Includes bibliographical references and index.

Is multiculturalism appropriate for the twenty-first century? -- A liberal's Bias -- Difference, multi and equality -- Liberal citizenship and secularism -- Multiculturalism and essentialism -- Multicultural citizenship.

"At a time when many public commentators are turning against multiculturalism in response to fears about militant Islam, immigration or social cohesion, Tariq Modood, one of the world's leading authorities on multiculturalism, provides a distinctive contribution to these debates. He contends that the rise of Islamist terrorism has neither discredited multiculturalism nor heralded a clash of civilizations. Instead, it has highlighted a central challenge for the twenty-first century - the urgent need to include Muslims in contemporary conceptions of democratic citizenship. In this book Modood shows that inclusion, however, is not possible within some narrow forms of liberalism. Controversially, he sees the revival of ideological secularism as an obstacle to multicultural integration but institutional secularism as an important resource for accommodating Muslims." "This book will appeal to students, researchers and teachers of politics, sociology and public policy but also to general readers interested in the prospects of multiculturalism today."--BOOK JACKET.