Urban Islam as a new ethnocultural phenomenon of the modern European metropolis: from the retrospective to the perspective vision of the problem

Abstract

The paper aims to delineate the boundaries of the Islamic subculture, which is taking shape in the public space of a number of major European cities in the context of a noticeable demographic evolution of the urban population in recent years. Denoting this sociocultural phenomenon as urban Islam, the author includes in it the whole diverse palette of modern urban reality, in which a new stratum of Muslims of the 21st century is being formed, differently assessing (or overestimating) their connection with their own creed, traditional spiritual practice and Islamic civilization code in general. In the context of the cultural multiplicity reigning in the daily reality of Paris, London and Berlin, Muslims seek to formalize their own models of integration into a new (for most of them) world of European standards and values. The process of active integration of Muslims into the social reality of the Western world is accompanied by significant transformations of the host society itself, creating hybrid forms and modifications of the multinational urban population.