Muslim Groups Research Articles

MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD IN EUROPE: BETWEEN RELIGION AND POLITICS.

The article examines the reasons that prompted the governments and expert circles of many EU countries to pay increased attention in the past two years to the activities of the Muslim Brotherhood (BM) religious and political association within the EU. According to the author, this is due not only to the terrorist attacks of Islamists in France and Austria in 2020, but also to the manifestations of the growing influence of this category of Muslim organizations and groups on the social and political life of the countries of the Old World. The article focuses on the analysis of the means, methods and mechanisms characteristic of the groupings associated with the structures of the Muslim Brotherhood in Europe, on their differences from similar organizations in the Middle East. The author turns to the history of the emergence and growth of the influence of the «brothers» in Europe in order to more thoroughly examine the phenomenon of today: while the authority and influence of the BM are noticeably falling in the Arab countries, in the Old World the situation is different for the «brothers» – in many cases they manage to hide their Islamist essence under the cover of left, «progressive» rhetoric, which allows them to fit into the current political and ideological discourse in the host countries. However, with the aggravation of intercivilizational relations in Europe, BM groups are increasingly forced to leave their traditional «hiding places», publicly claiming the status of «defenders of discredited Muslims», but in fact trying to legalize their radical views and positions. The resulting scale of their presence and influence in European societies noticeably frightens the establishment and the population of these countries. The author comes to the conclusion that at the current stage, an aggravation of the confrontation between the political elites in the EU countries and the BM structures is inevitable

Cultural Sensitivity Health Communication Model: An Exploration Among Young Muslims in Malaysia

The issue of health is one of the problems that not only involves science, but its intervention is rooted in society. The World Health Organization (WHO) in one of its reports acknowledged that cultural factors play a role in health behaviours. Generally, the study of the relationship between religion and behaviour has long been established. However, looking at that aspect from the point of view of health communication is considered relatively new. The extent to which aspects of religious values such as Islam influenced health promotion efforts should be identified in line with the development of Islam as one the most growing religions. Using the focus group method, this paper explores Islamic values and elements in health promotion to eight Muslim youth groups in Malaysia. Focused group interviews of eight groups with a total of 40 participants were analysed using thematic analysis methods with the support of NVivo software. This finding first elaborates on the conceptualisation of Islamic health communication. The concept of divinity has a great influence in promoting health. In addition, elements such as religious references, goals and the role of life in Islam also contribute to the formation of a health communication framework based on Islamic values. Secondly, the findings of the study also explain how these religious elements contribute to the changes in health behaviour. Through these findings, an Islamic health communication model has been proposed. The results of this study have developed an empirical understanding of cultural sensitivity in health communication practices. Keywords: Health promotion, health education, religion-based communication, cultural sensitivity, Islamic communication.

Профилактика радикализации мусульман: понятие, практика, перспективы

The article examines the concept, practice and prospects for the prevention of radicaliza-tion of Muslims. The purpose of this work is to highlight the general features of the prevention of radicalization of Muslims in the first quarter of the 21st century. Studying the practice of pre-venting radicalization among Muslims makes it possible to trace the development of such measures, to identify the areas of common interest at the global and national levels in the fight against modern extremism and to forecast new developments thereof. According to the author, the prevention of radicalization of Muslims is a set of measures aimed at preserving the non-radicalized state of those who are likely to face a radical Islamist ideology and become radical-ized as a result. These are representatives of local communities, young people and prisoners. The prevention of radicalization is primarily associated with information work done by joint ef-forts of government agencies, civil society activists and religious organizations. In the countries of the East, in contrast to the West, state bodies and religious structures are more active in the implementation of preventive measures. The author concludes that the effectiveness of preven-tive measures depends on correctly selected tools to counter the spread of radical ideology for each narrow group in a particular country.

