The relationship between Europe and the Middle East has been important yet tumultuous for
more than a thousand years. In both regions immigrants from religious minorities found their
place and yet often stayed connected through historical and or religious ties to the other
region. Several large Christian communities remained in the Middle East after the Islamization
of the region. More recently immigration from Mediterranean countries has brought Islam back
into Europe. Muslim communities with diverging regional and ideological backgrounds are
increasingly becoming part of the European landscape. The influence of globalization has given
way to a shift in the position of minorities in their relationship to the majority culture in
which religion is played out as a key element. We are also currently witnessing a
reinterpretation of the minority issue in itself and a repositioning of minority communities
within the dominant strand of society. The interaction between global and local contexts has
created new dynamics in the minority issue and therefore requires renewed academic analysis.
This publication comprises the contributions of scholars and researchers who participated in a
conference on the topic organized by the University Centre Saint-Ignatius Antwerp in December
2007 and covers different aspects of the subject matter including the politics of religious
diversity religion and ethnic identity migration conversion virtual communication European
Islam and feminine minority discourse.
