Although religiosity in the West today is confined to the private sphere of the individual, religion has recently, since 9-11, intensely re-entered public discussion. At the same time, every sector of society has been taking a greater interest in the public role of religion. It is also possible that the daily presence in the media of Islam during the last years has led to a reconsideration of the social role of religion.

The President of the Pope's Council for Interreligious Dialogue, Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, recently thanked the Muslims for returning religion to the European public sphere. I have heard individual Christian dignitaries admit that they look with envy at the full mosques during Friday prayers since their own churches remain largely empty. I cannot help but suspect that there is still some hope that cooperation with the conservative Islamic umbrella organizations will lead to a general revival of faith. As if God in Europe would be lost without Islam! In any case, if we include Islam, God is more alive than ever in Europe. In Western societies, religious is a subsystem that provides a sense of purpose and Islam contributes to its multicultural richness. However, the dialogical meeting of religions and worldviews remains overshadowed by Islam's radical beliefs and practices, which often enough are used to legitimate violence and thus expose the whole world to fear and terror.

The negative headlines about Islam in the Western and Islamic world suggest that Islam is in an identity crisis and that Muslims are in the middle of a crucial test. The modern age has changed people from the ground up, but the beliefs and practices in Islam have remained largely the same. For centuries, Islam has been dominated by a conservative theology, which repeatedly leads to acts of violence. Therefore, Islam must be reformed. We must dissent from the prevailing discourse of Islam and challenge it critically. Conservative Islam will only be able to resist this overdue reform with force. It will not be able to stop it, however, because Islam is now operating in the West, which is characterized by freedom of expression.

The reform of Islam is directed against the power of political Islam and the conservative scholars whose outdated views are no longer relevant to the living environment of Muslims in the West.