When Islam and Democracy Meet

Jocelyne Cesari's wide-ranging and thoughtful exploration of important issues concerning Muslims and non-Muslims and their relationships to each other compares the patterns developing in Europe and America. Special strengths of the book include Cesari's discussion of the secularization of individual Islamic practices and of Islamic institutions in the contrasting settings. She also highlights the efforts Muslims are making to maintain the relevancy of Islamic legal systems and to develop a gender jihad in European and American contexts, contributing greatly to our understanding of contemporary intra-Muslim politics. -- Karen Leonard, Professor of Anthropology and Asian American Studies at the University of California, Irvine. Among studies of Islam in Europe and America, Joceylne Cesari's Islam in the West: True Patriots or Enemies Within is unique in its scope and approach. The book is a pioneering attempt to engage in a comparative study of Muslim experiences on both sides of the Atlantic. With an emphasis on carefully locating the lived experience of Muslims in the diverse historical, social and cultural contexts of the Western world, it avoids a major pitfall of many books on Islam by not essentializing the religious tradition. Instead, by presenting Islam in the Western world as a conglomeration of discursive practices, it unfolds the rich tapestry of Muslim experiences created by a complex interaction of local, national and global forces. Most importantly, it shows how western societies and concepts, such as nationalism and secularism, are being gradually transformed by the Muslim presence in the West. This book is a must read for anyone interested in the study of contemporary Islam and the role of religion in the modern west. --Ali S. Asani, Harvard University