Several Western European universities have launched academic programs in Islamic theology in recent years. This study tackles a key question: how do Islamic theologians at these universities develop and teach Islamic knowledge through academic discourse?

It examines this emerging field across four countries – the Netherlands, Germany, the United Kingdom, and Austria – and shows how scholars aim to use the university as a space to drive a paradigm shift toward plurality and pluralism. By doing so, they seek to provide European Muslims with guidance and certainty in navigating modern life.

Central to this approach is the concept of ikhtilāf, an Islamic legal term broadly meaning the recognition of diversity in opinions.