Muslim life in Wiesbaden

Project manager: Prof. Dr. Susanne Schröter

The research project was an ethnographic study of Muslims who, as the Koran says, are closer to God than their own jugular vein. These are people who are particularly dedicated to their religion, who spend their free time in mosque communities and Sufi orders and who try to keep God’s commandments in everyday life in Germany. There is almost no reliable knowledge about this conservative and devout segment of German Islam, which is problematized in quantitative surveys as fundamentalist, and in some cases also as distant from democracy.
The project examined the norms and values as well as everyday actions and the diversity of lifestyles of devout Muslims. The focus was on social dynamics and conflictual processes within Muslim communities, but also on interactions between Muslims and non-Muslims. The aim of the study was to generate knowledge beyond statistical figures in order to make Muslim cultures visible and comprehensible.

To this end, ethnographic research has been conducted in 15 communities and organizations since October 2011. The project was based on participatory research by the research manager at festivals, discussion events and activities in the context of Friday prayers, as well as guided interviews, focus group discussions and informal discussions with 131 people from Muslim communities, with members of municipal institutions, the police and the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, with school principals and teachers, pastors and the head of the prison.

The study carried out addressed some well-known problem areas, but also went beyond this to address areas that had not previously been the focus of academic and public attention. As a result, the project was able to contribute to a complex overall picture.

Publications from the research project include Schröter, Susanne (2016): Being closer to God than your own jugular vein. Muslims in Wiesbaden Frankfurt/New York: Campus and Schröter, Susanne (2016): “Debating salafism, traditionalism and liberalism. Muslims and the state in Germany”, in: Ennaji, Moha, (ed.): New horizons of Muslim diaspora, Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave MacMillan, 203-228.

As part of the research project, a series of events entitled “Honor and Islam” was planned and carried out together with the Hessian State Center for Political Education and the Association for Integration, Culture, Gender and Generation Research at the Hessian State Center for Political Education, Wiesbaden, including the three individual events: “Viel Feind, viel Ehr. Men, Islam, Honor” on 5.10.2011; “The honor of women is called innocence. Women, Islam, Honor”, on 1.11.2011; “Honor to whom honor is due. Intercultural dimensions of honor”, on 1.12.2011. Also held: “Following the example of the Prophet. Gender discourses of Muslim women in Germany”, lecture by Susanne Schröter on 5.11.2012 as part of the lecture series “Gendergraphien. Perspectives of Gender Studies on Body – Knowledge – Practice” at the LMU and “Moral Uncertainties. Discussions with young Muslim men about sexuality and honor”, lecture by Susanne Schröter on 5.5.2012 at the conference “Religion and migration. Which values does society need?” at the Evangelische Stadtakademie Frankfurt am Main.