Against the backdrop that multiculturalism has failed in Western Europe, this thesis argues that minority rights standards should be applied to Western European Muslims. Western European States have consistently excluded Muslims from minority rights protection under international law on the basis that they constitute 'new minorities'. However, this thesis asserts that the justifications given by States for the exclusion of Western European Muslims from minority rights protection no longer hold true and have the potential to undermine the object and purpose of the minority rights regime – security and justice. Furthermore, by considering the content of both generally applicable human rights standards and minority rights standards in the light of the situation and specific claims made by Muslim minorities in Western Europe, in relation to the preservation of their identity, this thesis proves that there is an added-value to minority rights protection for these communities. Minority rights standards and multiculturalist policies adopt a similar approach to the accommodation of societal diversity. Thus, given the exclusion of Western European Muslims from the additional protection offered by minority rights standards, this thesis submits that multiculturalist approaches to the accommodation of European Muslims have not failed; insufficient measures have been adopted to ensure their success. If a multiculturalist approach to the accommodation of diversity is to be pursued in Western Europe, States must allow Muslim minorities to benefit from the protection available under minority rights standards.

1 Abstract This diploma thesis deals with the contemporary Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh) providing normative frameworks for Muslim minorities living in Europe. The Muslim minorities in Europe vary significantly in their ethnic, social, and religious background; yet in many cases they bring to Europe coherent system of ethical and legal rules. Nevertheless, these normative systems differ according to the country of origin and religious background of the respective minorities. Therefore, in Europe that is a constant struggle between the various interpretations of Islam and different Muslim authorities. The situation of Muslims living in the non-Muslim legal system is not regulated by the classical Islamic law and therefore jurisprudence is becoming the primary mechanism for dealing with normative issues. The key institute for contemporary Islamic jurisprudence is iftā, i.e. delivering fatwas in response to real or hypothetical individual inquiries. This diploma thesis argues that the traditional and established Muslim authorities, such as imams in mosques and muftis trained in the countries of origin, are increasingly being challenged by global Muslim authorities and individual interpretation of Islam. The ideological background of these newly established authorities range from the liberal Islam to...

The purpose of the study is to focus on the press discourse in the representation of the non-Muslims in the news reports, editorials and columns based on the case studies of the 1934 Thrace Events, 1942 Wealth Tax and 6/7 September 1955 Riots. The aim is to critically analyse the ideological representation of the non-Muslims in the Turkish press through critical linguistics and discourse analysis.

In the 21st century Muslims can be found as minorities in what can be described as secular, democratic western countries. The research presented in this study will trace the process by which this community arrived in Western Europe and in particular Britain. Furthermore, it will explain how the community developed its faith identity within this context by detailing three particular stances they have adopted, namely; assimilation, isolation, integration. The thesis argues that rather than the assumption which exists that applying Traditional Islam causes Muslims to isolate from the indigenous population and form a 'state within a state' it actually gives the religious confidence and identity to integrate within the wider society. The study also focuses on Islamic Law as interpreted by the 'anaf' Law school and highlights in detail the multi-pronged and robust nature of its legal theory and subsequent application. There is an opportunity whilst determining the context to challenge the so-called 'classical' Islam's view of the world, especially the view that all non-Muslim lands are d'r al-'arb. The research details a novel understanding of the classical view and discusses how the state's attitude towards Islam and Muslims determines its territorial ruling. In conclusion, the study has shown that the traditional interpretive model inherently possesses the flexibility, relevance and applicability to take into consideration minority-status of Muslims in Britain adhering to the 'anaf' Law School. This is manifest by the ability this model has to deal with contemporary issues in wide ranging subjects like Medicine, Politics and Finance As a result it facilitates their integration within this secular society whilst remaining true to their faith.

The purpose of this thesis is to analyze the way in which religious beliefs and practices are instrumentalized by a Muslim community in order to strengthen Afro-Colombian ethnic identity, in an urban context of social exclusion. The study aims to examine the relationship between ethnicity and religion, and the role they play in the process of identity construction, particularly the way in which religious concepts and behaviors can be used to fortify ethnic identity. Another aim of this research is to describe and understand the processes of social change in an ethnic-religious minority and, as a final goal, to analyze the history of the Afro-Colombian Muslim community of Buenaventura. The thesis is based on fieldwork, which includes observation activities and interviews with members of the Muslim community in Buenaventura. A total of 21 participants between the ages of 18 and 72 are included in this study, all of them of Afro-Colombian origin. It is clear that the religious conversion of Afro-Colombians to Islam took place within the complex socio-political context of the Colombian conflict. To be sure, the adoption of this new religious perspective did not evolve in an isolated manner, rather, it transformed the identity of the community by strengthening the value of ethnic differences in a place of segregation. In this way, this thesis analyzes the role of religion as an important element in the construction of ethnic identity. Departing from this paradigm, we will look into some theological concepts, such as the Islamic jurisprudence and rituals, which have been reworked, in order to accommodate local aspirations for social mobility and ethnic differentiation. It is important to keep in mind, however, that this cultural negotiation happens at the margins of the dominant society, which negatively views Afro-Colombian minorities, or simply ignores them. Other findings include the identification of key moments of the historical development of the community; the analysis of the processes of conversion to Islam in this population; and the description of the organization, institutionalization, and hierarchy in the community in accordance with the changes from the Islamic perspective they have developed through its five-decade history.

This diploma thesis discusses phenomena of parallel legal norms applicable in the Great Britain. There is guaranteed enforceability of those parts of the Islamic law, which deals with family and inheritance matters in the United Kingdom. This phenomenon is result of decades lasting process going back to the colonialism. Given the current events such as so called migration crisis in the Europe and self-declaration of "Islamic State", the question of religious law of minorities become priority theme of public discourse and is also topic of common debates between critics and advocates of normative diversity. Crucial incident that influenced public debate, especially reflection of success rate of immigrants' integration, had been the London bombings of 7/7 2005. In the thesis are presented specific examples of clash of British Common Law and the Islamic Law. The force of disintegration is Salafism that affects Muslim minorities and which is imported to the UK primarily from Saudi Arabia. The online Fatwas, a very problematic issue, is dealt with in the end of the thesis as well. Given the impossibility to regulate influence of the internet, online fatwas have profound effect over vulnerable youngsters. Keywords: Islam, Islamic Law, Great Britain, Sharia, Islamic Family Law, Islamic Inheritance Law,...