Exploring the religiosity of Muslims in Belgium. between secularisation and reactive religiosity
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 24226182 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Corinne Torrekens (0000-0001-7481-8188, Université Libre de Bruxelles), Jean-Benoit Pilet (0000-0001-5612-0835, Université Libre de Bruxelles), Robin Lebrun (0000-0003-4037-3867, Université Libre de Bruxelles), Marco Ognibene (0000-0002-4142-6046, Université Libre de Bruxelles) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Pages | 1-25 |
| Publication date | 2026-06-01 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | New Community (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0047-9586 • E-ISSN: 1469-9451 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/1369183x.2026.2678389 |
| OpenAlex | W7163029703 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 50 |
This study proposes a comprehensive examination of the factors that affect the religiosity of Muslims in Belgium. Drawing on survey data from nearly 1,500 self-identifying Muslims, this article tests a series of hypotheses anchored in the two most predominant lines of explanations of the religiosity of Muslims in Western societies: secularisation theory and the reactive religiosity thesis but our analyses go beyond the dichotomy of those two approaches. First, we show that Muslims’ socio-economic integration (which is central in secularisation theory) and their experiences of discrimination (which is central in reactive religiosity) have the strongest impact on religious practices of Muslims. In line with the ‘paradox of integration’, we find that religious practices are especially strengthened among Muslims with good socio-economic positions and perceptions of discrimination against Muslims. Second, we also show that religiosity is affected by the political and discursive context, with a greater impact of prejudice and discrimination in Flanders where anti-Islam rhetoric is promoted by a long-established strong radical right party. These findings suggest that secularisation and religious reactivity are not mutually exclusive but operate simultaneously across distinct dimensions of Muslim religiosity and contribute to a nuanced understanding of Muslim religiosity in contemporary European societies.
anti-Islam discourse · anti-Muslim discrimination · Belgium · Flanders · Islamic religiosity · Prejudice · radical right parties · Religious practice · secularization theory · socio-economic integration · Migration, Refugees, and Integration · Religion and Society Interactions · Religious Freedom and Discrimination
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| Highly cited | No |
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