The Muslim community and sport scholarship: a scoping review to advance sport management research

Abstract

ABSTRACT Research Question Researchers have previously underscored the importance of understanding how people from different backgrounds engage in sport. This recognition, coupled with a variety of socio-political factors (e.g. Muslim population immigration to the West, the war against terrorism, Muslim women athletes’ growing sport participation, and mega-events hosted by Muslim majority countries), have spurred an increased interest in exploring Muslim community’s sport participation. Nevertheless, a review and integration of this scholarship are missing. The purpose of this paper was to conduct a scoping review of the extant research focusing on the Muslim community in sport. Research Method The authors examined n = 157 articles from four databases and reference lists by employing Arksey and O’Malley’s scoping review methodological approach. Results and Findings Results showed that most of the research about the Muslim community is conducted in Western countries (62.4%), and researchers mostly employ qualitative research methods (78.9%). Additionally, scholars have mainly focused on sociological issues Muslim women face in the Western context by employing theoretical frameworks, such as the concept of ‘habitus,’ intersectionality, and the theory of planned behavior. Findings suggest epistemological Eurocentric bias in the scholarship, which the authors contextualize in the framework of Orientalism. Implications Overall, this scoping review implies scholars should look for new avenues of research in the future concerning the Muslim community within the sporting realm. Further, researchers need to unveil and dismantle Eurocentric biases in the extant sport scholarship related to the Muslim community.