Introduction

The significance of the influence of Islamic movements in the Middle East as well as among immigrants in Europe is a theme that crops up time and again, not least of all in the media. Social revolutionaries also have argued their case from an Islamic standpoint. Islam has, as such, discovered a role as a frame of reference for socio-political groups in opposition: In Egypt there is the illegal Muslim Brotherhood, as well as mass Islamic organisations, such as student groups, and there are also violent underground groups. The Islamic movements seek to confront injustices in the state apparatus, social need, and economic exploitation. In their view Islam, as a model for society, offers an alternative to suffering. The chapter aims to evaluate the development of the new cultural discontinuity which Islamism represents among Muslim minorities in Western Europe. It describes Islamism’s alternative and potential to formulate an opposition strategy - one that could be transformed into a political movement.