WhIsE · White Islam: A New Religion for Europeans

White Islam: A New Religion for Europeans

The WhIsE project examined the complex and non-linear relationship between European conservatism and Islamic intellectual heritage. Public debates in recent years have often portrayed this relationship as one of antagonism, with pro-Christian and anti-Islamic rhetoric used to define political identities and reinforce exclusivist agendas. However, the project showed that this perspective is too limited: alongside conflict, there are also shared concerns and intellectual encounters that connect conservative and Muslim traditions in Europe. This research is important for society because it helps explain how religious and political narratives shape contemporary debates on identity, belonging, and Europe’s cultural future. By situating Muslim intellectual voices within broader European conversations, the project contributes to a more balanced understanding of how inclusion and exclusion are negotiated, and how different communities position themselves in relation to dominant cultural frameworks. The project’s main objectives were: 1. To analyse where and how Islamic principles intersect with European conservative thought. 2. To study the Murabitun World Movement, an international network of Muslim converts, as a case of reformulating European intellectual traditions through Islamic and decolonial perspectives. 3. To advance a more nuanced view of the relationship between Muslim communities and political camps in Europe. Conclusions of the action: The project demonstrated that the relationship between Islam and European conservatism cannot be reduced to opposition. By tracing the intellectual production of the Murabitun network, it highlighted how European and Muslim traditions sometimes converge in their critiques of modernity, cultural change, and social order. These findings underline the need to move beyond simplistic narratives of conflict and instead recognise the complex, transnational interactions that shape Europe’s religious and political landscape today.

Data: CORDIS, © European Union