European Shiism? Counterpoints from Shiites' organization in Europe

European Shiism is a neglected area in studies of European Islam, which raises the question of to what extent Shiism in Europe represents a particular realm of organization and a particular religiosity. Shiism’s striking transnational features, and general findings on European Islam, suggest prolific border-crossing and cross-ethnic organization among Shiites in Europe. Exploring British and Dutch cases, however, leaves little room for the notion of a specific European Shiite realm. When focusing on the ethnic-national background of board members of Shiite organizations and on their formal organizational interlocks, ethnically articulate identities come to the fore, particular mixes of which take shape within sub-European frameworks of states. The last section explores sociopolitical implications of Shiites’ organizational life in Europe, as seen through the Dutch and British samples. A contrast is drawn between the relative scarcity of Shiite organization, which delimits the role of Shiism as a political actor in Europe, and recent indications of civic engagement