The relationship between Islam and the West is one of the most urgent and hotly debated issues of our time. This book is the first to offer a comprehensive overview of the way in which Muslims are represented within modern English writing, ranging from the novel, through memoir and travel writing to journalism. Covering a wide range of texts and authors, it scrutinises the identity 'Muslim' by looking at its inscription in recent and contemporary literary writing within the context of significant events like the Rushdie Affair and 9/11. Examining the wide range of writing internationally that takes Islam or Islamic cultures as its focus, the author discusses the representation of Muslim identity in writing by non-Muslim writers, former Muslim 'native informants', and practising Muslims.

Bringing together leading scholars to investigate trends in contemporary social life, this book examines the current patterning of identities based on class and community, gender and generation, 'race', faith and ethnicity, and derived from popular culture, exploring debates about social change, individualization and the re-making of social class.

One of the most important functions of religion is to serve as a basis of identity. This collection of essays by Ali A. Mazrui, a distinguished scholar of Islam, discusses how Islam differentiates Muslims from non-Muslims and affects how Muslims view each other. In the light of the upheaval currently occurring in the Muslim world, this collection provides readers with valuable context for the challenges of modernity and multiculturalism faced by Muslims. In these essays, Mazrui deploys his formidable knowledge of theology, history, and Muslim societies to analyze the theological, historical, and political influences on Muslim identity. In his usual style of comparative analysis, Mazrui draws most frequently in these essays from examples in Africa, the Middle East, South Asia and Muslim communities in the West. These essays delve into the complexities of Muslim identity and stratification, and provide contributions to key debates on modern Islamic political ideology. These essays will be of interest to readers engaged with Islam, religion, culture, comparative politics and international relations.

This book centres on the key concept of diversity and relates it to the identity formation of Muslims. Muslim identity differs specifically within certain theological, social, political and regional circumstances and discourses. Considering the diversity of societies and the numerous factors contributing to the shaping of Muslim identity, this book brings together examples from different parts of the world, including Western societies, and each chapter focuses on separate determinants of individual, communal, political, institutional, civic and national Muslim identities, offering a blueprint for identity studies. A particular strength of the book is its detailed investigation of the complexity of identity formation and the heterogeneity of the Muslim experience. In addition to including a variety of themes and cases from different parts of the world, diverse methodologies, including quantitative and qualitative research methods, further enrich the book. The contributors’ academic backgrounds and organic relationships with their communities enable them to develop their arguments with insight. Furthermore, by giving voice to academics from different nationalities, this book reflects neither a predominantly Western nor a distinctly Eastern approach, but instead gives a balanced view from critical academia globally.

Asian Islam in the 21st century is divided into two sections: religion, politics and society in major Muslim majority countries and ethnic and religious politics in Muslim minority communities. Muslims in Asia are affacted by what is happening in the Arab Middle East and the Western part of the Islamic world.

In addition to the important breaking points of the last century – such as the abolition of the Caliphate, the World Wars, the Cold War, the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Iranian Revolution and the foundation of a ‘New World Order’ which directly affected Muslim societies – the new conjuncture formed in the wake of the 9/11 attacks brought about various structural problems and changes in the Muslim world. Political and economic developments in the last ten years in particular have brought many Muslim countries to the edge of crisis. Along with political, economic and social issues, the fact that modernisation and secularisation have become dominant in Muslim societies shows that the outcomes of these changes are of great importance. In this respect, this book offers a significant contribution to debates on the processes of change and transformation in the Muslim world. In addition to theoretical debates, the main dynamics of political and social change in Muslim societies are discussed here using specific examples from each country. As such, this volume will provide the reader with a practical understanding of the historical turning points in the Muslim world over recent years.

Seminar paper from the year 2015 in the subject Sociology - Religion, grade: 1,7, University of Applied Sciences Fulda, language: English, abstract: Constructing an identity today is complicated by the nature of our postmodern world we live in but more significant than ever. For most people it is very important to identify oneself with at least one aspect like nationality, ethnicity or religion. Identity could determine the position which one has in society, depending on the country one live in. Finding one’s identity can be very challenging. Many people struggle with the notion of their identity, especially minority groups like Muslims living in the “Secular World” asking themselves “Who am I?” Moreover the globalization led to significant changes in the Islamic world and within an Identity crisis. In this paper I will focus on the following questions: What is the link between Islam and identity? What exactly is a Muslim Identity? As Muslims are coming from different countries, ethnics and different groups (Sunnis, Shiites and so on) can we talk about Muslims as a collective group or is there a Global Muslim Identity? And when how is this type of identity created?

Muslim women living in America continue to be marginalized and misunderstood since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, yet their contributions are changing the face of Islam as it is seen both within Muslim communities in the West and by non-Muslims.

In this interdisciplinary volume, Dr. NilgÃ1/4n Anadolu-Okur aims to communicate a constructive analysis of Muslim identity, but primarily of Muslim womanhood in the twenty-first century. Her own essay discusses Turkish womenâ (TM)s historical emancipation and Mustafa Kemal Ataturkâ (TM)s reforms. The other contributors focus on civil, political and international human rights, family laws, honor killings, ethical and gender issues, education, participation in civil life, modernism versus conservatism, life in gated communities, and professional goals and rights of Muslim women under Shariâ (TM)a law throughout a wide range of countries where Islam is not only the established faith of the land but a principal way of life. Through seven interdisciplinary essays, one play and an interview, the lesser-known aspects of Muslim womanhood in Muslim countriesâ "including Iran, Pakistan, Turkey, Morocco, Saudi Arabia and Lebanonâ "are examined. In addition, the essays depict legal and social impediments faced by Muslims who live in France, Germany and the United States. As an original work this volume seeks to articulate Muslim womenâ (TM)s daily struggles, challenges, choices and needs as they practice their rights of womanhood and motherhood in the second decade of the twenty-first century. Through an accurate analysis, a positive subtext is ultimately provided to Muslim identity, specifically to Muslim womanhood. Like anything else, during the age of globalization Islam is going through a transition. As expressed in this study, amendments to civil and religious laws, modifications in established governmental systems and the prominence of individual rightsâ "as opposed to societal normsâ "coalesce to bring about a contemporary re-assessment of womenâ (TM)s rights within Islam globally. Additionally, this volume intends to articulate the concern commonly shared by various scholars that the Western mind needs to be illuminated and educated concerning racially motivated Eurocentric delineations which tend to dismiss the varied qualities and characteristics of Muslim women who have persevered for centuries under the unbending rule of Muslim men in power. Hence, this pioneering study explores the boundaries of the new female Muslim identity both within and outside the Muslim world at the crossroads of globalism and the twenty-first century.