Leading Muslim scholars are laying the theological foundations for a ‘Euro-Islam’ which would reconcile their religion with the challenges of modernity. But just how compatible is Islam with secular Western values? The air in the conference room is stale, and the dour mood among those present is not much better. The room smells of sweat, cigarette smoke, cold coffee — and plenty of problems. That comes with the territory at a meeting of some 100 social workers who work in flashpoints like the London boroughs of Hounslow, Eastleigh and Ealing. In their districts they often have to deal with angry youth gangs, unemployment and failed integration policies. Today, on this particular Thursday, they have gathered here in the large hall of the Holborn Bars conference center to learn that multiculturalism also has positive aspects and, most importantly, that no one needs to be afraid of Muslims. Up on the stage, Lucy de Groot, the organizer of the one-day seminar ‘Cultural Diversity and Social Cohesion,’ presents ‘with great pleasure’ a speaker whose appearance alone is enough to add a touch of brilliance to this gloomy conference room. Smiling here and nodding there, the ‘esteemed guest’ strides up to […]