Paper short abstract:

My paper is the result of an ongoing research project focusing on the new associative movements of young Muslims in Spain. Based on a need for building of citizenship along with Muslim identity, their civic engagement contributes significantly to the strengthening of civil society and social change.

Paper long abstract:

Muslim communities in Spain are experiencing a demographic transition from being mainly composed of migrants to a new-born generation of young Muslims grown up in Spain. In parallel to this process, Muslim associative movements are also evolving from the old religious associations started by first migrants in the 90s into a wider spectrum of civic initiatives. Spanish Muslim youth are therefore no longer engaged just in fighting for their religious rights —as their parents generation was—, but they also claim their place in society as full citizens. By leading some feminism, antiracist and anti-islamophobia movements or standing up for their right to access to education and the labor market, identity politics engaged in by these young Muslims are increasingly becoming a driving force for social change within Spanish society at large.

Following this demographic transition and the resulting change in Muslim civic engagement, my work explores the process of building Muslim identity —in terms of both religiosity and ethnicity— along with the building of citizenship. On this regard, I suggest analyzing Muslim youth attitude and discourse facing both Muslim communities in Spain and the Spanish society as a whole. Thus, gender and generational gaps within Muslim communities, the rejection of identity patterns imported from other countries or the Muslim youth leading role in social movements are some of the key elements that play a central role in the process of Muslim identity building within the framework of Spanish citizenship.