The imam as an organic public intellectual

This chapter describes the case of a Dutch imam, Yassin Elforkani (b. 1982), who is struggling to negotiate his position as an authoritative mediating religious leader in Dutch civil society. It follows Elforkani’s steps of becoming an influential public figure and gaining a certain level of prestige as a religious authority in a secular context, while also meeting strong resistance from different audiences, both Islamic and non-Islamic. The chapter also discusses the broader question of the role and influence of imams as ‘public intellectuals’.