Islam in the Contemporary West

In the Islam in the Contemporary West specialisation, you will be focusing on the interaction between Muslims and Islam within a minority situation in the West, and the reactions it provokes in the Western societies. You will be studying these relations from different perspectives: legal, political, theological and cultural anthropological. You will be guided in your studies by a teaching staff with extensive knowledge of this subject, both theoretical and practical.

You will for instance be given the opportunity to investigate the increasing orthodoxy among Muslims, including the development of a new branch of Islamic jurisprudence, the fiqh al-aqalliyyât. In the social and political area, you will be studying the degree of organisation of Muslims, as well as the forming of an ‘Islamic’ identity. You will also be considering the legal aspects, such as how Muslims are increasingly trying to find a way to apply parts of the Sharia, for instance the prohibition on the levying of interest and marriage law.