Muslim Publics: Contents and Discontents

Abstract

This conceptual pair, Public Islam and Muslim Publics, forms the
cornerstones of this collection of case studies in Islam in Africa. Public
Islam refers
… to the highly diverse invocations of Islam as ideas and
practices that religious scholars, self-ascribed religious
authorities, secular intellectuals, Sufi orders, mothers,
students, workers, engineers, and many others make to civic
debate and public life. In this “public” capacity, “Islam”
makes a difference in configuring the politics and social life
of large parts of the globe, and not just for self-ascribed
religious authorities.

Journal for Islamic Studies Vol. 27 2007: pp. 1-15