Edited by Tahir Abbas and Sadek Hamid

Series: Contemporary Issues in the Middle East

Publisher: Syracuse University Press (February 11, 2019)

In the last few decades, the media, academics, and the general public have put considerable focus on Muslim culture and politics around the world. Specifically, the rising population of young Muslims has generated concerns about religious radicalism, Islamism, and conflicts in multicultural societies. Few studies, however, have been devoted to how a new generation of Muslims is reshaping society in positive ways. In Political Muslims, Abbas and Hamid provide a new perspective on Muslim youth, presenting them as agents of creative social change and as active participants in cultural and community organizations to practice resistance and to negotiate change.

In a series of case studies that cross the globe, contributors capture the experiences of being young and Muslim in ten countries—the United States, Canada, Britain, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Turkey, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Kashmir, and Indonesia. They examine urban youth from various socioeconomic backgrounds, addressing issues that range from hybrid identities and student activism to the strategic use of music and social media. With diverse disciplinary and methodological approaches, Political Muslims gives readers a nuanced and authentic understanding of the everyday social, economic, and political realities of young people.

About Authors

• Tahir Abbas is a visiting senior fellow in the Department of Government at the London School of Economics and a senior research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute in London. He is the author of Contemporary Turkey in Conflict: Ethnicity, Islam, and Politics.
• Sadek Hamid is a senior research assistant at the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies. He is the author of Young British Muslims: Between Rhetoric and Realities.

Reviews

– “Muslim youth, like Muslims in general and Islam itself, resist narrow stereotypes and incendiary shibboleths. In Political Muslims both Islamism and Islamic radicalization are addressed, but so are music, sports and education. Indeed, no topic, no problem and no prejudice is omitted from this comprehensive, insightful and timely volume. Highly recommended.” (Bruce B. Lawrence, Professor Emeritus of Islamic Studies, Duke University)

– “Political Muslims represents a significant work insofar as it provides an important and valuable alternative portrait of socially and politically engaged Muslim youth mobilizing their religious identity and particular interpretations of religion in ways that allow them to pursue political agendas.” (Peter Mandaville, professor of international affairs, Schar School of Policy and Government, George Mason University)

Source: Syracuse University Press