Authoritative Landscapes: The Making of Islamic Authority among Muslims in Europe: An Introduction

Abstract

This special issue deals with Islamic authority-making among Muslims of migrant background in predominantly Western Europe. Religious authority is persuasive power in religious matters, regarding issues of knowledge and institutional competence, and of truth, authenticity, legitimacy, trust, and ethics. The seven articles in this special issue address some of the manifold ways in which Islamic authority comes about. They show that authority should not be reduced to the leadership or personal status of religious scholars and other religious professionals; it can also be attributed to bodies of knowledge, to institutions, to legal, ethical and material matters, and to events. Islamic authority is a crucial element in shaping Islamic landscapes in all their diversity.