Islamic Theology at Western European Universities

Articulating Ikhtilāf in the Netherlands, Germany, United Kingdom and Austria

Series: 

Author:
Welmoet Boender
In recent years, several Western European universities have started academic programs in Islamic theology. This study answers a much-debated question: How do Islamic theologians at Western European universities face the challenging task of administering, elaborating and developing Islamic knowledge through academic discourse?

This book systematically shows how scholars, first and foremost, want to use the academic space to mobilise a paradigm shift that focuses on plurality and pluralism. This approach is aimed at allowing European Muslims comfort and certainty to deal with the challenges of modern life. The study will explain this by using the concept of ikhtilāf, an Islamic legal term, which, at its broadest, can be defined as the recognition of diversity in opinions.
Copyright Year:
2026
E-Book (PDF)
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Published
ISBN:
978-90-04-75548-2
Publication:
26 Jan 2026
Hardback
Availability:
Published
ISBN:
978-90-04-75075-3
Publication:
26 Feb 2026
Cover Islamic Theology at Western European Universities

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Welmoet Boender, Ph.D. (2007), is Associate Professor Anthropology of Islam and Vice Dean of Education at the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. Her interdisciplinary research focuses on the formation of Muslim religious professionals in Western Europe.
Preface and Acknowledgements

1 Challenges of Islamic University Theology in the Western European Context
 1.1 Introduction
 1.2 Muslims in Europe and the Shaping of Islam
 1.3 Thinking about the Legitimacy of Islamic Theology at Publicly Funded Universities
 1.4 What Is Islamic Theology?
 1.5 Islamic Theology in the Western Genealogy of the Study of Islam
 1.6 Questions Posed to Islamic Theology in the European Context
 1.7 Need for an Overview Study of the First Ten Years
 1.8 Outline of the Study

2 Making Space for Islamic Theology: Institutional Complexities in the Netherlands, Germany, United Kingdom and Austria
 2.1 Introduction
 2.2 The Netherlands
 2.3 Germany
 2.4 United Kingdom
 2.5 Austria
 2.6 Concluding Remarks

3 Islamic University Theology as a Project: Conceptual Comprehensions
 3.1 Introduction
 3.2 Islamic Theology as Emancipatory Project
 3.3 Islamic Theology as Epistemological and Methodological Project
 3.4 Islamic Theology as Theological Project
 3.5 Islamic Theology as ‘European Islam’ Project
 3.6 Islamic Theology as Academic Project
 3.7 Concluding Remarks

4 A Helicopter View on the Topics of the Academic Publications
 4.1 Introduction
 4.2 A Bird’s Eye View
 4.3 Argumentative Directions
 4.4 Concluding Remarks

5 Epistemological and Methodological Elaborations of Three Prominent Themes
 5.1 Introduction
 5.2 Education and Religious Pedagogy
 5.3 Qurʾan Hermeneutics
 5.4 History of Islamic Thought
 5.5 Concluding Remarks

6 The University as a Platform for Intellectual Reflection and Renewal
 6.1 Introduction
 6.2 Intellectual Reflections in and on Europe
 6.3 Discussions among Female Theologians
 6.4 ‘Alternative’ Academic Theological Proposals: Touching the Boundaries of Normativity?
 6.5 Concluding Remarks

7 Articulating ikhtilāf: the Paradigmatic Plurality of Islamic Theology at Western European Universities
 7.1 Introduction
 7.2 Mobilisation of a Paradigm Shift
 7.3 Concluding Remarks

8 On the Legitimacy of Islamic Theology at Western European Universities
 8.1 Directions of Islamic University Theology in Western Europe
 8.2 Transformative Impact?
 8.3 Final Words: the Inherent Legitimacy of Islamic University Theology

Bibliography
Index
The book is timely and essential for scholars of Islamic studies, religious pluralism, theology, sociology of religion, and European higher education policy. It will attract the interest of a diverse readership, including policymakers and religious leaders in Europe and globally.
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