What explains Islamic organizations’ differing support for European integration and the democratic reforms that it entails? The question is highly relevant in the context of European Union enlargement towards Muslim-majority countries in the Balkans as well as theoretical debates on reasons and forms of Islamic moderation. Yet, almost no comparative research has been done on Balkan Muslims’ support for European integration with the exception of the Turkish case.
This paper explores the role of interest- and belief-related factors in explaining Muslim organizations’ differential support for the EU accession project in Albania and Turkey. The comparison of most powerful Muslim organizations in both countries enables a most similar cases research design –our cases are similar in all aspects of the identified theoretical framework except for organizational capacities, which we argue explain the difference of attitudes towards the EU.
The paper suggests that weak organizational capacities determine Muslims’ needs to rely on EU integration as a means of strengthening their domestic position in fierce secular contexts. The adoption of a liberal Islamic doctrine is a necessary but insufficient factor in this process to the extent that it permits Islamic actors to define their strategic interest in terms of EU integration and eases ideological divisions on the issue.
