Islam in the West - A Question of Integration and Active Citizenship

Muslim presence in the west is a rising dilemma. The conflict arises from differences between two value references and systems of thought creates hardship for some Muslim immigrants to adapt to a new environment with different norms and social traditions that might contradict with their origins and what they were used to. These factors lead to even more complexities for those Muslims to integarate in the new social order and political system due to the lack of experience and misinformed knowledge about the new environment and its relevant governance.

In other words, some Muslims in the west tend to live a relatively isolated life, and remain at a separating distance from the indigenous local individuals, communities and the governing system. 

In an attempt to discuss and examine this phenomenon, our Jordan Office team in cooperation with the Royal Institute for Interfaith Studies (RIIFS) organize an international conference entitled Islam in the West to take place on Sunday 29th of September.

The conference is to tackle diverse Islamic positions towards western culture and values, islamic views about Legitimacy of social integration of Muslims inside non-Muslim society, and political loyalty or association with secular or non-sharia law state, the current western perception about Muslims and Islam in the west, democracy and availability of  open political space for newly settled communities to engage freely and effectively in the western political system as well as political western systems and equal opportunities to facilitate cultural transition and active citizenship for new residents. The conference will moreover assess the current initiatives and define responsibilities of civil society and official social development institutions in relation to this issue.

The event will gather experts and leaders who represent relevnat civil organizations, religious institutions, policy makers, decision makers, academics from a wide scope of western and Arab countries especially from countries that has and those host high number of muslim immigrants such as Lebanon, Egypt, Palestinian Territories, Jordan as well as Italy, Spain, Germany, France and United Kingdom.

Our cooperation with RIIFS

RIIFS is a longstanding partner of our office in Amman. With them, we have organized diverse events in the pasts years in the fields of tolerence, religious pluralism, countering extremism and Syrian refugees integration.

Earlier this year, we have conducted with RIIFS a workshop series entitled Religion Plurality and Public Domain​. The 18-lecture project aimed at creating awareness on issues and concepts that touch the daily life of every Jordanian in an attempted to abolish the misunderstanding and misuses of many concepts relating to religion, diversity, society, governance, public life, and public domain.

With 25 young and mid-career professional participants, the program has dissected the two broad topics of Religion Plurality and Public Domain.