This book is divided into four parts: Key concepts (part I); Contemporary political discourses on Islamophobia (part II); Media practices (part III); and Responding to Islamophobia, extremism and radicalisation (part IV). In this introductory chapter, we discuss the scope and shattered boundaries of Islamophobia as both a concept and a sociopolitical reality. We then attempt a definition of Islamophobia's theoretical and pragmatic dimensions. This conceptual chapter brings together an anthropologist and a communication scholar to consider whether and to what extent Islamophobia is a form of violent radicalisation. This will serve as a background against which we will present the fifteen chapters of this collective book, which relate interdisciplinary research, media content analyses, media discourse analysis, ethnographic research, intersectoral advocacy work and action research conducted

This chapter analyses research findings on the interaction between anti-Islam/Sharia and Sharia for Europe groups from the perspective of cumulative extremism and radicalisation theory, with a focus on the places and occasions where this antagonism occurs. First, we introduce the concepts of cumulative extremism and reciprocal radicalisation, and explain how they can help us understand processes of escalation between opposite groups. Next, we present a framework for assessing the development of cumulative extremism. Furthermore, we examine the interplay between anti-Islam and Sharia for Europe networks in the 2000s, focusing on the action and reactions between them. Finally, we discuss findings from existing studies and research on these opposite groups, specifically on street activism and public narratives.

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