Filsafat Kenabian Muhammad Saw. di dalam al-Quran

The discussion of Prophetic philosophy was one of the central themes for Muslim philosophers in the Middle Ages. This is because one of the foundations of the Muslim faith is built on trust in God's messengers as recipients and transmitters of divine messages. Therefore, if someone has claimed to be a believer, the consequence that must be accepted is to believe in the existence of Muhammad's prophecy. However, history records the existence of some groups of Muslims in the Middle Ages that have ruled out the role of a prophet. The assumption that underlies them solely rests on the role of human reason which is considered sufficient to lead him to the truth so that the role of prophethood is no longer needed. This paper highlights how the Qur'an explains the concept of Muhammad's prophecy with all the visions and missions it carries. The Qur'an through sura al-Ahzab verses 45-46 has captured some of the prophetic characteristics of Muhammad. The philosophical approach in this research is a concrete effort to understand and explain religious doctrine more logically and systematically. The results of this study indicate that sura al-Ahzab verses 45-46 contain the prophetic message of Muhammad's prophethood, that is his testimony as a messenger who brings good news as well as a warning to people who are in denial of the existence of God. In addition, Muhammad also played a role as a caller for truth and a guide for lost mankind.

Re-making the self: Discourses of ideal Islamic womanhood in Kerala

ABSTRACT This paper explores the discursive construction of ideal Islamic womanhood and its associated gendered subjectivities in the South Indian state of Kerala. It outlines the articulation of ideal womanhood in and through intra-community debates between the principal Muslim groups (“traditionalists” and “reformists”) in Kerala regarding the status of women in Islam. It traces the making of a discourse on the cultivation of pious modern female subjecthood and situates it in the context of wider socio-political changes among Kerala’s Muslims, such as those wrought by nationwide debates on the prospect of personal law reform since the Shah Bano controversy of the mid-1980s. It shows how the traditionalist and reformist interventions in the field of Muslim women’s education, in particular, have converged in recent times with respect to propagating idealized conceptions of pious modern female subjecthood. In conclusion, the paper contextualizes ideal Islamic womanhood with respect to the making of modern Malayali identities and a dominant gender order that spans religious groups, castes, and communities in Kerala.

Generalised Trust among Second-Generation Muslim and Non-Muslim Minority Groups in Europe

Abstract This study compares generalised trust between second-generation Muslim and non- Muslim migrant groups in Europe, and examines the effect on trust of discrimination and cultural transmission. Analysis of data from the European Social Survey of 4,687 respondents in 32 European countries shows that second-generation Muslim groups have lower levels of trust than second-generation non-Muslim minority groups. The findings provide no evidence that Muslims’ lower levels of trust are due to discrimination and exclusion. Rather, results indicate that the differences are due to cultural transmission: Muslim groups originate more often from low-trust societies, and generalised trust is transmitted from one generation to the next.

Islamic orthodoxy-based character education: creating moderate Muslim in a modern pesantren in Indonesia

Pesantren (Islamic boarding school) has been contributing to build moderate character for Muslims in Indonesia towards globalization. However, amid peaceful Islam disseminated in the country, nowadays, radical Muslim movement challenges this character. This study aims to describe the construction of turats (traditional Muslim virtues), which has been taught in pesantren as an orthodox teachings legacy, to create young Muslim with moderate attitude through character education. It will also highlight about how and why character education with Islamic orthodoxy content is necessary to be inculcated in pesantren to produce moderate Muslim. Qualitative research was employed in this study, with a case study approach. In doing so, data collection was carried out through interviews, observation, and documents analysis techniques. The results demonstrated that the moderate character building based on the modernization of turats is derived from the renowned dogma of the ushul fiqh (traditional Islamic Jurisprudence); al muhafadhatu 'ala al-qadim as-sholih wal akhdu bi al-jadid al-ashlah (maintaining good tradition and employing the new-better one). It also revealed that within 24 hours pesantren learning activities, this jargon is disseminated to the students through the concept of Islamic guidance. In this concept, moderate character values infused to the student’s activities are rooted to the Qur'an (Muslim holy book) and Hadits (Prophet’s wisdom) as the religious foundation, the founding fathers’ vision (historical foundation), the pesantren mission (institutional foundation), and the contextual experience (empirical foundation) as well as the dynamic challenges of the globalization. The entire character education process paves a pivotal way to the moderate Muslim generation creation.

