research

Taking into account the difficulties of demarcating the various types of Muslims, I have decided to focus on a limited group of people, namely Arabic-speaking, Sunnı¯ Islamists who are first-or second-generation immigrants from Arab countries. In the following I will name them Arab(s). I would like to make clear that many Islamists whom I have interviewed in this study do not necessarily have explicit political commitments, rather their political ideas are latent within their system of thought. Furthermore, I have concentrated on educated Islamists who, although a small group, often have leading positions among European Muslims. They would frequently be involved in institutional work, and in many countries they are the link between the non-Muslim authorities and common Muslims. As the Islamic presence in northern Europe in particular is a new phenomenon, Muslims are faced with daily challenges to their faith and traditional practices. Often it is the intellectual elite who respond to these challenges, attempting to find solutions in the new context.