Islam in the West : perceptions and reactions / edited by Abe W. Ata, Jan A. Ali.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Introduction: understanding Islam-West relations and Muslim and non-Muslim mutual perceptions -- I. Perceptions and attitudes -- Attitudes of school-age Muslim Australians towards Australia: gender and religious discrepancies - a national survey -- How mainstream Australian students perceive Muslims and Islam: a national survey -- Framing, branding, and explaining: a survey of perceptions of Islam and Muslims in the Canadian polls, government, and academia -- II. Inclusion and exclusion -- Integrated acculturation and contact strategies to improve Anglo-Muslim relations in Australia -- Australian Muslims as radicalized 'other' and their experiences of social exclusion -- Young Muslims' identity in Australia and the US: the focus on the 'Muslim question' -- Islam-West relations and the rise of Muslim radicalism and gloabl jihadism -- Engaging with Islam, engaging with society: the participation of Muslims in Dutch society -- III. Faith and identity -- 'Muslims in the modern sense': Kabyles negotiating religious identity in the Czech Republic -- Faith, identity, and ideology: experiences of Australian male converts to Islam -- Muslim communities in a Catholic country: the case of Italy

This text focuses on the way Muslims and mainstream societies in the West, especially in America, Australia, and Europe, perceive each other. It focuses on the meaning of being a Muslim in a multicultural, multi-religious, and technologically developed world. The essays in the volume explore the socio-political, cultural, and historical differences between the two groups, Muslims and Western societies, while attempting to reconcile some of these differences in creative ways by initiating constructive dialogues between them. It also takes into account the tensions, challenges, and complexities between these communities across various contexts, including, schools, universities, media, government, private, and public institutions. This volume thus explores this interplay between perceptions and misperceptions by delving into the societal structures of Western host and immigrant communities.