Abstract
To understand the relevant and signifijicant diffferences between imams of the West, this chapter suggests a typology of imams according to variations of institutional authority – that is, the signifijicant dimensions of institutionally embedded authority available in the West – and what has been called epistemic authority, which emphasizes the primacy of knowledge-based authority in Islam. Focussing specifijically on Islamic authority and providing relevant examples of imams that embody authority, the typology expresses the cross tabulation between the diverse institutional frameworks in the West and Islamic knowledge personified.This relationship between institutional authority and epistemic authority, its explanatory power and the actual imams, who exemplify them, is a telling indicator of the directions and future challenges of Islam in Europe.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Imams in Western Europe : Developments, Transformations, and Institutional Challenges |
| Number of pages | 24 |
| Place of Publication | Amsterdam |
| Publisher | Amsterdam University Press |
| Publication date | 15 May 2018 |
| Pages | 231-254 |
| Chapter | 12 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9789462983830 |
| Publication status | Published - 15 May 2018 |
Keywords
- Faculty of Humanities
- Imams in the United KingdomKingdom, Germany, and Austria,
- imam
- Typology
- Chaplaincy
- Islam
- Muslims
- religious authority