My name is Maurits Berger, and I am a professor of Islam and the West at Leiden University. My aim is to adapt Islam studies in a way that you, Muslims in Europe, get center stage. To start doing so, I invite you to share your thoughts on what aspects of Islam can be of relevance in European societies.
Thank you for your contribution.
I am tired of Islam studies in Europe being dominated by issues of security, radicalism, and integration, whereby the 'relevance' of such research is mostly determined by non-Muslim societies. I want to change Islam studies so that the motives, ideas and desires of you, Muslims in Europe, get centre stage: what are the questions you raise in a European context, what are the issues you are struggling with, what do you find important, and how do you (want to) address these issues? Such open-ended questions have hardly been asked in academic research, so let's start doing it.
This survey is entirely anonymous. The only personal information I need from you are your age and country, because these are important indicators for the 'future' and 'Europe'.
Based on the results of this survey, I intend to set up a wider network of European academics for cooperation and exchange. But I also want to connect university with society. One of the ways of doing that is by forming small 'think tanks' of Muslim students and young professionals. Ideas and initiatives from the ground can then feed into university and back.