The Neoliberal Turn in Regulating Islam

Drawing on over two years of relational ethnography, featuring real-life case studies, interviews, and observations in mosques, madrasahs, and other community settings, The Neoliberal Turn in Regulating Islam explores the transformation of mosques and Islamic institutions in France and the United Kingdom under the pressures of neoliberal bureaucratization. Muhammad Amin El-Yousfi's analysis of the neoliberal turn—the importation of formalities, rules, and procedures, and the development of manuals, toolkits, and guidelines derived from private enterprise into the traditional religious sphere—foregrounds the intertwinement of state policies and the efforts of local Muslim leaders. Documenting these top-down and bottom-up processes reveals two paradoxes: the paradox of neutrality and the paradox of legitimacy. The first one refers to the state's claim of neutrality despite its constant regulation of the socioreligious field. The second paradox lies in local Muslim leaders' efforts to acquire legitimacy through neoliberal bureaucratization while simultaneously resisting state attempts to control mosques and madrasahs. Through an exploration of these paradoxes, El-Yousfi highlights tensions between tradition, modernity, and secularism. Accessible and insightful, this monograph offers a compelling narrative about the challenges and strategies of Muslim communities in navigating faith, identity, and bureaucracy in two distinct yet interconnected contexts.