The halal social sphere: Muslim moral markets as counter-governmentality

This contribution examines the emergence and consolidation of a halal social sphere across Europe. It conceptualises this sphere as a distinct moral economy and a resilient counterpublic that signals a localised European expression of a post-Islamist turn. Refuting views of separatist withdrawal, the analysis depicts a fluid, adaptive, and strategic network of initiatives led by Muslims demonstrating significant agency amidst structural constraints. The central claim asserts that the diverse landscape of European multi-secularities dialectically shapes the form, function, and character of this realm. Through a comparative analysis of the assertive secularism of France and the corporatist model of Germany, the contribution demonstrates how Muslim agency responds strategically to specific political opportunity structures. Findings reveal that state power actively influences the expression of the sphere. In hostile environments characterised by radical secularism, the sphere becomes a defensive, rights-based counterpublic focused on digital and commercial resilience. In cooperative systems characterised by moderate secularism, actors channel energy into formal institution-building and bureaucratic isomorphism. The contribution refines the post-Islamism thesis for a European minority context. Engaging with contemporary theories of citizenship and religious governance, it argues that the halal social sphere represents para-state resilience and alternative integration, challenging the assimilation versus separation binary.