In a Western world suddenly acutely interested in Islam, one question has been repeatedly heard above the din: where are the Muslim reformers? With this ambitious volume, Tariq Ramadan firmly establishes himself as one of Europe's leading thinkers and one of Islam's most innovative and important voices.

As the number of Muslims living in the West grows, the question of what it means to be a Western Muslim becomes increasingly important to the futures of both Islam and the West. While the media are focused on radical Islam, Ramadan claims, a silent revolution is sweeping Islamic communities in the West, as Muslims actively seek ways to live in harmony with their faith within a Western context. French, English, German, and American Muslims--women as well as men--are reshaping their religion into one that is faithful to the principles of Islam, dressed in European and American cultures, and definitively rooted in Western societies.

Ramadan's goal is to create an independent Western Islam, anchored not in the traditions of Islamic countries but in the cultural reality of the West. He begins by offering a fresh reading of Islamic sources, interpreting them for a Western context and demonstrating how a new understanding of universal Islamic principles can open the door to integration into Western societies. He then shows how these principles can be put to practical use. Ramadan contends that Muslims can-indeed must-be faithful to their principles while participating fully in the civic life of Western secular societies. Grounded in scholarship and bold in its aims, Western Muslims and the Future of Islam offers a striking vision of a new Muslim Identity, one which rejects once and for all the idea that Islam must be defined in opposition to the West.

Reviews
Western Muslims and the Future of Islam is must reading for Muslims and non-Muslims alike. Tariq Ramadan, a prominent intellectual-activist in Europe and America, represents a new generation of Islamic reformers. Seeking to apply the principles and values of Islam to the realities of modern or post-modern life, Ramadan takes up the challenge of reinterpretation and reform, critically and boldly addressing the major issues facing Muslims in the West, from faith and identity to political participation, economic life, and interreligious relations. --John L. Esposito, author of Unholy War and What Everyone Needs to Know about Islam

"Thanks partly to Ramadan, Islam is on its way to becoming an integral part of Europe's religious landscape."--Time

"The work of Tariq Ramadan will take its place in the annals of Islamic thought."--Le Monde Diplomatique

"The Muslim philosopher Tariq Ramadan invites us to follow him in a reflection at once complex and profound.... This is a book for everyone who is willing to think."--Politis

About the Author(s)
Tariq Ramadan is Professor of Philosophy at the College of Geneva and Professor of Islamic Studies at the University of Fribourg in Switzerland. He is the author of numerous books, including To Be a European Muslim. In 2000 he was named one of Time's 100 most important innovators for the 21st century.