In Europe, the perception of the international and
political manifestations of Islam was a significant
factor in shaping the condition of Muslim minorities
long before the events of September 11, 2001. In
the United States, on the other hand, a political
distinction has generally been maintained between
Islam in the Muslim world and Muslim immigrants living
in the West. Recently, however, the convergence of
European and American political discourse posits
an automatic correlation between the war on terrorism,
internal security measures, and immigration policy.
Such a correlation increasingly invalidates the distinction
between international and domestic policy, and has
consequences not only for the status of Muslim minorities,
but also for more general issues of secularism and
multiculturalism in the democratic nations concerned.
This conference presents the results of a six-nation
study conducted in Europe on the condition of Muslims
and includes scholars who are currently working on
the status of Muslims in the US to offer a comparative
perspective and offer directions for future comparative
research.
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