Muslim Migrants Research Articles

How Campuses Mediate a Nationwide Upsurge against India’s Communalization. An Account from Jamia Millia Islamia and Shaheen Bagh in New Delhi

We return to the notion of generational communities introduced in this special issue in light of the ongoing pan-Indian protests spearheaded by students against the Indian government’s initiative to define accession to citizenship on religious lines. Applicable to individuals who entered India prior to 2014; the recent Act of Parliament permits the authorities to grant citizenship to “persecuted minorities” from three neighboring countries while making Muslim migrants ostensibly ineligible. T...

Migracije Muslimana iz zapadne Bosne na područje Banije i Korduna u socijalističkom periodu i vjersko organiziranje vjernika islamske vjeroispovjesti u Sisku i na Kordunu

The author gives information on the migration of Muslims to the area of Sisak and its surroundings and to the territory of Kordun (Vrginmost, Vojnić and Slunj municipalities). On the basis of oral testimonies from several Cordon settlements and speakers from Sisak and Mošćenica, the author presents data on the circumstances of immigration and relations with the local population after their immigration. In the second part of the text, it provides information on the beginning of the organization of the Jamaat in Sisak, Maljevac and Bogovolje based on the archive material from the Meshihat of the Islamic Community in Zagreb and Dzemat Sisak.

Comparative Study on the Choice of Muslim migrants Residence in Xi’an and Lanzhou Cities, China

Residential choice is one of the basic contents of urban adaptation of the floating population and an important aspect in determining the quality of life in the city. This study is for Muslim migrants with three attributes (minority, floating population and religious belief). The purpose is to reveal the commonalities and differences in the choice of living spaces of Muslim Migrants in multi-ethnic cities Lanzhou and Xi’an, to provide guidance for the targeted management of Muslim migrants and promote their urban integration. Based on available research data from 2017-2019, the study adopts spatial analysis and regression analysis to explore the results of the selection of Muslim migrants living space in two cities and its influencing factors. The main conclusions are as follows: 1) The commonality of Muslim migrants living space in the two cities lies in: the distribution pattern of “Living around the mosque and running business nearby the mosque” still exists. The living space of Muslim migrants consists of points (mosques), lines (streets or traffic lines), and faces (inhabited areas), forming a spatial distribution pattern of the “mosque + community” residential circle. Differences: Muslim migrants in Hui’s street, Xi’an, taking the “Mosque-alley system” as an independent social organization, and their living space presents a " mosque-alley Interlaced" distribution. Muslim migrants living in the urban village community on the periphery of Hui’s street take "mosque" and "farm market" as the dual core, showing the “core (mosque/market) + community” inlaid living space situation. The Muslim migrants in Lanzhou generally live around the mosque or close to the streets and roads that lead to mosque. 2). In terms of commonality, the living choices of Muslim migrants in both cities consider the distance from the place of work, the mosque or the Muslim community to the place of residence. In terms of differences, the residential choice of Muslim migrants in Xi’an is mainly influenced by the composition of the living, the income of wages, and the nature of the occupation. The choice is mainly influenced by the rent level, occupational nature and wage income of the house; and the main influencing factors of the choice of Muslim migrants in Lanzhou are the education level and the rent level of the house. The main influencing factors of residential location selection are education level and mobility purpose. The level of education, traditional living customs, and rent levels have become the core factors determining the urban accommodation adaptation of Muslim migrants.

The Swedish dystopia: violent imaginaries of the radical right

ABSTRACTThorleifsson examines the ways in which violent imaginaries of Sweden have been discursively constructed and used by populist radical-right (PRR) parties and actors in contemporary Europe. Based on multisited fieldwork among politicians and supporters of the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) and the Hungarian Jobbik party, this article demonstrates how individual acts of violence are ‘transvaluated’ into violent imaginaries of migrants from Muslim-majority lands. What Thorleifsson terms ‘the Swedish dystopia’ not only entails a message of alarm and warning. PRR actors also use the trope of the Swedish dystopia in their call for action against Muslim migrants and minorities who, they claim, pose an ethnoreligious threat to national identity, security and even (Judaeo)-Christian civilization as a whole.

Towards Migration-Responsive Local Government: Profiling, Perceived Program Needs and Driving Forces

The phenomenon of ethnic migration has been part of human history and vital to the development of cultures and civilizations. Using mixed-method inquiry, the research studied the Local Government’s responsiveness to the Muslim migrants’ need for programs relative to education, livelihood, health, and sanitation, housing, socio-civic, and cultural aspects, including investigation of the driving forces of the 155 migrants selected using purposive sampling. Quantitative and qualitative data were analyzed, and in addition, a subset of the participants, which included government personnel and leaders of the Muslims, were interviewed. The use of documentary analysis and observation of Muslim activities were also vital sources of data. Results showed that older migrant females have migrated for a relatively long time who have been engaged in business and trading operations, considered limited opportunities and personal reasons as driving forces of their migration; the local government’s support for the educational needs of the Muslims through Madrassah School supervised by the Department of Education, support for livelihood program, and promoting harmonious relationships between Muslims and non-Muslims through sociocultural and other programs. Results would lead to the creation of academe government linkage for a sustainable development program for Muslim migrants.

