Only God is the judge of this, and no human being can declare another’s destiny, or his own. 33. The concept of “milla” used in this verse to express the idea of religion conveys the idea of “people”s community of faith,” a sense of belonging, much more than the word “din,” which is “religion” or “concept and way of life” per se. 34. In Qur’anic usage, the word mumin (bearer of faith) usually means Muslim. 35. Qur’an 60:9. 36. Qur’an 16:125. 37. Qur’an 2:143. 38. As I see it, interreligious debate cannot take place by way of a debate on theological questions. We often witness a choice between extremes: either the discussion is completely theological, or the theological aspect is totally ignored and people behave as if the cause of the problem were understood. Both approaches are, in my view, defective and illusory.
Chapter 10 1. I do not believe it is a question of belittling, even despising, the culture of origin. It is a source of wealth, a powerful aspect of the plural character of the identity of the children of immigrants, and they must be taught to live it as it is, to be inspired by and proud of it. Our intention here is to put an end to the confusion between religious principles and culture. Respect for religious principles is not the same as preserving the richness of a culture of origin. 2. We refer to “Western” culture generally in order to clarify the principle, but it is clear that the French, American, British, German, and Swedish cultures are not the same. This work of integration must take place in each country, and Muslims will naturally take on different cultural features. Differences are already apparent among American, French, British, and Belgian Muslims, for example. 3. See To Be a European Muslim, Part III. 4. A summary of the arguments can be found in To Be a European Muslim, Part II. 5. For two basic reasons: first, on the basis of the arguments put forward by the two parties, and second, because it is juridically preferable (min bab altarji) as a way of dealing with the realities of life in the West.
Conclusion 1. This book has sketched out the global vision. The nature of involvement is a function of the realities and the factors that Muslims must take into account. 2. These acts are expressed in various ways: through surveillance by the security services of the various states and through collaboration with governments in countries of origin. Control also takes multiple forms: the obsession
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