A makeshift memorial at the Botanical Gardens in Christchurch after a gunman killed 50 worshippers at the Al Noor Masjid and Linwood Masjid.
Mick Tsikas/AAP
The arguments of far right commentators who conflate Islam with extremism are flawed. In the rich and complex tradition of Islam, extremists are a small minority who often target other Muslims.
Young Muslims protest in 2012 after the killing of a cleric accused of supporting Al-Shabaab.
EPA/Dai Kurokawa
Agnès De Féo, École des hautes études en sciences sociales (EHESS)
A number of women who once wore and defended the full Islamic veil known as the niqab later chose to renounce it. Here two of them tell their stories.
Muslims pray at the Kofar Mata Central Mosque in Kano, Northern Nigeria. Liberal and fundamentalist Islam are in a contest of legitimacy in the region.
Reuters/Akintunde Akinleye
The debate around photos of two Nigerian Salafi clerics taken in London wasn’t a trivial conversation about dress and recreational choices. It was loaded with symbolism.
Muslims from the Salafist tradition can often be seen as ‘radical.’ There is not much understanding of Salafism, its history and its diversity. Here’s what it means to be a Salafist.
Moha Ennaji, International Institute for Languages and Cultures
The recent burqa ban in Morocco highlights tensions between radical Salafists and a moderate Islamic government that has taken steps to further women’s rights.
Since Islam is predicated on law, variations in the interpretation of that law – along with geography and distinct legal schools – have all contributed to differences in the religion.
The West is preoccupied with a particular minority strand of Islam, which does not represent the Muslim majority - most of whom, including these Indonesians, are in Asia.
AAP/Newzulu/Gholib Sa
The Islam that causes alarm and protests in the West is not representative of the beliefs and practices of the world’s Muslims. Most are Asian and they are the ones more likely to migrate to the West.
Salafi mosques are among the few to reach out to local converts in Europe.
EPA/Julian Stratenschulte
Esra Özyürek, London School of Economics and Political Science
Governments in Europe have been horrified to see their young nationals turning to extremist groups and committing terrible acts in their name, but few have stopped to think about how their own policies…