Muslims and the state in Britain, France, and Germany

TLDR

Over ten million Muslims live in Western Europe, and since the early 1990s—especially after 9/11—Britain, France, and Germany have debated state accommodation of Muslim religious practices, from funding Islamic schools to hijab bans to public‑corporation status, as each seeks policies to integrate Muslims into liberal democracies. The book investigates how Britain, France, and Germany accommodate Muslim religious practices, applying resource mobilization, political‑opportunity structure, and ideology as analytical frameworks. It analyzes state accommodation through resource mobilization, political‑opportunity structure, and ideology. The study concludes that each nation's approach to Muslims is rooted in its historically based church‑state institutions.

Abstract

Over ten million Muslims live in Western Europe. Since the early 1990s, and especially after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, vexing policy questions have emerged about the religious rights of native-born and immigrant Muslims. Britain has struggled over whether to give state funding to private Islamic schools. France has been convulsed over Muslim teenagers wearing the hijab in public schools. Germany has debated whether to grant 'public-corporation' status to Muslims. And each state is searching for policies to ensure the successful incorporation of practicing Muslims into liberal democratic society. This 2004 book analyzes state accommodation of Muslims' religious practices in Britain, France, and Germany, first examining three major theories: resource mobilization, political-opportunity structure, and ideology. It then proposes an additional explanation, arguing that each nation's approach to Muslims follows from its historically based church-state institutions.