Immigrants’ behavioral participation and its relation with national identification: Perceived closeness to the prototype as a psychological mechanism

ABSTRACT This study investigates the psychological processes by which national language usage predicts immigrants’ national identification. We proposed that national language usage, as a key aspect of behavioral participation, signals to immigrants their closeness to fitting the national prototype (operationalized as perceived similarities with receiving country and acceptance as national co-member). This in turn fosters stronger national identification. Additionally, we tested whether perceived language competence strengthens the link between language usage and closeness to the prototype. The hypotheses were tested using a cross-national survey (N = 3794) of Muslim migrants in Belgium, Germany and Switzerland. The results (using structural equation modeling) generally supported the predictions, offering evidence for the psychological mechanisms by which behavioral participation encourages identification with new groups.

Migration, Religion, and Residential Segregation at the Urban Level: The Case of Muslim Migrants in Rome and Milan

This article investigates residential segregation at the intraurban level of migrants in two Italian cities, Rome and Milan, considering religion as a point of reference in light of its pivotal role in terms of identity references for many migrants. The article focuses in particular on Muslim migrants—due to both the magnitude of their presence and complex issues related to their settlement in Italian cities. The analysis shows a low level of intraurban residential segregation of Muslim migrants in both cities, with some relevant differences related to national subgroups (e.g., a higher concentration for people coming from Bangladesh and Pakistan), so that religion seems not yet to be a main driver of residential choice for Muslim migrants. In light of both the low level of segregation of Muslim migrants and some features of Italian urban policies on migration and religion, we argue that residential concentration can currently play a beneficial role in terms of the insertion of migrants in Italian cities and fulfillment of some of their needs (e.g., availability of minority places of worship).

Everyday Racism and Racialized Experiences Among Indonesian Migrant Muslims in New York City: Perception, Resistance, and Self-Empowerment

The election of Donald Trump as the 45th President of the United States of America increased public conversations about the situations of immigrants living in the country. Trump employed the issue of immigrants as a powerful weapon to win the presidential race. In my view, the way the American people excitedly responded to and accepted Trump’s ideas indicates how racism against immigrants still plays a pivotal role in the US political and social realms. My reflection on this hot issue on immigration led me to wonder about some of my colleagues and friends from Indonesia who migrated to the US. How are they? Are they in a good situation?

Spiritual Authority and Religious Introspection among Muslim Migrants in Western Siberia

This article concerns the Islamic community in contemporary Russia and the dynamic identities of Muslim migrants there. The focus of this study is the religious and wider social practices of those Muslim migrants who are considered leaders of local micro-communities, enjoy respect within their religious community, and have steadfast religious authority within their circles. These practices are considered in their local religious and migrant contexts through the prism of such concepts as religious individualism, everyday lived Islam, and tactical religion. The author shows multiple ties that emerge between the region’s Muslims, specifically between unofficial local leaders, and other believers who need this authority to elaborate their everyday Muslim practices in the context of migration and the authority crisis in Russian Islam. This study emphasizes the importance of the everyday in the formation of individual religiosity and shows how a local Muslim environment builds up around certain key figures outside the mosque.

From Conflict to Assimilation: Strategies of Muslim Immigrants in Papua Special Autonomy Era

This paper aims to explain the forms of Muslim immigrant strategies in Papua in the era of special autonomy. After the implementation of special autonomy in Papua, migrants feel the increasing tension or competition in the economic and political fields. Data obtained through the method of observation, interviews, and literature studies. Observations focused on the economic practices of Muslim migrants in places such as the market in Jayapura, Papua. Interviews were conducted with a number of parties, both Muslim migrants and local Papuans, to obtain information on many things including their response to the presence of Muslim migrants. In addition, data was also obtained through the documentation of literature related to the topic of this paper. The data obtained were then analyzed through the steps of qualitative analysis, namely data reduction, data presentation, drawing conclusions/verification. This paper confirms that Muslim migrants made various efforts to deal with various obstacles in the era of Special Autonomy in Papua in three ways. First, Muslim migrants strengthen the economy, especially the informal sector. Secondly, the political sector is not the main objective of the existence of Muslim migrants. Third, Muslim migrants are not exclusive, especially in establishing communication with indigenous people.

A ‘Minority’ on the Move: Boundary Work among Filipina Muslim Migrant Domestic Workers in the Middle East

This article analyses the migration of a religious ‘minority’ that is largely invisible within migration studies, namely Muslim Filipina domestic workers. More specifically, this research shows that the category of ‘minority’ is not fixed and is always negotiated through transnational spaces and boundary work. In doing so, the article highlights how religious belonging, the status of minority and migration intersect and are negotiated during the period prior to these women leaving their country, during their time in the country of destination, and when they return to the Philippines. How boundary work affects the religious belonging of this Muslim ‘minority’ is underlined by presenting the Middle East as an opportunity to perform norms of ‘Muslimness’. The performance of these norms as an opportunity for these women to challenge the status of being a ‘minority’ in the Philippines is also examined. Finally, this article shows how these Muslim ‘minorities’ gain access to a certain symbolic capital by becoming hajji and balikbayan (returnees) when they return home.

