Book review: How Merkel, Cameron, and Sarkozy have played the role of champions for Europe’s secular identity against the perceived threat of Islam

Since 9/11, the Muslim presence in Europe has been increasingly perceived as ‘problematic’. Events such as the French ban on headscarves in public schools, the publication of the cartoons in Denmark, and speeches by political leaders have hit the front pages of newspapers the world over, and prompted a number of scholarly debates on Muslims’ capacity to comply with the seemingly neutral and pluralistic rules of European secularity. Luca Mavelli argues that this perspective has prevented an in-depth reflection on the limits of Europe’s secular tradition and its role in Europe’s conflictual encounter with Islam. Reviewed by Marco Scalvini.