Islam in Portuguese-speaking Areas: Historical accounts, (post)colonial conditions and current debates

The Political Accommodation of Islam in Portugal and Ireland: Testing the ‘Convergence Thesis’ in Two Peripheral Cases

“…Differences in flexibility and adaptability shown by those institutions explain, to a significant extent, the present situation of Islam in Portugal and the Republic of Ireland. The underlying assumption here is that preexisting policies and institutions largely determine processes and outcomes (Pierson 2000(Pierson , 2004; it is nevertheless important to acknowledge the importance of agency by Muslim communities and representatives, as Tatari (2009) and other scholars have noted (Nielsen 1992;Tiesler 2000Tiesler , 2005Vakil 2004). With this in mind, we follow the structural argument advanced by Soper (2004, 2007), although we postulate a weaker version.…”

“…Religious diversity as a social phenomenon emerged late in modern Portugal (Bastos 2004;Vilaça 2006;Tiesler 2005) and Ireland (Flynn 2006;Ryan 1996, Mac Éinri 2007. It is a result of post-World War II migration, especially later-stage (1980s-early 1990s) influxes.…”

“…The arrival of first-generation Muslims in both countries predates the emergence of religious diversity as a broad phenomenon: towards the end of the 1950s, Muslim students started enrolling in Portuguese and Irish educational facilities. The former were mainly of middle-class Mozambican origin (Tiesler 2000(Tiesler , 2005(Tiesler , 2009Vakil 2004Vakil , 2006, while the latter were mainly South-African (Flynn 2006;Sakaranho 2006). Jonathan Laurence asserts that the arrival of Islam in Europe operates along two main lines: as a form of "embassy Islam", supported by diplomatic staff from Muslim-majority countries, or "student Islam", supported by the efforts of individuals with high cultural capital (2006; 2009; 2012).…”

“…There is ample evidence of the arrival of Islam in Portugal as a form of "embassy Islam", through the support of Egyptian and Pakistani ambassadors to Lisbon (O Islão 1978a(O Islão , 1978b(O Islão 1979, which provided not only economic resources but also supported transnational contacts between the nascent Islamic Community in Lisbon (ICL) and governments abroad. The mosque-building process (1968)(1969)(1970)(1971)(1972)(1973)(1974)(1975)(1976)(1977)(1978)(1979)(1980)(1981)(1982)(1983)(1984)(1985), which took up most of ICL representatives' efforts at State contact and partnership-building, reveals that the authoritarian governance structure, coupled with the concordatarian model's lack of flexibility, presented an insurmountable challenge to the consolidation and diversification of Muslim communities in Portugal (Bernardo 2010;Machaqueiro 2007;Tiesler 2005). Founded in 1968, the ICL is the sole representative of Islam in Statesponsored bodies.…”

“…Founded in 1968, the ICL is the sole representative of Islam in Statesponsored bodies. As an institution, it quickly established itself as the most important representative of Muslim residents in Portugal (Bernardo 2010;Tiesler 2001Tiesler , 2005Vakil 2004Vakil , 2006. Islam in Portugal is unique in Europe for three main reasons.…”