Much of the debate about Muslims in Europe during the past decade has been framed within the contexts of security, integration, and assimilation. One question guiding these debates is, “what to do with European Muslims?” The Yearbook of Muslims in Europe reframes this query valuably into “what do European Muslims do?” The Yearbook is a much welcome corrective, giving voice to Muslims in Europe themselves at a time when everyone else seems to be speaking on their behalf. The volume is edited and written by leading European researchers, lending the book a distinctly European flavor. As such, it is divorced from the military- and security-focused perspectives found in many American publications.

The book is divided into three parts: (1) country profiles, providing detailed information about Islam and Muslims in 37 European countries; (2) analysis, including five analytical essays on various topics related to Islam in Europe; and (3) book reviews, comprising books which the editors probably thought represent recommended readings on Muslims in Europe.

The Yearbook opens with a brief but highly relevant essay, “On Defining Muslims.” This essay explores Muslim diversity in Europe and examines the highly difficult task of defining, counting, categorizing (self-) identifying, and conceptualizing Muslims in Europe. Country profiles are ordered alphabetically. Each survey is broken down into 15 categories, including demographics (of Muslim populations), Islam and the state, principal Muslim organizations, number of mosques and prayer houses, availability of halal food, dress codes, and state policies on religious education, among others. Each survey is written by a country specialist, usually a European academic who speaks local language(s). This is a distinguishing feature of the Yearbook, as the data and analysis often are derived from publications written in local vernacular. The country profiles vary in length and depth; some are lengthy and descriptive while others are almost telegraphic in their brevity. However, all of the profiles provide a wealth of data and information on Muslim populations in European countries.

The analysis section comprises essays on Turkey-European Union (EU) relations, Muslim youth in Europe, controversies surrounding veiling, Muslims in the media, and freedom of expression and religion. The essays are uniformly well researched and written, often drawing on data collected in European languages other than English. They also offer a variety of (inter-) disciplinary perspectives, including political science, sociology, cultural and media studies, and law. In his essay on Turkey-EU relations, Ayhan Kaya suggests that Turkey's democratization project and its potential membership in the EU are inevitably interlinked. He concludes by stating that the future of this relationship will depend on the European self-definition of the EU. Miriam Gazzah explores the emergence of Dutch-Moroccan music and youth culture — a “cool” Islam — which allows this minority to express its social, cultural, and political identities. Gazzah's essay is especially important because as we learn in the country profile of the Netherlands, Moroccan-Dutch represent about a third of all Muslims in the country. In his essay on veiling controversies, Dominic McGoldrick outlines various meanings attached to veiling in Europe and chronicles the development of European discourses on the phenomenon. McGoldrick's concluding remarks provide more questions than answers, which is a bit of a let-down given the richness of his research. Isabelle Rigoni's discussion of the media and Muslims in Europe examines the ways in which the European media portray Muslims, including the rise of Islamophobia. Importantly, she also highlights the emergence of Muslim media in Europe, which is allowing European Muslims to define their identity on their own terms. Finally, Niraj Nathwani's essay offers a timely discussion of the limits of the freedom of expression and the protection of religious belief in light of the widely publicized controversy about Danish cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad. Nathwani concludes by stating that the prohibition of the incitement to religious hatred against minorities “should not be justified by reference to the protection of religion feelings, but by reference to the fight against racism and xenophobia” (532). The book review section provides an overview of important books on Muslims and Islam in Europe, published a few years prior to the Yearbook.

As its name suggests, the Yearbook aims to be an annual edition. At the time of this writing, Volume 3 already is forthcoming from the publisher. Based on the successes of the first two volumes, the publisher is contemplating separating analysis and book reviews into an academic journal while keeping the country profiles in an annual yearbook format. The Yearbook of Muslims in Europe fills an important gap in the study of Muslims in Europe by providing relevant data and analysis of issues pertaining to Muslims in various European nations. As such, it provides a valuable reference tool for anyone who wishes to study Islam in Europe in a serious manner. As the volume keeps growing from year to year, thanks to improving data collection on Muslims in Europe, the publisher would be wise to reflect on separating the country profiles from the other two sections of the book. The publisher would do even a greater service to researchers by creating an online research database where the Yearbook's data and findings could be easily accessible worldwide.

All in all, this is an outstanding volume, highly recommended to reference libraries and researchers. Even a casual reader or potential traveler interested in learning about Islam and Muslims in Europe or thinking about visiting Muslim organizations and sites on the continent would benefit a great deal from consulting and reading the volume.