A vital analysis of the challenges that Europe poses for an expanding Islam and that Islam poses for Europe, within their ever-evolving religious, legal and social environments. This book outlines implications for all those who look to Europe - from both within and without - for models fo human rights implementation and multi-cultural accommodation.

pt. I.Islam, human rights, and secularism in Europe : an overview -- Islam in Strasbourg : can politics substitute for law? / Javier Martínez-Torrón -- The European Court of Human Rights : between fundamentalist and liberal secularism / Ingvill Thorson Plesner -- Wearing the hijab : some reflections from a Muslim woman's perspective / Amal Idrissi -- International human rights law and the Islamic headscarf : a short note on the positions of the European Court of Human Rights and the Human Rights Committee / Martin Scheinin -- pt. II. European approaches to the islamic headscarf controversy -- The hijab in Strasbourg : clear conclusions, unclear reasoning / Njål Høstmælingen -- Religious symbols in public schools : the Islamic headscarf and the European Court of Human Rights decision in Şahin v. Turkey / T. Jeremy Gunn -- The Strasbourg court dealing with Turkey and the human right to freedom of religion or belief : an assessment in light of Leyla Şahin v. Turkey / Tore Lindholm -- The religious headscarf (hijab) and access to employment under Norwegian antidiscrimination laws / Ronald Craig -- The headscarf issue : a German perspective / Richard Puza -- pt. III. The European Court and the limits of pluralism : the welfare party case -- The dubious foundations of the Refah decision / Ann Elizabeth Mayer -- Refah revisited : Strasbourg's construction of Islam / Christian Moe -- The principle of legal pluralism and militant democracy / Javid Gadirov -- The European Court's freedom of association cases and the implications for islam / Lance Lehnhof.