Introduction

This chapter is an introduction to the volume. The inherent heterogeneity of the Muslim world is presented as a fact which has augmented confusion and created uneasiness in attempts to understand more thoroughly the social and political phenomena connected with peoples’ mobility from and to Muslim countries. Changing lenses to investigate case-studies of relevance in this field is pointed out as one of the main objectives of this collective work. The Mediterranean migration pattern is highlighted by the inclusion of several viewpoints, trying to define a broader picture incorporating both destination and points of origin. The ‘Islam factor’ is introduced in its complexity, as it refers to the challenge of managing diversity among Muslim migrants. This is dealt with as a challenge both for Europe, and for the countries and regions of the Muslim world most involved in the phenomenon of migration and mobility, such as North Africa and the Gulf Arab region. The authors emphasize that the objective is to shed light on specific cultural, economic and juridical aspects related to the development of new models of cooperation on migration issues. Integration and belonging are tackled as two important aspects that are not necessarily interlinked in ‘migration projects’ of Muslims in their South-North and South-South mobility. Exploring the complexity of this phenomenon by the analysis of some significant case-studies, related both to Europe and the Muslim World, is pointed out as a major objective of this volume, in order to try and define a ‘constructive co-existence’ as a first necessary step towards a much more intricate process of integration.