ABSTRACT
This chapter maps the various forms of Islamic consumption and Islamic markets that cater to the needs of Muslims in terms of authenticity and lifestyle. From the formidable rise of Islamic fashions and the concomitant ‘return’ of the veil on the high streets of the world, the focus shifts to a history and analysis of the extraordinary rise of halal consumption and its extension into an ever-expanding array of goods and services. The history of halal shows how halal consumption is a radical change and reorientation with respect to traditional considerations as to what is licit and what is illicit, and how halal is the product of industrialisation and neoliberalisation rather than an Islamic version of Kashrut. The chapter ends on a sweeping overview of Islamic marketing as well as the rise and limits of Islamic finance and Islamic insurances and mortgages. All of these phenomena indicate a major shift in the very substance and social location of Islam, and the introduction of novel theologies, including the legitimation of prosperity and wealth. In the Global-Market regime, Islam provides authenticity, caters to lifestyles, identity, and ethics, and spills out of its monotheistic transcendence to re-enchant everyday life.
