Dilemmas of Inclusion: Muslims in European Politics

Exposing the challenge of the political Left, Dancygier shows how the Left’s ideological foundations begin to crumble when they seek to attract voters who reject liberal social commitments to gender equality. The result puts political parties, particularly on the Left, in a bind. Adida, coauthor of Why Muslim Integration Fails in Christian-Heritage Societies"What a timely, prescient book! Dancygier argues that above all, the political inclusion of Muslim candidates is a numbers game of vote maximization, with party ideology or multicultural ideals secondary. Laitin, Stanford University"Dancygier offers a compelling account of the dilemmas European parties face as they struggle to incorporate Muslim minorities that challenge their ideology. A must-read for anyone seeking to understand the volatility of contemporary politics."--Irene Bloemraad, University of California, Berkele

In vote-rich enclaves, Muslim views on religion, tradition, and gender roles can deviate sharply from those of the majority electorate, generating severe trade-offs for parties seeking to broaden their coalitions. As Europe’s Muslim communities continue to grow, so does their impact on electoral politics and the potential for inclusion dilemmas. She demonstrates that when parties are seduced by the quick delivery of ethno-religious bloc votes, they undercut their ideological coherence, fail to establish programmatic linkages with Muslim voters, and miss their opportunity to build cross-ethnic, class-based coalitions. Dilemmas of Inclusion explains when and why European political parties include Muslim candidates and voters, revealing that the ways in which parties recruit this new electorate can have lasting consequences.Drawing on original evidence from thousands of electoral contests in Austria, Belgium, Germ

. Rafaela M. Dancygier is associate professor of politics and international affairs at Princeton University. She is the author of Immigration and Conflict in Europe