Between Orthodoxy and Subjectivism

Abstract

This article investigates how beliefs and practices are legitimised among young (non- organised) Muslims in Norway. The findings confirm previous studies in showing how young Muslims in Europe often combine a discourse of submission to Islamic orthodoxy with a liberal vocabulary of autonomy and authenticity, although the tendency to divert from orthodoxy is more prevalent in this study. A variety of ways that young Muslims combine liberal and orthodox premises in their legitimisations are illustrated. The article argues that a high degree of engagement with pluralistic social contexts, including interreligious friendships, may challenge a previously dominant orthodox structure in the young Muslim’s outlook, partly because of the difficulty of maintaining an exclusivist stance that includes the possible damnation of non-Muslims. While this may lead to liberal discursive premises becoming dominant, examples are also given of how some young Muslims navigate an ambiguous position where both discursive structures are kept intact.