Muslim Europe or Euro-Islam : politics, culture, and citizenship in the age of globalization /

These essays by European, American, and Middle Eastern scholars representing sociology, international studies, and other perspectives pose important questions about the roles of 24,000,000 European Muslims both in redefining European nationalities and European unity and in the constriction of Euro-Islamic identities. While the essays prove provocative, their origin as symposium papers also means repetition and some omissions that frustrate wider systematic discussion. For example, both in specialized pieces and in general references, the volume privileges numbers and policies regarding ethnically differentiated Muslims in Germany, France, and England over large, historic populations in the Balkans (8,000,000 Muslims) or recent migrations in Spain, Italy, and other parts of Europe that also influence "Europeanness." The book focuses on nations, policy, and law without developing corollary implications of culture and experience (Holub's analysis of European intellectuals and Islam is an exception). Some of the most exciting essays recast Euro-Islamic issues from the perspective of a Muslim diaspora rather than through European assimilation (Lubeck, Mustafa). The book is certainly of real interest to students of Europe and Islam alike, but one regrets opportunities missed among the intersections and implications of these essays. Upper-division undergraduates and above. G. W. McDonogh Bryn Mawr College