The Daily Lives of Muslims: Controversy and Islam in Contemporary Europe

For many in the West, Islam has become a byword for terrorism. From 9/11 to the attacks in France and Belgium, our headlines have been dominated by images of violence and extremism tied to radical Islam. At the same time, as the Western world struggles to cope with the growing crisis of Middle Easte [...]
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For many in the West, Islam has become a byword for terrorism. From 9/11 to the attacks in France and Belgium, our headlines have been dominated by images of violence and extremism tied to radical Islam. At the same time, as the Western world struggles to cope with the growing crisis of Middle Eastern refugees, many of whom are Muslim, there is a concern over how--or whether--Muslims will integrate into Western society. The fear is that Muslims who fail to assimilate will be branded as outsiders, creating segregated communities that might provide a fertile breeding ground for jihadists. Such reductive narratives, however, fail to take into account the actual lives of most Muslims living in the West, choosing to focus on a minority of violent extremists. In The Daily Lives of Muslims, Nilufer Gole provides an urgently needed corrective to this distorted image of Islam. The Daily Lives of Muslims engages with members of Muslim communities in twenty-one cities across Europe where controversies over integration have arisen, from the banning of the veil in France to debates surrounding Sharia law in the United Kingdom. In doing so, Gole brings the voices of this neglected majority into the debate and uncovers a sincere desire among many Muslims to participate in the public sphere, a desire which is too often stifled by Western insecurity and attempts to suppress the outward signs of religious difference. This is a timely and urgently needed perspective on an issue that is likely to remain in public debate for many years to come.