Between the School and the Mosque: Young Dutch Moroccan and Dutch Egyptian Muslims Negotiating Citizenship in the Netherlands

Abstract

The integration of Muslims is an issue that receives a lot of debates in Europe. Muslim students from migrant background are caught amid of these debates. Citizenship education was introduced to strengthen social integration and developing citizenship skills of youth. Therefore, it is vital for these debates. A significant number of Dutch Muslim youth attend non-formal Islamic education. However, the education they receive in their non-formal Islamic schools remains an area that is understudied. Furthermore, there are concerns over the role of non-formal Islamic educational organizations in undermining social integration and isolating Muslim youth from their host society. The research aims at analysing how Dutch Egyptian and Dutch Moroccan Muslim youth construct their citizenship between their secondary schools and non-formal Islamic education. Furthermore, the research aims at comparatively analysing the norms and values taught at their secondary schools and non-formal Islamic education and how youth navigate the differences and similarities between both spaces. The research also examines the formation of identity, sense of belonging and social integration of Muslim youth and the role of secondary schools and non-formal Islamic education in these processes.