IFIME | Final report – Futures Workshop: „Muslim Futures“

Workshop: „Muslim Futures“

From April 28 to 30, 2025, the Interdisciplinary Research Centre Islam and Muslims in Europe (IFIME) at Sigmund Freud Private University in Vienna hosted Muslim Futures, an intensive three-day workshop exploring the potential of future-making within Muslim contexts. Organized as an ITS Colloquium in collaboration with AIWG (Academy for Islam in Research and Society, Frankfurt), the workshop convened a diverse group of around 15 participants — including scholars, students, artists, and activists — to imagine futures that are inclusive, ethically informed, and spiritually grounded.

Under the guidance of Dr. Amani Abuzahra, postdoctoral researcher at IFIME, and Amena Shakir, head of the Research Centre, the program created an intellectually vibrant and socially engaged environment. The workshop was envisioned as more than an academic gathering, it became a space for reflection, critical inquiry, and collaborative imagination.

Participants were guided by leading international voices in futures studies: Ziauddin Sardar, acclaimed cultural critic and director of the Centre for Postnormal Policy and Futures Studies (CPPFS); Maya Van Leemput, a seasoned futurist and multimedia practitioner; and Scott Jordan, philosopher and writer focused on postnormality. Together, they shaped an open and challenging space that encouraged experimentation, deep thought, and honest engagement.

The workshop began with Shared History, a collective reflective exercise in which participants explored personal and collective memories of Islam in Europe. This powerful opening laid the foundation for mutual trust and deeper inquiry, while also illuminating the rich and complex histories that shape Muslim life on the continent. It quickly became clear that understanding where we come from is essential to envisioning where we might go.

Throughout the three days, participants engaged in highly interactive sessions on trend analysis, emerging issues, and scenario development. A key learning was that futures thinking is not just about imagination or utopian dreaming. It is, above all, about critical analysis. Participants learned that building futures knowledge requires systematic methods, analytical thinking, and an awareness of uncertainty.

Guided by key questions: “What are current and emerging trends? What constitutes an emerging issue? How do we prepare for the unknown?” participants explored themes ranging from digital media and digital influence to the role of imams in online spaces, the future of religious communication, and evolving concepts of spirituality. Group work formed a core part of the workshop structure and created space for deep interdisciplinary reflection and co-creation.

Rather than offering ready-made solutions, the workshop emphasized the need for Muslims to take ownership of how futures are imagined, narrated, and shaped. Discussions revealed the necessity of embedding futures literacy within theological, cultural, and social discourse, not just as a tool for resilience, but as an act of responsibility.

By the end of the workshop, the group had created speculative scenarios and outlined visions for Muslim futures in 2045. More importantly, participants left with a strong sense of commitment: to further explore futures thinking in their respective fields, to build a lasting network, and to reflect on what could be done differently in a potential second edition of the workshop.

The Vienna workshop was not only an exercise in critical foresight, it was also a beginning. A beginning for deeper engagement with the futures of Muslim life in Austria and beyond.

Islam und Muslim*innen in Europa (IFIME)
E-Mail: ifime@sfu.ac.at
Webseite: https://sfu.ac.at/ifime