Shi'ism in Madrid: Muharram commemorations and the paradigm of Karbala

Abstract

Whereas most research on Muslim communities in Europefocuses on Sunni Islam, this article contributes to aneglected but slowly growingfield of research on Shi’iIslam. Taking the case of a recently formalised Shi’i Muslimcentre in Madrid, this article documents itsfirst publicactivity, commemorating the martyrdom of the ImamHusayn and using the Karbala paradigm creatively. It showshow this and other activities are part of a response to theconcerns of the community, ranging from Islamophobia tothe radicalisation of young Muslims into Salafijihadism.Whereas most research on Muslim communities in Europefocuses on Sunni Islam, this article contributes to aneglected but slowly growingfield of research on Shi’iIslam. Taking the case of a recently formalised Shi’i Muslimcentre in Madrid, this article documents itsfirst publicactivity, commemorating the martyrdom of the ImamHusayn and using the Karbala paradigm creatively. It showshow this and other activities are part of a response to theconcerns of the community, ranging from Islamophobia tothe radicalisation of young Muslims into Salafijihadism.