The Study of Islam and Muslims in Israel

The Islamic revival in Israel has attracted the attention of scholars from various fields, who have tried to understand its impact on the local Muslim minority. The article illuminates basic flaws in the study of Islam and Muslims in Israel and suggests additional research directions that may enrich this subject-matter. It criticizes the predominant focus on the IM and its attitude towards the State of Israel, while disregarding the existence of a much wider spectrum of voices speaking on a variety of significant issues. We ask what impact Islamization has on Muslim-Jewish relations in Israel, and also suggest the need for more research and literature on the interactions in Israel between the Muslim minority and other local Arab, non-Jewish, and Jewish minorities, and abroad. Two other questions are discussed: How should we approach Islamic fundamentalism in the Israeli context? and What does it represent vis-à-vis the State of Israel and the dominant Israeli society and culture?