Conclusion: Similarities and Differences of Islamic Organizations in Europe and the USA

Abstract

This volume has given some insight into the extraordinary variety of forms, strategies, and practices of organization Muslims use to participate in the political arena and to exercise their faith in non-Muslim contexts. Islamic organizations have been shown to face the challenge of having to operate in heterogeneous local, national, and even transnational organizational environments which involve a variety of sometimes contradictory effects and expectations which, in turn, elicit various responses from the organizations. These observations are based on empirical studies on the organizational level of Muslim life in non-Muslim countries which combine different theoretical frameworks with empirical data on various geographical levels to answer the overarching research question that has guided this volume: To what extent do (trans)national organizational environments and changing public discourses on Islam affect aspects of Islamic organizations and their members, such as their forms of organization, strategies, and practices?