Ambivalent Choices of Hui Muslim Intellectuals under the Mengjiang Regime

The Mengjiang (蒙疆) regime was a puppet regime in Inner Mongolia established by the Japanese during the Second Sino-Japanese War. Many historians only examine the Mongols in Mengjiang. Few studies focus on the Hui Muslim group under the Mengjiang regime. Wu Yaocheng (吳耀成, 1908-1991) was a prominent post-war minority educator in Inner Mongolia. However, as a Hui intellectual under Japanese colonial rule, Wu became the dean of the Baotou Branch of the Islamic Association of the Northwest (Xibei huijiao lianhehui Baotou fenzhibu 西北回教聯合會包頭支部) in Mengjiang and spoke up on behalf of the Mengjiang Hui Muslims when they were compelled to accept “help” from the Japanese. This study examines the way in which Hui intellectuals developed a modern Islamic education system under the Mongolian regime, the education Wu Yaocheng received at Beiping Normal University (Beipinig shifan daxue 北平師範大學) before the war, the manner by which he expressed his ethnic identity in Mengjiang, and his educational activities after the war.

Private and Public Islam: Social Behaviour of Indonesian Muslim in Facing Covid-19

This article reports on a library research regarding the behaviour changes of Indonesian muslim resulted from the Covid 19 pandemic. Using Henri Lefebvre's theory of public space, this study has found that, first, the changing of social-diversity that creates a new space dimension, it is the private space; second, the behaviour of social-diversity in private space showed the pattern of Islamic hyper-locality which is a form of Islam Locality with its different attribute and character; third, Islamic hyper-locality leads any confrontation of muslim groups who want to beg the public space and its religious activities; forth, the distortion of the value of Universal Islam and uncapability in facing the global war.

Discrimination of Black and Muslim Minority Groups in Western Societies: Evidence From a Meta-Analysis of Field Experiments

This article examines discrimination against black and Muslim minority groups in 20 Western labor markets. We analyze the outcomes of 94 field experiments, conducted between 1973 and 2016 and representing ∼240,000 fictitious job applications. Using meta-analysis, we find that black minority groups are more strongly discriminated against than non-black minority groups. The degree of discrimination of black minority groups varies cross-nationally, whereas Muslim minority groups are equally discriminated across national contexts. Unexpectedly, discrimination against black minority groups in the United States is mostly lower than in European countries. These findings suggest that racial–ethnic discrimination in hiring can be better understood by taking a multigroup and cross-country perspective.

Blatant Dehumanization is Not Influenced by Dual Identity Labels: Evidence from the Canadian Context

Blatant dehumanization has been shown to be prevalent in modern society. However, little work has explored the possible ways in which blatant dehumanization may be attenuated. The current study addresses this gap in the literature by exploring if activating a dual identity attenuates (or even erases) blatant dehumanization. To investigate these issues, Canadian participants completed the “Ascent of Man” scale, rating various groups in terms of their perceived evolutionary qualities. Half of our participants saw labels with the qualifier “-Canadians” attached, while the other half saw no such qualifier. Results showed that, regardless of whether the “-Canadians” label was provided, participants rated Filipinos, Christians, Arabs, Muslims, and Indigenous groups as significantly lower than Whites on the evolution scale. As such, provision of the additional group label “-Canadians” did not influence the manifestation of blatant dehumanization. We also found that ratings on the evolution scale significantly correlated with both Social Dominance Orientation and Empathic Concern levels, such that stronger adherence to current power structures and social hierarchies showed stronger blatant dehumanization, while those with a high pre-disposition for altruistic behaviours and emotions showed weaker blatant dehumanization. We discuss our results in the light of other research on blatant dehumanization and intergroup processes.
  

The Slavic Qur’an Translation of the 16th–18th Centuries: Poland and Russia

This paper aims to continue and develop the research cycle on history of Qur’an translations in Europe. The paper deals with rethinking of possible background of Russian Qur’an translations, commonly traced back up to the first half of the 19th century. Ca. 1800 the tradition of Qur’an translating in Russia was already rich and varied in its scientific, literary and religious contexts. However, its origin could be found in the earlier similar tradition of Lithuanian Tatars, which was developed at least from the 16th century in intellectual space of the three states, namely Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Rzeczpospolita and Tsardom of Russia. This Muslim ethnocultural group shaped their own Qur’an translation school in the West Russian (Ruthenian, Old Belorusian) language closely related to modern Russian.

