Sufism represents the inward-looking, mystical dimension of Islam. Often thought erroneously to be its own sect or denomination – such as Sunni Islam – Sufism is better understood as an approach that mixes mainstream religious observances, such as prescribed daily prayers, with a range of supplementary spiritual practices, such as the ritual chanting of God’s […]
Ayatollah Title given to a senior-ranking Shiite religious scholar. Caliphate The line of the Prophet Muhammad’s successors as the temporal and spiritual leaders of Islam after his death in the 7th century. The caliphate existed in one form or another from 632 until 1924, when the Ottoman caliphate officially ended. Cemaat Turkish variation of Arabic […]
Most, if not all, of the Muslim movements and networks with a significant presence in Western Europe can also be found in North America.55 The Gülen movement, for example, has several affiliates in the United States, including the Rumi Forum in Washington, D.C.; the Niagara Foundation, which has branches in several Midwestern states; and the […]
In addition to other, more conventional social and religious movements, a number of networks built around religious scholars or popular preachers also have a lot of influence among Muslims in Western Europe. While these networks are in many ways separate and distinct from other groups, they often intersect with and draw on the influence of […]
These Muslim population figures are from a forthcoming Pew Forum report that estimates growth rates among Muslim populations worldwide and provides population projections for 2020 and 2030. A 2009 Pew Forum report, “Mapping the Global Muslim Population” provides 2009 population estimates. For the purposes of this report, Western Europe includes the following countries: Austria, Belgium, […]
A rising number of Republicans incorrectly believe Barack Obama is a Muslim.
George Mason University Professor Peter Mandaville, Dilwar Hussain of the Islamic Foundation, and Maha Azzam of the Middle East and North Africa Programme at Chatham House discussed key findings of a Pew Forum study containing profiles of some of the oldest, largest and most influential Muslim groups – from the Muslim Brotherhood to mystical Sufi orders and networks of religious scholars.
Acknowledgments In preparing this report, the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life sought the counsel and advice of scholars with expertise in Muslim groups and networks in Western Europe. Peter Mandaville, director of the Center for Global Studies and Professor of Government and Islamic Studies at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va., […]
Islamic radicalism in Western Europe is generally associated with networks and cells affiliated with global jihadi organizations, such as al-Qaeda, whose ideology calls for the violent pursuit of a global Islamic political order. By most accounts, support for radical extremist groups is relatively low among Muslims in Europe.[1. numoffset=”27″ See, for example, “The Great Divide: […]