Muslim Congregations Research Articles

The House of One

This paper explores the potential of the client-architect relationship to be part of a design methodology conducive to conceiving sacred space as collaborative, dialogical practice. The case study for this investigation is the multi-confessional project ‘House of One’ by Kuehn Malvezzi, currently on site in Berlin, Germany. The client for this project is not one cleric or religious community but a foundation initiated by a local Protestant, Jewish and Muslim congregation. The fact that the client is not one homogenous entity has shaped the conception of the project and consequently the building’s final appearance: all design decisions have been taken conjointly by the three clerics. In this project, the correlation between theological considerations and material realisation has been recognised as a reciprocal two-way process: theological doctrines are materialised through constructed space – equally, architectural questions can act as a catalyst for theological debate between the three clerics and their respective communities.

The changing piety and spirituality: a new trend of Islamic Urbanism in Yogyakarta and Surakarta

This research appears to be focused on the growth of urban spiritualism among urban communities in major cities, as indicated by the proliferation of various Muslim congregation groups (majelis pengajian). The study examines four congregation groups in the cities of Yogyakarta and Surakarta: Muslim United and Teras Dakwah in Yogyakarta, Majelis Ar-Raudhah, and Majelis Busytanul Asyiqin in Surakarta. The research aims to understand how these groups disseminate moderate and easily accepted religious knowledge in urban communities and how they respond to the shifting dynamics of urban spirituality. This study argues that there is a shift in religious authority from well-known ustadz and habaib figures who promote popular forms of religious outreach to an increase in religious literacy among urban communities. The findings also reveal the presence of santrinisasi and acts of piety among urban communities as a manifestation of the truth of religious teachings

Navigating Religious Hegemony and Human Rights Based on KUHP: Al-Zaytun's Controversial Case

The Al-Zaytun issue has ignited a heated debate in Indonesia about religious pluralism, religious freedom, and human rights. This quandary, reminiscent of the Indonesian Ahmadiyya Muslim Congregation's situation classified as "heretical," demonstrates the historical tendency to pigeonhole alternative ideas. This highlights the hidden presence of takfiri ideology, a potentially divisive force despite its relative obscurity. In this context, this article examines the contentious Al-Zaytun case, in which the rejection of non-traditional Islamic teachings prompts a broader examination of the conflict between entrenched traditional practices, which represent the majority of Indonesian Muslims, and fundamental human rights principles, particularly religious freedom. Using an analytical method, it dissects media portrayals and examines the legal framework established by KUHP 2023, addressing religious violations and belief-based areas. The essay explores the case's potential under the prior KUHP 2021 through comparative research, revealing the various issues of interpreting and applying legislation in cases of blasphemy and religious disagreements. The study says that varied Sharia interpretations within Islam should not be used to justify restricting religious freedoms, mirroring Boaventura's interpretation of Talal Asad's discoveries, which confirm Islam's diversity of religious experiences and adaptive Sharia interpretations. Indonesia faces the challenge of cultivating a nuanced perspective that preserves individual liberty and communal harmony while balancing the intricate interaction of religious dynamics, legal systems, and human rights.

MANAJEMEN KURIKULUM KESEHATAN MENTAL DI MAJELIS TAKLIM MUSLIMAH

Covid-19 has caused many people to lose family members, jobs, businesses so that many are experiencing mental health problems. Majelis taklim for housewives is a suggestion to study knowledge, increase faith, and get guidance in fostering a family which is considered the right place to socialize mental health. This study aims to design mental health preaching for majelis taklim. The research method is descriptive qualitative, data obtained from literature, field observations and interviews. The results of the study show that a good da'wah design must pay attention to planning, organizing, implementing, and controlling. The process of planning mental health da'wah at the majelis taklim is determined by the curriculum used which is produced by combining the material listed in the 2012 majelis taklim syllabus which was the output of the Indonesian Ministry of Religion, the material needed by Muslim congregations, the evaluation results of the previous year's majelis taklim activities as well as input from ustadz/ustadzah. In the organizing process, the majelis taklim must coordinate with the Mosque Prosperity Council so that activities are effective and efficient. In the implementation process, paying attention to teacher and congregation schedules must be prioritized. In the supervision process, input from the Mosque and congregation Supervisory Board can be used as an evaluation for further implementationbstracts are written in Indonesian, a maximum of 200 words, made in one paragraph, and may not include abbreviations, citations, tables, images and trademarks. Abstract is the essence of the contents of the article that is poured in solid.

