Skip to main content
  • Book
  • © 2020

Islamic Militant Activism in Belgium, The Netherlands and Germany

"Islands in a Sea of Disbelief"

Palgrave Macmillan
  • Treats Islamic militant activism as a particular mode of resistance which, following Foucault, the authors term "counter-conduct."
  • Analyzes the nature of the da?wa activism and, in particular, how it develops in a continuous interaction between the networks, the media and the government.
  • Based upon analyses of texts, video-statements, interviews and ethnography.

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 89.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 119.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 119.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check for access.

Table of contents (6 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xi
  2. Iconic Resistance: Germany

    • Martijn de Koning, Carmen Becker, Ineke Roex
    Pages 53-111
  3. “Making the Unbelievers Angry”: Sharia4Belgium

    • Martijn de Koning, Carmen Becker, Ineke Roex
    Pages 113-203
  4. ‘The War Has Begun’: The Dutch Networks

    • Martijn de Koning, Carmen Becker, Ineke Roex
    Pages 205-281
  5. The Production of ‘Radicals’: ‘Steadfast Warriors’ in the Netherlands

    • Martijn de Koning, Carmen Becker, Ineke Roex
    Pages 283-317
  6. A Comparative Discussion: The Counter-conducts of Militant Muslim Activists

    • Martijn de Koning, Carmen Becker, Ineke Roex
    Pages 319-347
  7. Back Matter

    Pages 349-361

About this book

Based on ethnographic research in Belgium, The Netherlands, and Germany, this book presents a novel approach to studying Muslim militant activism. While much existing research focuses on the process of radicalization, these authors introduce a different set of questions that investigate specific modes of activism, and their engagement with dominant discourses and practices in media and state policies. Drawing on social movement theory and Foucault’s work on counter-conduct, this research explores how daʿwa networks came about, and how activists developed themselves in interaction with state and media practices. This perspective highlights a form of activism and resistance in which activists turn against policies and debates centring on Muslims and Islam, while attempting to create and protect an alternative space for themselves in which they can experience Islam according to their own perception of it.

The study will contribute to debates about resistance, social movements and militant activism among Muslims in Europe.


Authors and Affiliations

  • Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, The Netherlands

    Martijn de Koning

  • Leibniz University Hannover, Hannover, Germany

    Carmen Becker

  • NTA Consultancy, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Ineke Roex

About the authors

Martijn de Koning is Postdoctoral Researcher and Lecturer at Radboud University Nijmegen and the University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Carmen Becker is Postdoctoral Researcher at Leibniz University Hannover, Germany.

Ineke Roex is Head of the Research Department of NTA Consultancy, and previously Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands.


Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: Islamic Militant Activism in Belgium, The Netherlands and Germany

  • Book Subtitle: "Islands in a Sea of Disbelief"

  • Authors: Martijn de Koning, Carmen Becker, Ineke Roex

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-42207-3

  • Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan Cham

  • eBook Packages: Social Sciences, Social Sciences (R0)

  • Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020

  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-030-42206-6Published: 26 June 2020

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-3-030-42209-7Published: 26 June 2021

  • eBook ISBN: 978-3-030-42207-3Published: 25 June 2020

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: XI, 361

  • Topics: Political Sociology, Ethnicity Studies, Islam, Sociology of Religion

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 89.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 119.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 119.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access