Traces of European Muslims in the MEK Collection

The topic of ‘Islam in Europe’ continues to be socio-politically relevant and controversial. The collection of the Museum of European Cultures (Museum Europäischer Kulturen, in short: MEK) contains hundreds of artefacts relating to the everyday religious and cultural practices of Muslims in Europe. Very few of them have been researched and exhibited to date. Based on this current situation, the project explored the topic of ‘Muslims in Europe’ in the MEK's collection: objects relating to Muslim everyday lives were rediscovered in the depots, selected items were researched in greater depth, and objects and research results were made publicly visible. The project scrutinised the idea of Muslims as ‘non-European others’.

The MEK’s collection holds objects that tell us something about Muslim life in Europe, which come from different regions and times. Historical objects, dating back to the end of the 19th to the early- to mid-20th century, were predominantly collected in south-eastern Europe (especially in present-day Bosnia and Herzegovina), in the Caucasus region and in Crimea. The contemporary objects were often acquired in central Europe, such as in Berlin.

The project opened up this very diverse part of the collection: historical objects in particular were to be rediscovered in the depots, some of which were further researched and exhibited. A larger selection was made available to the wider public as part of an online presentation. The focus was on cultural artefacts that are significant for religious practices. This limited the field of research and avoided the interpretation of non-religious everyday practices of Muslims as Islamic and therefore religious. This was done in the knowledge that the lives of Muslims are characterised by more than religious everyday practices, that not all Muslims practise their faith and that some people who are perceived as Muslim do not identify as such.

Questions to Ask the Collection

Two questions were dealt with in depth as part of the project work. The first questions allowed for a detailed examination of some examples of collecting activities: in what intellectual, ideological and political context did the collectors of the artefacts operate? Under which assumptions, based on which impression of what ‘images of Islam’ did they collect?

The second question tied in with this and looks more closely at the objects that are part of the MEK’s collection today. It asked: which images and ideas of (European) Muslims are served or questioned? This was also about identifying gaps and figuring out what is missing. What knowledge, perspectives and experiences have not yet been preserved?

Based on the results of the project, a future collection strategy for the MEK to preserve ‘Muslim Life in Europe’ has been developed together with Muslim stakeholders.

Visibility

As a temporary intervention in the general collection presentation of the MEK, the installation Muslim InVisibilities showed objects that have been rediscovered and researched as part of the project from 8 August 2024 - 13 April 2025. It also provided an insight into the project. Parallel to the work with the collection, the installation was changed twice to make other objects and themes visible. Through events, the public was invited to enter into dialogue. Today the intervention is part of the permanent exhibition. In addition, a free educational programme for school classes will be on offer.

The main results of the project have been made available to interested members of the public in the form of open access articles. This also includes the online presentation Traces of European Muslims. Here, further objects are shown that tell stories about the everyday religious practices of Muslims in Europe.