Community, Contemporaneity, and Change in African Masjids

A review of: Apotsos, Michelle Moore. The Masjid in Contemporary Islamic Africa. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2021. doi:10.1017/9781108573931. The review offers readers a rare look at the contemporary trends and diversity in building traditions, community usages, and spiritual practices of African Muslims and their masjids. Challenging the conventional notion of the masjid as simply a place for prostration and prayer, she instead gives a novel interpretive approach by analyzing a range of masjids and their multifarious operational and symbolic functions among Muslim congregations in South Africa, Ethiopia, Ghana, Senegal and Tanzania.

Formulation of the Concept of Economic Strengthening: Optimizing the Empowerment of Women in Rural Families Islamic Perspectives in Pringsewu

This qualitative research aims to describe formulations related to the concept and optimization of women’s empowerment in rural families Muslimat Nahdatul, Ulama Pringsewu. Data collection is carried out through in-depth interview techniques, documentation, and observation and is interactive with data analysis. The results of this study show that several strategies were carried out. First, sustainable self-development; second, conducting education and coaching to the community, where skills drive the community’s economy. Third, namely, implementing and encouraging zakat and ink. The impact of women’s empowerment, carried out by NU Muslimat, is that there is an increase in the contribution of women in the economic sector, especially to some families in NU Muslimat congregations. Several families in NU Muslim congregations have succeeded in expanding the market and developing their businesses because they have has received intervention from other parties, local governments, and other institutions such as LAZISNU, cooperatives, and other community institutions. ”
 Keywords: empowerment, women, Nahdatul Ulama Muslimat Family

The Budapest Imam: An Attempt to Integrate the Bosnian Muslims (1909–1911)

In the early years of the 20th century, Bosnia assumed an increasingly important place in Hungary’s plans for great-power status. The aim of the Hungar- ian government was to connect the province to the Austro-Hungarian Empire by virtue of the ancient right of the Hungarian crown, thereby bringing Bosnia into the Hungarian economic sphere of interest and gradually under the control of the Hun- garian state. As part of this strategy, the authorities in Hungary decided to convert the dilapidated tomb of Gül Baba into a mosque and a place of pilgrimage and to set up an associated Muslim congregation for Turkish and Bosnian Muslims living in or visiting the city. A trained hodja, that is, an imam, from Turkey and a müez- zin from Bosnia would then lead this congregation. By purchasing and renovating the buildings around the proposed mosque and place of pilgrimage, the Hungar- ian government would set up a residential school to enable, through scholarships provided by itself, the city of Budapest and the Turkish government, at least thirty Turkish and Bosnian students to study there, and they would be the seeds from which Hungarian–Bosnian–Turkish intellectual, economic and cultural relations would grow. However, the imam brought from Istanbul, Abdullatif, did not live up to expectations, and the government was unable to provide the necessary infrastruc- ture, frustrating the plans for setting up a Muslim congregation in Hungary. The original vision of Bosnia’s religious and intellectual integration into the Hungarian sphere thus failed to materialize. The only substantial outcome was the Hungarian Parliament’s decision of January 1916 to designate Islam as one of the recognized religions in Hungary.

Muslimer och postmuslimer i Svenska kyrkan

The demographical changes during the last decades have created a sit­uation where Sweden has become one of the most secular and one of the most multireligious countries at the same time. This situation stands in stark contrast to the country's modern history in which its population have been largely homogeneous, and its religious landscape almost completely dominated by state-church Lutheranism. The growth of Sweden's Muslim population is what has caused most debate. According to calculations made by the Pew Research Center, one fifth of the country's total population is likely to be Muslim by 2050. This change also has consequences for the former state church, which now finds that also Muslims take part in its activities. In this article we present and analyze a novel survey-investigation on Muslims who self-identify as members of the Church of Sweden. In our analysis we differentiate between Muslims and what we call post-Muslims. While the former of these categories refers to those who self-identify as Muslims, the latter refers to people who do not refer to themselves as Muslims but who come from a Muslim family. These categories are mirrored by the Christians and post-Christians, who are selected by equivalent criteria. We conclude that most Muslims and post-Muslims have no affiliation to organized religious communities in Sweden and that among those who do, Christian churches are as important as the Muslim congregations. Among the churches, the Church of Sweden is the one in which most Muslims and post-Muslims are members. The Muslim and post-Muslim members of this church, we find, differ from each other. The Muslims are mostly Swedish-born 50–65-year-old women. They do not take part in any religious activities, and they celebrate Christian, but not Muslim, holidays. In terms of beliefs, they believe in a life after death, but mostly not in God or hell. The post-Muslims are mostly 30–49-year-old men who have come relatively recently to Sweden from the Middle East. They take part in congregational activities and celebrate both Muslim and Christian holidays. They also largely believe in God, a life after death, and hell. In terms of representation, they feel represented, primarily, by Muslim communities.

