Who Should I Trust and Follow?: Young Dutch Muslims Online and the Dynamics of Islamic Authority-Making

Abstract

In this article, I argue that Islamic authority is being made between online and offline environments used by young Muslims, between religious experts and ‘laymen’. Youngsters try to find their way and mosques try to direct and inform Muslims about and through online sources and strengthen their online presence. This article analyses four online discussions between young Dutch Muslims of Moroccan descent on the forum Marokko.nl. These discussions about Islamic ideologies, imams and mosques show how the participants try to convince each other of their points of view. I intend to contribute to the ongoing debates on the relationship between religion and cyberspace, and particularly on how the construct of religious authority is mediated and negotiated among youngsters by zooming into and analysing some excerpts from their online discussions.