Indonesian Islamic moral incentives in credit card debt repayment: a feature selection using various data mining

PurposeDespite the practice of credit card services by Islamic financial institutions (IFIs) is debatable, Islamic banks (IBs) have been offering this product. Both Muslim and non-Muslim customers have subscribed to the products. Thus, it is critical to analyse the strategy of IBs’ moral messages in reminding their Muslim and non-Muslim customers to repay their credit card debts. This paper aims to investigate this issue in Indonesia using data mining via machine learning.Design/methodology/approachThis study examines the IBs’ customers across the 32 provinces of Indonesia regarding their moral status in credit card debt repayment. This work considers 6,979 observations of the variables that affect the moral status of the IBs’ customers in repaying their debt. The five types of data mining via machine learning (i.e. Boruta, logistic regression, Bayesian regression, random forest, XGBoost and spatial cluster) are used. Boruta, random forest and XGBoost are used to select the important features to investigate the moral aspects. Bayesian regression is used to get the odds and opportunity for the transition of each variable and spatially formed based on the information from the logistical intercepts. The best method is selected based on the highest accuracy value to deliver the information on the relationship between moral status categories in the selected 32 provinces in Indonesia.FindingsA different variable on moral status in each province is found. The XGBoost finds an accuracy value of 93.42%, which the three provincial groups have the same information based on the importance of the variables. The strategy of IBs’ moral messages by sending the verse of al-Qur’an and al-Hadith (traditions or sayings of the Prophet Muhammad PBUH) and simple messages reminders do not impact the customers’ repaying their debts. Both Muslim and non-Muslim groups are primarily found in the non-moral group.Research limitations/implicationsThis study does not consider socio-economic demographics and culture. This limitation calls future works to consider such factors when conducting a similar topic.Practical implicationsThe industry professionals can take benefit from this study to understand the Indonesian customers’ moral status in repaying credit card debt. In addition, future works may advance the recent findings by considering socio-cultural factors to investigate the moral status approach to Islamic credit warnings that is not covered by this study.Social implicationsThis work finds that religious text of credit card repayment reminders sent to Muslims in several provinces of Indonesia does not affect their decision to repay their debts. To some extent, this finding draws a social issue that the local IBs need to consider when implementing the strategy of credit card repayment reminders.Originality/valueThis study credits a novelty in the discourse of data science for Islamic finance practices. Specifically, this study pioneers an example of using data mining to investigate Islamic-moral incentives in credit card debt repayment.

Lale’s un/veiling trajectory: shifting contours of pious citizenship in contemporary Turkey

ABSTRACT Based on long-term fieldwork among members of the formerly influential Sunni Muslim Hizmet community in Istanbul in 2015, this contribution traces the ‘un/veiling trajectory’ of a woman called Lale, referring to her shifting engagement with the headscarf over a period of almost three decades. Rather than exemplifying a fragmented religiosity, these shifts are understood as articulations of Lale’s aspiration to align her Islamic commitment with the secular boundary for public religiosity, which is defined – and frequently redefined – by the Turkish state. Drawing on the notion of ‘pious citizenship’, Lale’s un/veiling trajectory constitutes the ethnographic ground for unravelling how, in Turkey, the secular boundary for public religiosity has reshaped Islamic ethical practice in three different ways: through state-imposed restrictions, as citizenly self-discipline, and by animating contestation between different religious Muslim groups. The contribution thus argues that Lale’s shifting engagement with the headscarf articulates a mode of Islamic commitment that is intimately, yet uneasily, intertwined with secular discourses, aesthetics, and sensitivities. In so doing, it brings forth an interplay between Islam and secularism that is much more intricate than the image of a binary opposition allows.

Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy - prevalence and ethnic distribution in northern Israel.

Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) is charachterized by pruritis and elevated serum bile acids (BA) and is associated with adverse obstetrical outcomes. ICP etiology is poorly understood and its incidence varies with ethnicity and geographical distribution. Explore the prevalence and characteristics of ICP in the different Northern Israeli ethnic groups and compare maternal and perinatal outcomes according to disease severity. Single-center retrospective study. Women who were diagnosed with ICP based on clinical presentation and elevated fasting BA (≥ 10 μmol/L) were included. Disease incidence, maternal and neonatal complications were explored according to ethnic subgroups analysis and obstetrical complications were examined according to disease severity. The incidence of ICP in the study population was 0.58%. Higher ICP incidence was found in our cohort compared with other reports arising from Central Israel (p < 0.001). The Christian patients had a higher incidence of ICP (1.1%) and preeclampsia (23.1%). A higher rate of neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admissions was found in the Arab Muslim and Christian groups compared with the Jewish and Druze groups (p = 0.007). A higher rate of preeclampsia was found in the severe (BA ≥ 40 μmol/L) ICP group (p < 0.001). Patients in the severe ICP group had earlier gestational age at delivery (37 versus 38.14 weeks, p < 0.001). Birth weight was significantly lower in the severe ICP group (p = 0.018). The incidence of ICP at our institution was 0.58%, which is higher compared with previous reported Israeli incidence. Higher ICP and preeclampsia incidence were found among Arab Christian patients.

Living together: An integrated acculturation–contact strategy to promote ethnic harmony between young British Muslims and Anglo-Britons

Acculturation theorists have proposed that minority and majority members’ endorsement of the cultural integration orientation should positively impact their mutual intergroup relations. To examine this claim, the study develops and experimentally tests a vicarious intercultural contact strategy designed to promote integration endorsement among a sample of 379 British youths (aged between 18 and 21 years), of whom 172 were British Muslims and 207 were White British. In line with theoretical expectations, results revealed that integration attained through vicarious contact, relative to a control condition, reduced respondents’ negative emotions, increased their positive emotions and inclusion of the other in the self (IOS), and improved their outgroup attitudes. These effects were only present in the Muslim group. Integration effects on outgroup attitude outcomes were mediated by intergroup emotions and IOS. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of these findings.

Fatwās of ʿAbd al-Ḥayy of Farangī Maḥall and their Role in the Formation of Sunnī Identity in British India

In the second half of the nineteenth century in British India, a rapidly-evolving political and cultural landscape drove Muslims to re-evaluate their relationships with other groups in the Subcontinent. Questions regarding proper clothing, inter-sect marriages, the status of the legal system, and even requirements of eating beef were posed to scholars in an attempt to define the contours of Sunnī identity. This article investigates the questions and answers provided to these and other questions in the fatwā collection of Muḥammad ʿAbd al-Ḥayy (1848-1886), the preeminent scholar of the Farangī Maḥall seminary in Lucknow, British India. It focuses on the fatwās issued regarding the interaction with the three largest non-Sunnī Muslim groups in the Subcontinent during this period: Shīʿa Muslims, the Hindus, and the British government. By analyzing the questions posed to ʿAbd al-Ḥayy and his answers, the article argues that he applied a methodology of negotiated adherence to the Ḥanafī School in order to emphasize the differences between the Subcontinent’s diverse communities, while simultaneously encouraging communal cohesion. Through his fatwās ʿAbd al-Ḥayy both moderated and catalyzed the shaping of Sunnī identity, giving religious legitimacy to those who emphasized Muslim difference while at the same time left room for cooperation with other communities. These fatwās would form the backdrop for Muslim political involvement in the Indian independence movement and eventually form the foundations of both India’s unique religious-secular national fabric and calls for Muslim independence as British colonialism came to an end in the twentieth century.

