2014. Muslim Active Citizenship in the West. London: Routledge.Google Scholar
Peucker, M., Roose, J. M., and Akbarzadeh, S.. 2014. “Muslim Active Citizenship in Australia: Socioeconomic Challenges and the Emergence of a Muslim Elite.” Australian Journal of Political Science 49:282299.Google Scholar
Pew Research Center. 2006. Conflicting Views in a Divided World. Washington, DC: Pew Research Center.Google Scholar
Pew Research Center. 2016. Religion in Everyday Life. Washington, DC: Pew Research Center.Google Scholar
Putnam, R. D. 1993. “What Makes Democracy Work?National Civic Review 82:101107.Google Scholar
Putnam, R. D. 2000. Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster.Google Scholar
Putnam, R. D., and Campbell, D. E.. 2010. American Grace: How Religion Divides and Unites Us. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster.Google Scholar
Ramadan, T. 2013. To Be a European Muslim. A Study of Islamic Sources in the European Context. London: Kube Publishing.Google Scholar
Read, J. G. 2015. “Gender, Religious Identity, and Civic Engagement among Arab Muslims in the United States.” Sociology of Religion 76:3048.Google Scholar
Shavit, U. 2015. Shari'a and Muslim Minorities: The Wasati and Salafi Approach to fiqh al-aqalliyyat at-Muslima. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Smerecnik, C., Schaalma, H., Gerjo, K., Meijer, S., and Poelman, J.. 2010. “An Exploratory Study of Muslim Adolescents' Views on Sexuality: Implications for Sex Education and Prevention.” BMC Public Health 10:533543.Google Scholar
Stratton, J. 2016. “Whiteness, Morality and Christianity in Australia.” Journal of Intercultural Studies 37:1732.Google Scholar
van Deth, J. 2013. “Citizenship and the Civic Realities of Everyday Life.” In Civic Education and Competences for Engaging Citizens in Democracies, eds. Print, P., and Lange, D.. Rotterdam: Sense Publishers, 921.Google Scholar
Verba, S., Schlozman, K. L., and Brady, H.. 1995. Voice and Equality. Civic Voluntarism in American Politics. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.Google Scholar
Vergani, M., Johns, A., Lobo, M., and Mansouri, F.. 2017. “Examining Islamic Religiosity and Civic Engagement in Melbourne.” Journal of Sociology 53:6378.Google Scholar
Zick, A., Küpper, B., and Hövermann, A.. 2011. Intolerance, Prejudice and Discrimination. A European Report. Berlin: Friedrich-Ebert Foundation.Google Scholar