Islam in Israel
Muslim Communities in Non-Muslim States

Islam is the religion of the majority of Arab citizens in Israel and since the late 1970s has become an important factor in their political and socio-cultural identity. This leads to an increasing number of Muslims in Israel who define their identity first and foremost in relation to their religious affiliation. By examining this evolving religious identity during the past four decades and its impact on the religious and socio-cultural aspects of Muslim life in Israel, Muhammad Al-Atawneh and Nohad Ali explore the local nature of Islam. They find that Muslims in Israel seem to rely heavily on the prominent Islamic authorities in the region, perhaps more so than minority Muslims elsewhere. This stems, inter alia, from the fact that Muslims in Israel are the only minority that lives in a land they consider to be holy and see themselves as a natural.

Reviews & endorsements

'This book is a significant contribution to the study of three areas of theoretical interest: Muslims and Islam in general and in Israel as a Jewish state in particular; Minorities in general, and the Palestinian minority in Israel in particular; and interactions between religious groups in a religiously divided reality, such as that among Palestinians in Israel. Questions of coping with the challenges of modernity, attitudes toward others, processes of return to religion, and the development of a unique heritage that fits the political / social context are discussed at length, in a manner that has not been discussed so far. The authors systematically use a variety of quantitative, qualitative methodologies, anthropological observations and their own involvement in the field in order to provide us with a diverse and real account of the lives of the Muslims in Israel. There is no doubt that the contribution of the authors and the book is absolutely vital to any student who has an interest in the fields of interest discussed here.' As'ad Ghanem, University of Haifa, Israel

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Product details

• Date Published: March 2020
• format: Paperback
• isbn: 9781108436007
• length: 212 pages

• dimensions: 229 x 151 x 12 mm
• weight: 0.33kg
• contains: 4 b/w illus. 124 tables
• availability: Available