Increased Muslim migration has changed the religious landscape of Europe and America. Mosques and Islamic centres are found in many urban areas. This volume examines the global nature of Islam and considers the effect it has on Western culture and the modernising influence the West has on Islam.

Increased Muslim migration has changed the religious landscape of Europe and America. Mosques and Islamic centres are found in many urban areas while Muslim cities now include Paris, London and New York as much as Cairo, Tunis and Damascus. This global presence requires that we speak not only of Islam and the West but also Islam "in" the West. However different their experiences, many Muslims are engaged in the application of Islamic principles and values to their lives - "re-Islamization", or the Islamization of society from below. Islam has always been a visible and dynamic force in Muslim life, yet it has reemerged as a major force in the public sphere both in Europe and the Middle East, with a concomitant resurgence of religious observance (prayer, fasting, dress, pilgrimage), accompanied by the creation of new institutions (Islamic banks, schools, and hospitals). This volume explains the significance of this phenomenon: its origins, scope, influence and impact as well as its implications for the future. "Modernizing Islam" offers a fresh perspective on the significance and impact of re-Islamization in the Muslim world and the West.

Contents: Introduction: Re-Islamization in Global Perspective (John L. Esposito) I. Issues and Trends in Global Re-Islamization Veils and Obscuring Lenses (Francois Burgat) The Modernizing Force of Islamism (Bjorn Olav Utvik) Islam and Civil Society (John L. Esposito) II. Re-Islamization in the Public Sphere Islam and the Common Mortal (Fariba Abdelkhah) A Return to the Shariah? Egyptian Judges and Referring to Islam (Baudoin Dupret) Women's Islamic Activism: Between Self-Practices and Social Reform Efforts (Connie Caroe Christiansen) Islamism as Education (Lene Kofoed Rasmussen) III. Re-Islamization in Europe The Growing Islamization of Europe (Oussama Cherribi) The Holy Grail of Muslims in Western Europe: Representation and Relationship with the State (Dilwar Hussain) Muslim Minorities in Europe: The Silent Revolution (Joceylin Cesari)