Factors associated with seasonal influenza and HPV vaccination uptake among different ethnic groups in Arab and Jewish society in Israel

BackgroundParents in the Arab population of Israel are known to be “pro-vaccination” and vaccinate their children at higher rates than the Jewish population, specifically against human papilloma virus (HPV) and seasonal influenza.ObjectivesThis study seeks to identify and compare variables associated with mothers’ uptake of two vaccinations, influenza and HPV, among different subgroups in Arab and Jewish society in Israel.MethodsA cross-sectional study of the entire spectrum of the Israeli population was conducted using a stratified sample of Jewish mothers (n = 159) and Arab mothers (n = 534) from different subgroups: Muslim, Christian, Druse and Northern Bedouins. From March 30, 2019 through October 20, 2019, questionnaires were distributed manually to eighth grade pupils (13–14 years old) who had younger siblings in second (7–8 years old) or third (8–9 years old) grades.ResultsArab mothers exhibited a higher rate of uptake for both vaccinations (p < .0001, HPV – 90%; influenza – 62%) than Jewish mothers (p = 0.0014, HPV – 46%; influenza – 34%). Furthermore, results showed that HPV vaccination uptake is significantly higher than seasonal influenza vaccination uptake in both populations. Examination of the different ethnic subgroups revealed differences in vaccination uptake. For both vaccinations, the Northern Bedouins exhibited the highest uptake rate of all the Arab subgroups (74%), followed by the Druse (74%) and Muslim groups (60%). The Christian Arab group exhibited the lowest uptake rate (46%). Moreover, the uptake rate among secular Jewish mothers was lower than in any of the Arab groups (38%), though higher than among religious/traditional Jewish mothers, who exhibited the lowest uptake rate (26%). A comparison of the variables associated with mothers’ vaccination uptake revealed differences between the ethnic subgroups.Moreover, the findings of the multiple logistic regression revealed the following to be the most significant factors in Arab mothers’ intake of both vaccinations: school-located vaccination and mothers’ perceived risk and perceived trust in the system and in the family physician. These variables are manifested differently in the different ethnic groups.ConclusionsThis research shows that all Arabs cannot be lumped together as one monolithic group in that they exhibit major differences according to religion, education and access to information. Ranking of variables associated with uptake of the two vaccines can provide decision-makers an empirical basis for tailoring appropriate and specific interventions to each subgroup to achieve the highest vaccine uptake rate possible. Media campaigns targeting the Arab population should be segmented to appeal to the various sub-groups according to their viewpoints, needs and health literacy.

Flexible Nation: The Turkish Nation under the Justice and Development Party’s Rule

AbstractThis article explains how the Turkish nation’s composition has changed under Justice and Development Party rule. Turkish nationalism and Turkish national identity have dramatically changed since 2010, when the Kurdish Opening process was started by former prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The Syrian refugee crisis and the influx of Syrian refugees into Turkey created another change in Turkish national identity. Increasing religiosity in Turkey and the use of Islam by the Justice and Development Party created a flexible nation, where all Sunni Muslims can be considered members even though they are not ethnically Turkish. The author uses primary sources, such as President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s speeches since 2010, to show how his discourse became more embracing of non-Turkish Muslim groups and created a dynastic understanding of nationalism based on religion rather than the idea of an ethnically homogenous, secular Turkish nation.

Claiming Religious Freedom at the European Court of Human Rights: Socio-Legal Field Effects on Legal Mobilization

How do legal strategies at the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) vary among activists in highly asymmetrical social positions? Social scientists have demonstrated that legal mobilization raises the pressure on states to provide broader minority accommodation. While this may be true, such outcome-oriented studies overlook the fact that judicial mobilization is itself deeply imbued with inequalities and divergent interests among diverse activists. We lack comparative studies to examine how such differences play out in litigation. Drawing on a qualitative in-depth study among Sikh, Muslim, Catholic, Evangelical, and secular advocacy groups involved in religious freedom disputes at the ECtHR, this article argues that claims making often is a balancing act between legal power relations and extra-legal commitments, which leads to variation in activists’ leverage to challenge legal marginalization. First, hostile legal environments discourage more easily activists with weaker transnational connections who are in vulnerable domestic positions. Second, while the most marginalized readily seek to fit identity narratives into dominant legal frames of religion, more powerful actors can target the core of legal principles and power distribution within the legal field as such. Even when unsuccessful in judicial outcomes, they might affect broader political and legal debates.