Pendampingan Perencanaan Partisipatif Program Tabungan dan Patungan Kurban Guna Meningkatkan Minat Berkurban di Masa Pandemi

This service activity is carried out to bridge the importance of saving and sacrificial facilities for Muslim congregations from the As-Shaykh Jabir Al-Faifi Mosque, Ngasem Village, Colomadu District, Karanganyar Regency, Central Java. Assistance is carried out by previously holding deliberations with the Mosque Prosperity Council to prepare a design for a savings and joint sacrifice scheme which will then be disseminated to local Muslims through the Rukun Neighbor forum and studies at the mosque. The method used to explore and understand the couple's problems is an observation of related informants and documentation. Data analysis used triangulation of data sources. The results of this activity indicate that there is an increase in the enthusiasm of residents in carrying out Qurban worship after the existence of savings products and qurban joint ventures, as can be seen from the increase in the registration of Qurban participants by 60%.

PELATIHAN MEMBACA AL-QUR’AN YANG BAIK DAN BENAR MELALUI METODE QIRA’ATI

Community service is carried out to the general public, and the target of the service is the al-bayyinah Muslim study group, Yosorati Village, Kec. Sumberbaru Kab. Jember. This service is in the form of training in reading the Koran properly and correctly through the Qira'ati method, the executor first surveys the field what are the current needs of the community. In an effort to popularize the Koran, currently there are various methods that are quite helpful in facilitating the process of learning to read the Koran properly and correctly. However, the general problems encountered in teaching the Koran today are: Quality of Education, Qualifications of Ustad Teachers, Uncertain Study Time, Learning Methods used are lacking/not mastered. Based on the implementation of good and correct Qur'an reading training through the Qira'ati method in Krajan Lor Hamlet, Yosorati Village, Kec. Sumberbaru Kab. Jember is the standard for the quality of learning outcomes for mothers who are not the same. Between one and another, due to differences in educational background and also the family environment, each Muslim congregation must be different in absorbing material, it shouldn't be 100% uniform. but the levels of differences that are too far apart indicate that something is lacking in the learning process, be it from the elements, teacher, means, or methods used. The development of various methods of reading the Koran at this time indeed enriches the variety of the learning process, but if the use of the method chosen by the Koran teacher or institution does not comply with the standards required by the method maker, then from the learning process to the product produced it is definitely not standard. It is often found in our society that the ratio of the teacher of the Koran to the number of students is not balanced. The number of Koran teachers is less than the students who are ready to be taught, and even then the quality of teachers is not evenly distributed, there are even ustad who are reckless because there are no Koran teachers who are ready to teach.

Making Space for Embodied Voices, Diverse Bodies, and Multiple Genders in Nonconformist Friday Prayers: A Queer Feminist Ethnography of Progressive Muslims’ Performative Intercorporeality in North American Congregations

ABSTRACTIn contemporary North American Muslim congregations involved in the “progressive Muslim movement,” prayer practices rework tradition in recognizably Muslim ways while nevertheless differing markedly from those of most mosques. Ethnographic description and participant narratives shed light on the process through which intercorporeality impacts interpretation of Islamic gender norms, outlining the connections among epicene prayer space, bodily proximity, multivocality, and multicorporeality in creating support for feminist and queer religious interpretations and solidarity with marginalized others. Interreligious critiques of such nonconformist approaches have tended to treat nonconformist Muslims as inappropriately concerned with individual liberties or as individual activists seeking media attention. Attention to alterity in context, however, demonstrates that alternative understandings develop not from individual beliefs, practices, or desires but rather through somatic practice within a community of like‐minded co‐religionists learning new habits through intercorporeality. [progressive Muslims, performativity, congregational prayer, intercorporeality and embodiment, sexual diversity and gender variance]

