Europe ’ s Muslim Women: Potential, Problems and Aspirations

1. Europe’s Muslim Women: Potential, Problems and Aspirations Citizenship and Immigration Canada Ottawa 27 April 2009 A seminar by Dr Sara Silvestri Cambridge University and City University London Dr Sara Silvestri sara.silvestri@city.ac.uk

2. My areas of work RESEARCH: • Interdisciplinary (across Internat.Politics and Sociology) • mainly qualitative + collaboration on quantitative projects ONGOING PROJECTS and INTERESTS Muslim political mobilisation and institutions in EuropeEuropean public policies towards religion and Muslim communitiesSuspect Communities (counter-terrorism and Irish & Muslims in UK) Muslim women: potential, aspirations and challenges Radicalisation & counter-terrorismMigration, integration and social cohesion TEACHING: Political Islam & Muslims in EuropeReligion in Global Politics, EU, International Relations POLICY-RELEVANT WORK: consultant/advisor on Muslims in Europe, intercultural dialogue, counter-terrorism (EuroMed, EU, UN Alliance of Civilisations, UK gov, think thanks) Dr Sara Silvestri sara.silvestri@city.ac.uk

3. Objectives of Muslim Women study • Charter issues of concern to these women as subjects rather than objects. Eg. No focus on hijab • Stress relational experience: to faith (learning paths, appreciation, practice), minority community, organised Islam, mainstream society, family, work/school • Investigate to what extent religions shapes their daily experiences • Beyond the “victim” angle: look at “potential”: what they dream, for themselves and for their children, their contribution to society • See if there are recurring trends across countries and ethnicities and compare to previous research • Identify issues for future investigation and for policy makers to bear in mind Dr Sara Silvestri sara.silvestri@city.ac.uk

4. Research process • 49 interviews • 3 countries (UK, Italy, Belgium) • Questionnaires and interviews • 2 research assistants • Mixed sampling method including snowball • Review of diverse literature: Islamic studies, migration, ethnicity, gender, feminism, politics, etc Dr Sara Silvestri sara.silvestri@city.ac.uk

5. Findings • Touching human experience • High response rate and gratefulness • Respondents warmly welcomed project and thanked us for talking to them as individuals, as women • Relationship to faith: love, moral guidance in life, effort to study and understand it, personal empowerment through access to knowledge of the faith • Belonging to Europe: Pride, appreciation of rule of law and opportunities • Prejudice and discrimination: happen but not defining issue. Mindset of country of settlement influences • Sophisticated critical approach to community and to society (eg prejudice goes both ways) • Attempts to renovate community from within tradition • Nuance, no rigid categories (eg Islamist, feminist, disaffected) • Very unexceptional dreams and aspirations • Oppression, self-segregation, low achievement: remain realities but not useful to tackle them by demonising and attacking community • Overall importance of project: establishing contacts, trust, credibility Dr Sara Silvestri sara.silvestri@city.ac.uk