Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin - Department of Social Sciences - Berlin Graduate School of Social Science

Cohort

BGSS Generation 2021

Title

Actors for a democratic defence?

The for of religious boundary-making in the German Turkish-Islamic Union for Religious Affairs in the face of Islamism

Supervisor

Prof. Naika Foroutan

Abstract

Since 9/11, demands on Muslim communities to actively counter Islamism have gained strength. Yet, a much overlooked and countervailing aspect is that Muslims themselves are the preferred and primary target group for recruitment and pressure build-up by Islamists. In this context, what are the strategies of Muslim associations in their response and/or resistance to Islamism? By focusing on Germany’s largest Muslim umbrella organization (DITIB), this dissertation project examines the extent to which leading Islamic associations can serve as pioneers in efforts at countering Islamism. Theoretically, the study problematizes issues within historical sociology, deliberative democracy, and boundary-making processes. Empirically, it draws on the traditional role of Muslim umbrella organizations as religious authorities as well as the evolution of community defence vis-à-vis Islamism in the context of the German Islam Conference. Finally, the research aims at mapping these transformations in the reaction repertoires of community members and translating them into a conceptualization that explores previous learning processes vis-à-vis Islamism as a "German Islam."