Finding a vaccine for misinformation

With deliberate deception a growing threat online, social scientists are devising ways to fight back with “cognitive inoculations” In early March, after a wave of coronavirus cases struck a Muslim congregation in India, the hashtag #CoronaJihad went viral on Indian Twitter, and Islamophobic messages began to surge on social media. In one case, a false video showed purportedly Muslim men licking plates—allegedly to spread the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). In reality, these men belonged to a community that strongly discourages wasting food. No one knows who crafted these false messages, or why. But anti-Muslim attacks increased after their release. Hoping to fight an epidemic of misinformation, some researchers have demonstrated the promise of “inoculating” people with training videos and games even before those people are exposed to misinformation. Image credit: Dave Cutler (artist). It’s hardly an isolated example. Misinformation has been rife during the pandemic—ranging from rumors about the virus being an escaped bioweapon to specious reports of a miracle cure doctors won’t tell you about. Of course, this is only the latest flavor of fakery, which includes high-profile efforts such as climate-change denialism, antivaccine agitation (1), and Russian attempts to erode trust in the 2016 election. In every case, says Emma Spiro, a sociologist who is studying coronavirus misinformation at the University of Washington in Seattle, the risk is that “people may use the false information as the basis for decision making and actions that endanger themselves and others.” Experts sometimes distinguish between mis information, which is simply wrong and may even be an honest mistake, and dis information, which is formulated with an intent to deceive. Whatever the name, stemming the onslaught can seem like a losing battle. Researchers, tech companies, journalists, and fact checkers have been trying to debunk misinformation for years. But researchers have found that this …

Establishing Islam in Sweden: The First Tatar Community and Muslim Congregation and Their Sources

This article focuses on the history and establishment of the first Muslim congregation and organisationin Sweden, Turk-Islam Föreningen i Sverige för Religion och Kultur (Turk-Islamic Associationfor Religion and Culture), which was founded in the late 1940s by a small group of immigrants andrefugees of Tatar and Turkish origin. The community has been the object of earlier research (seeSvanberg & Westerlund 1999; Ståhlberg & Svanberg 2016; Sorgenfrei 2018) but the following isa first attempt to describe the historical background of the Tatars in Sweden through systematicarchival work. The article thus aims at being also an orientation to the archival and private sourcesof the group and their organization and to point out some topics of interest for further research.

Religious Freedom and Local Conflict: Religious Buildings and Zoning Issues in the New York City Region, 1992–2017

AbstractReligious freedom in the United States is negotiated in local conflicts arising from proposals from religious groups to municipalities in order to use or alter land and buildings. This study examines 116 cases of zoning conflict involving religious buildings in the New York City region between 1992 and 2017 as reported by the New York Times. Jewish and Muslim congregations experienced opposition at higher rates compared to their proportion in the region’s population and to Christians. Proposing to use a single-family home for worship or use a building near residences topped local concerns. Neighbors regularly expressed worries about traffic, parking, and preservation. More zoning controversies occurred in the suburbs. These findings advance our knowledge of religious freedom and pluralism in detailing how local religious land conflicts involving multiple social actors operating at different levels engage larger questions about religious gatherings, ideal land uses, and the character of communities.

Thinking Congregationally about British Muslims

ABSTRACTBritish mosques are growing, both numerically and in terms of their capacity. While there is a burgeoning body of literature that examines mosques for their historical significance, their symbolic resonance, or as sites of conflict and contestation, no studies have yet explored the congregation and the mosque. This article argues that there is value in thinking congregationally about British Muslims and contends that the congregation is emerging as the primary means of doing religion together amongst Muslims in diaspora, replacing older and historical means of association amongst Muslims. Seeking a better understanding of the operation of congregations provides a project that can unite textual and sociological scholars, ‘insiders’ and ‘outsiders’, and which will potentially have an impact on policy for authorities, and benefit for academic understanding, as well as for mosques and Muslims themselves. Before considering the Muslim congregation, however, the article reviews the field of congregational studies, which has been predominantly focused on churches, and identifies the tools and approaches that can be utilized by scholars wishing to research Muslim congregations.

