Women’s Islamic activities in a transnational perspective
This article discusses the potential of Islamic activism to assist in the integration of immigrant Muslims in Europe. Islamic activism is conceived as a social space of trans-national activity, for instance connecting Moroccan immigrants in Denmark with their homeland. The discussion is based on material from Fes, Morocco and Copenhagen, Denmark. The development of “transnationalism from below” takes place in the micro-dynamics of migrants’ social practices, and reaches beyond national borders. Instruction in the Quran, which Moroccan work migrants received in their childhood, is reactivated in Copenhagen when their daughters take up Quran study. These daughters organize religious instruction according to centuries’ old principles from Morocco and the Middle East. In Fes, Islamist activist women are preoccupied with promoting social reform among their fellow Muslims. In Copenhagen they are engaged in activities that aim to integrate immigrant women into Danish society. In both countries, however, Islamist women strive to teach other Muslim women how to practice and understand their religion. In Copenhagen, teaching iqh (Muslim jurisprudence) assists the new Muslim population to articulate a Muslim standpoint in their new homeland. The article challenges the assumption that maintenance of connections to the country of emigration necessarily delays integration in the new homeland. It claims that Islamic activism constitutes a step towards the formation of a local Muslim identity.
