European Shiism? Counterpoints from Shiites' organization in Britain and the Netherlands

European Shiism is a neglected area in studies of European Islam, which raises the question of to what extent Shiism in Europe represents a particular realm of organization and a particular religiosity. Shiism's striking transnational features, and general findings on European Islam, suggest prolific border-crossing and cross-ethnic organization among Shiites in Europe. Exploring British and Dutch cases, however, leaves little room for the notion of a specific European Shiite realm. When focusing on the ethnicnational background of board members of Shiite organizations and on their formal organizational interlocks, ethnically articulate identities come to the fore, particular mixes of which take shape within sub-European frameworks of states. The last section explores sociopolitical implications of Shiites' organizational life in Europe, as seen through the Dutch and British samples. A contrast is drawn between the relative scarcity of Shiite organization, which delimits the role of Shiism as a political actor in Europe, and recent indications of civic engagement.