US Mosque Study 2020: Key Findings

On the 2nd June 2020 the US Mosque study, titled “The American Mosque 2020: Growing and Evolving” was jointly released by the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding (ISPU), the Islamic Society of North America and the Center on Muslim Philanthropy. Previously conducted in 2000 and 2010, this survey is the third instalment published which…

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“Among the Mosques: A Journey Across Muslim Britain”: Praised by British Media but Criticized by Scholars

On the 10th June 2021 Ed Husain’s released his latest book, titled “Among the Mosques: A Journey across Muslim Britain”. Despite being praised by the British media as “fascinating”1,”timely and important”2, doubts have been raised by local councils, academics and activists who argue that Husain’s work contains both factual inaccuracies and sweeping generalisations. Among the…

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“Seeking European Imams Desperately” : An Assessment of the Ongoing National and EU Initiatives

The function of imam is often considered the most effective entry point to organise Muslim communities, as Prof. Welmoet Boender, from the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, points out in a recent article in the journal Religions. In Europe, imams are often considered a potential bridge builders between Muslim communities and secular-majority societies… if they possess the…

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Kahina Bahloul and the European imamas, pushing for a modern and liberal Islam

Kahina Bahloul, who is credited for becoming the first female imam (or imama) in France, published in March 2021 her first book titled “Mon islam, ma liberté” (“My Islam, my freedom”). In this book, she explains her origins and her liberal vision of Islam. Born in Paris in 1979, Bahloul spent her childhood and adolescence…

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The potential ban of halal chicken in France : a misinterpretation by some imams and a generational gap between Muslims?

Last week in a joined statement by – the Great Mosques of Paris, Evry and Lyon – announced that it would not be possible anymore to get halal poultry in France. They condemned the French government for planning to ban halal slaughtering by the summer 2021.  These three mosques historically benefit from a legal agreement to certify…

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