Religious congregations and crime incidents: opportunity and bias

ABSTRACT Religious congregations’ experiences with crime victimization are an under-researched and poorly understood phenomenon. Religious congregations represent a street crime target as a potential source of money, electronics, furniture and other goods, or as places where potential victims come and go. Furthermore, religious congregations are potential targets of bias crimes, especially certain minority religious traditions. This study examines survey data from a national sample of 1,385 religious congregations to investigate the role of religious tradition, criminal opportunity/routine activities factors, and surrounding structural disadvantage on criminal events experienced by congregations. We examine overall, property, and violent crime. We find that opportunity factors and structural disadvantage foster overall reported crime, as well as property and violent crime separately. By contrast, religious tradition is only associated with violent crime, specifically threats of violence. Jewish and Muslim congregations are more likely to report experiencing violent incidents, and report experiencing them more often.

Religious Congregations’ Experiences with, Fears of, and Preparations for Crime: Results from a National Survey

Although anecdotal evidence suggests that crimes involving religious congregations are relatively common, data and research on congregations’ experiences with victimization, fears of victimization, and security preparations is sparse. This research note provides an overview of a new survey of over 1300 congregations that was focused on these issues. In addition to providing an introduction to the data, the note provides a descriptive overview of results with a particular focus on differences across religious traditions. Exterior vandalism is the most common crime experienced, with 19% of respondents reporting such an incident in the past year. Jewish and Muslim congregations report a higher rate of receiving threats and are more likely than respondents overall to report a perception that an experienced crime was hate-motivated. Jewish and Muslim congregations also report a higher level of fear of experiencing violent crimes and, overall, have adopted more security measures compared to respondents overall. The note concludes by outlining directions for future research expanding upon these initial patterns.

Mosque leadership and management in Kano metropolis: case of Al-Furqan Mosque, Kano state, Nigeria

This paper seeks to examine the leadership and management activities of Alfurqan Mosque situated at Alu Avenue, Kano Metropolis, Kano State, Nigeria. This is motivated out of the concern from many quarters about the methodology of managing mosques by some Imams and other mosque leaders and the effect of such practice on the Muslim congregations. Qualitative design is employed for the study through interview with key officers of the mosque who are selected using purposive sampling. The paper adopts descriptive analysis using thematic approach. Findings from the study revealed that Al-Furqan Mosque is well managed under good structure, staffing and skills necessary for effective management. Consequently, it is recommended that mosques in Kano should emulate the management structure of Al-Furqan mosque and they should always consider mosque as an institution for socio-economic development of the Muslim Umma.

Nazariyyatu al-Maqamat ‘Inda al-Syaikh ‘Abdul al-Qadir al-Jilaniy

Maqamat is considered as the most important topic among the others in Sufism because it is the ethics and process of the heart and spirit that seeks to guide people for returning to Allah SWT. In “al-Ghunyah Lithalibi Thoriqi al-Haq ‘Azza wa Jalla,” al-Jilani—the Sufi figures who founded the Qadiriyah, the oldest and most widespread of the Muslim congregation— formulated the spiritual levels that a salik should take. Although al-Jilani does not call these spiritual levels as maqamat, but in the tradition of Sufism this is commonly called maqamat. Al-Jailani detailed the seven levels of the maqamat, namely al-taubah, al-zuhd, al-tawakkul, al-syukr, al-s}abr, ar-rid}hā and al-s}idq. Al-taubah is considered as the first gate for a salik to get God’s blessings in this world and the hereafter. Al-zuhd did not mean to leave the world at all, as long as it did not neglect man from God and could help the religion and the hereafter. This is what distinguishes between Al-Jilani’s thought and the others which means al-zuhd is to leave the world.

Muslim women’s evolving leadership roles: A case study of women leaders in an immigrant Muslim community in post-9/11 America

Based on three years of ethnographic fieldwork in a multi-ethnic immigrant Muslim congregation in a Midwestern city in the United States, this article scrutinizes the intricate process through which women use traditional gender roles and expectations to legitimate and operationalize women’s leadership. This study found that de facto congregationalism has made it possible for Muslim women to translate their ‘traditional’ responsibilities for food preparation and socializing children into greater visibility and voice in both the mosque and broader society. This study provides an in-depth examination of the nuanced processes of women’s empowerment in American Muslim congregations.