‘ALERT FOR THE NEIGHBOURS’: NEGOTIATING MUSLIM (NON)REPRESENTATIONS IN AN EAST GERMAN CITY

Abstract

When it comes to Muslim representational practices in European cities, fears, criticism and scepticism emerge in the public discourse. The aim of this paper is to investigate how Muslim places of prayer are negotiated. By means of a multi-method approach we investigate how Muslim places of prayer in Leipzig become visible. We further question the media’s role in local negotiation processes. The analysis shows that the diverse Muslim places of prayer rather resemble as ‘backyard mosques’ due to financial and structural hurdles as well as conflict avoidance. However, some interviewees explain their satisfaction with the places of prayer, which are places of migration and thus social networks, especially for the first generation. Due to its East German past, Leipzig is experiencing a partly catch-up debate regarding the arrival of Islam through migration. However, religion as culture is giving-way to individual local practices of representation of diverse Muslim people that could be picked up more strongly by the media.