ABSTRACT
Migration processes are transforming today’s world in many ways. With regard to urban contexts, it can be observed that newcomers play an active role in shaping and redesigning cityscapes. Notwithstanding the fact that individuals play multiple roles in society, it is often the religious dimension in the public sphere that has been subject to discussion. In Europe in recent decades, international migration has led to a renewed debate on the governance of religious diversity and pluralism (Bramadat 2009). The question of how to include non-secular points of view in contemporary society and to deal with the challenges of ever-increasing diversity is reflected for example in Modood’s (2007) analysis of multiculturalism, or in Connolly’s (2005) theory of deep pluralism or multidimensional pluralism, thereby underscoring the ethical and political relevance of the accommodation of minorities. Modood (2007: 27) warns of a ‘secularist bias’ in a liberal neutral approach towards religion. Instead, Modood (2007: 68) argues for multiculturalism or a ‘politics of difference’ in which the state maintains variety by recognising the collective and public identities of religious groups. This is in accordance with what Connolly (2005: 61) argues for, namely a leverage needed for ‘creedal ventilation’ within and between faiths. Both authors underscore the importance of institutionalising respect and the public encounter to engender new sensibilities. The public–private dyad remains a central theme in this debate and its boundaries are under constant negotiation, as is also illustrated in this chapter on the settling of Jainism and Hinduism in the Belgian public sphere.
