Islam as a new social actor in Italian cities: mosque controversies as sites of inclusion and separation

Most Muslim immigrants oscillate in the public sphere between three levels in the public sphere: the local, the national and the transnational. While the national and transnational levels continue to be marked by a strong degree of conflictuality, it is at the local level where new integration strat...

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Nebentitel:Religion and local politics in Southern Europe
1. VerfasserIn: Conti, Bartolomeo (VerfasserIn)
Medienart: Elektronisch Aufsatz
Sprache:Englisch
Verfügbarkeit prüfen: HBZ Gateway
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Veröffentlicht: Routledge [2016]
In: Religion, state & society
Jahr: 2016, Band: 44, Heft: 3, Seiten: 238-257
normierte Schlagwort(-folgen):B Italien / Muslim / Gemeinde / Integration / Moschee / Streit
weitere Schlagwörter:B Mosques
B Public Sphere
B Inclusion
B local policy
B Islam
Online Zugang: Volltext (Verlag)
Beschreibung
Zusammenfassung:Most Muslim immigrants oscillate in the public sphere between three levels in the public sphere: the local, the national and the transnational. While the national and transnational levels continue to be marked by a strong degree of conflictuality, it is at the local level where new integration strategies are implemented and ‘social capital' is acquired. The comparison between two similar debates over the construction of a mosque in the Italian cities of Bologna and Florence with opposite outcomes reveals the importance of the local dimension in the construction of a national Islam and the significance of appropriate participatory tools in the inclusion of Muslims in the local public sphere. In particular, the article highlights the link between the legitimacy of Islam in the fabric of the city and the degree of openness of the Islamic community. It also illustrates how overcoming the reluctance and fear of different actors can allow citizens to assimilate the idea of ‘a mosque in the city' and not just of ‘a mosque for Muslims'. The article describes how the use of appropriate tools, particularly of participatory decision-making, has made it easier for marginalised or politically excluded individuals to take steps towards full citizenship and for the Muslim community to emerge as a legitimate social actor in the local public sphere.
ISSN:1465-3974
Enthält:Enthalten in: Religion, state & society
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1080/09637494.2016.1220770