Islam and Public Controversy in Europe

As the European public sphere becomes increasingly shaped by debates surrounding Islam, this book asks whether it is possible to rethink the public sphere, conceiving of it not as a site of consensus, but as one of antagonism and confrontation. With rich case studies drawn from various sites across Europe, such as France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK, Islam and Public Controversy in Europe examines a range of public controversies, including mosque construction, ritual slaughter, Sharia councils, burqa bans and love and marriage, to address the question of how cases of 'Islamic difference' might be addressed outside the confines of established normative discourses, which focus on freedom of religion, minority rights or multiculturalism. Acknowledging the creative role of dissent, this book explores the manner in which public controversies shed new light on understandings of aesthetics, animal rights, freedom of speech, the uniformity of secular law and modes of individual emancipation.Developing an innovative conceptual framework and elaborating the notion of controversy as a methodological tool, Islam and Public Controversy in Europe draws our attention to the processes of interaction, confrontation and mutual transformation, thereby opening up a new horizon for rethinking difference and pluralism in Europe. As such, it will appeal to scholars across the social sciences with interests in religion, integration, cultural difference and the public sphere.