Muslim Minority-State Relations

"Robert Mason's timely book offers important reflections on two of the most significant and controversial issues of our time: relations with Islam and the challenges facing Muslim communities today. From the UK to Asia and Africa, this volume explores the place of Islam in varied multi-cultural and multi-faith environments. Mason and his contributors explore issues associated with radicalism as well as security needs and discuss numerous approaches to the integration of Islam to create a more cohesive and pluralist society in which all have the opportunity to flourish." - Edward Kessler, Woolf Institute, UK "The publication of Muslim Minority - State Relations is to be welcomed at a time when, in many parts of the globe, Muslim communities feel under scrutiny, if indeed not suspicion, because of violence perpetrated by those claiming to act in the name of Islam. This book provides the insights that are essential for an informed dialogue. Whether or not we agree with some of the practical recommendations it offers, it is important that these are heard and openly discussed within societies that pride themselves on the rule of law and the rights of minorities." - Oliver McTernan, Director of Forward Thinking "[This book] skillfully charts the contemporary economic, political, and cultural dynamics informing the relationship between Muslim communities and the states in which they live. The contexts explored - from the UK to Austria, from Russia to Nigeria - remind us that state-Muslim engagement means very different things in different times and places. At the same time, however, the book offers a broad, timely, and richly textured account of some common threads, paramount among them being the distorting impact of security politics and the confused, uneven and ineffective policy it engenders." - Victoria Redclift, Lecturer in Sociology, University of Surrey, UK

This collection offers readers the opportunity to learn more about what drives government policy on Muslim minority communities, Muslim community policies and responses in turn, and where common ground lies in building religious tolerance, greater community cohesion and enhancing Muslim community-state relations.

This volume explores the dominant types of relationships between Muslim minorities and states in different parts of the world, the challenges each side faces, and the cases and reasons for exemplary integration, religious tolerance, and freedom of expression. By bringing together diverse case studies from Europe, Africa, and Asia, this book offers insight into the nature of state engagement with Muslim communities and Muslim community responses towards the state, in turn. This collection offers readers the opportunity to learn more about what drives government policy on Muslim minority communities, Muslim community policies and responses in turn, and where common ground lies in building religious tolerance, greater community cohesion and enhancing Muslim community-state relations.