Muslim Converts in the Netherlands and the Quest for a “Culture-Free” Islam

Through a focus on questions of ethnic, national, and religious belonging among converts to Islam in the Netherlands, this article addresses the interplay between “born” Muslims and converts in their quest for a “culture-free” Islam. Converts are often critical of Muslims’ habitual practice of Islam, which they term “cultural Islam.” This trend has been observed by several scholars on conversion across Europe. Different from these studies, in the Netherlands, this quest seems to be a joint effort of converts and young “born” Muslims alike. Using a discourse of Islamic brother/sisterhood, Muslims from a variety of backgrounds come together, in search of “true Islam.”