THE WRITER OF THE LINES above makes several interesting assertions, most of which are contested, and all of which are discussed in some depth in this work. Perhaps the most disputed among them is the concept of Islam being an ‘essential component’ of European history, as evidence suggests that this does not match the current representation of Islam and Muslims in Europe. Te typical image of the Muslim in Europe is of a non-European, however that is defined: in the United Kingdom, it is the ‘foreign’ Indian sub-continental; in Germany, it is the ‘alien’ Turk; and in France, it is the ‘exotic’ North African Arab – none of whom are, it is presumed, essentially European, or even capable of becoming so.

Yet, whether the claim is true or false, the representations of Islam and Muslims in Europe call attention to several key points. First, the Muslims are a significant population (the largest non-Christian religious community in Europe, 11-12 million in the ‘old’ European Union [EU]) alone; second, they affect the tapestry of European societies considerably; and third, they are not a uniform community.