Anti-Muslim racism and the racialisation of sexual violence: ‘intersectional stereotyping’ in mass media representations of male Muslim migrants in Germany

ABSTRACTThis article examines how German print media have represented male migrants with Muslim backgrounds in relation to mainstream society and the stereotypes drawn on and created, including that of the migrant Muslim man as a criminal and sexual perpetrator. Media reports about ‘lecherous refugees’ have risen in the wake of wider social controversies about the ‘European refugee crisis’ and the consequences of welcoming over 1.5 million refugees from predominantly Muslim countries into Germany in recent years. Many of these reports reflect the Cologne New Year’s Eve 2016 sexual attacks by migrant men against German women. This study of German print media identifies a racialisation and ‘islamicisation’ of sexual violence and proposes the original theoretical concept of intersectional stereotyping to conceptualise the intersecting of religious, racialised and gendered patterns in media representations of male Muslim migrants. The research combines and extends the analytical frameworks of intersectionality and stereotyping to develop a new concept useful in media studies and beyond. The article provides a previously unexplored insight into racialised anti-Muslim stereotyping in German society in socio-political and historical context through the lens of print media.

Islamic diffusion in the countries of the Arctic region: the processes of Muslim migration to Scandinavian countries in the context of the transforming Islamic world

The paper is dedicated to the problems related to the change in the social and sociocultural structure of the countries in the Arctic region as a result of Muslim migration to the states of the Arctic region such as Scandinavian countries. Based on the review of Russian and European literature and open information sources, in this paper the authors systematize the perceptions of the migration flow from the Muslim world to Northern Europe. The formation, causes, specifics and transformation of this migration flow are considered within its entire course in chronological order and its division into periods is proposed. Each stage is judged upon and arguments are given for the chosen categorization. In addition, the events occurring in the Islamic world within the mentioned periods are reviewed. These events are systematized, synthesized and synchronized. As a result, the authors are able to reconstruct a reliable chronology of the process of Muslim migration to the Scandinavian countries and divide it into stages. In the course of the research study, the authors conclude that almost all stages of the Muslim migration wave to Northern Europe (excluding the “Initial” and most recent ones) have a systemic period of 20 years. However, some prerequisites are being formed for the present stage to be much shorter in time in comparison to the previous ones. As of 2018, two bastions of North Africa - the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria and the Arab Republic of Egypt - are in a crisis situation by their economic, social and political indicators. This crisis cannot be interpreted as anything but a prewar situation. If the crisis in these countries is similar to the one in 2011-2014 and they are unable to withstand or transform it, the situation with Muslim migration, flows of refuges and the situation in Europe itself can turn out to be unpredictable. In today’s 2019 and in the nearest future five more countries - three Islamic Republics are in the zone of risk: Iran, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, while the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Republic of Turkey and in the zone of turbulence. A catastrophe in any of these countries will itself cause an explosive leap in migration, which will spread as waves of people throughout all Eurasian regions. If a chain reaction occurs and a domino effect lasts, it will probably end up in a socio-humanitarian catastrophe of a global scale first in the regions and then on the way where people masses will flow.

Social and Islamic diffusion in the Nordic countries with the example of Sweden by year 2050

The purpose of this paper is to study the Muslim migration flow on the territory of Northern Europe in the last quarter of XX – first half of XXI centuries, the analysis of pattern and genesis of a new geopolitical reality in the region on the example of Sweden, as applied to its state by year 2050. In the process of writing the paper, the authors relied on advanced achievements of scientific thought, described in geographers’ fundamental research (the study was based on the theory of innovations’ diffusion by a Swedish geographer T. Hagerstrand), in sociologists’ works (theory of innovations’ diffusion by G. Tarde and E. Rogers), historians, anthropologists, economists and philosophers’ research. It is the example of Sweden which fully illustrates the paradox of the whole situation and, at the same time, allows to make the main conclusion on the basis of the study conducted in this paper. Thus, in 1975, the Muslim population of the Kingdom was 0.25%; in 2017, according to official data, every tenth citizen is Muslim. Currently, in 2019, Sweden only has a Muslim population exceeding five populations of Iceland. If the same trend continues (without repetition of the European migration crisis of 2015), by 2025-2027 every fifth, and by 2035-2040 every fourth citizen will be Muslim (Fig. 1-9 illustrate this idea). We have studied, analyzed and presented all stages of migration processes development in Sweden from 1995 to 2020 on the generalized cartographic material and predicted it for the period from 2020 to 2050, respectively. By 2020, the Muslim population of Sweden will be more than 20%. This migration diffusion will affect, first of all, 13 of the 25 largest municipalities, where the ethnic, autochthonous Swedish population will appear the minority. And in just a few years, the same situation will happen in the remaining three largest municipalities: Westeros, Orebro and Norrköping. 70% of Stockholm’s residents and every second resident of southern Sweden will be Muslims. By 2050, it is possible to split the Muslim part of Sweden, up to the administrative and territorial change of interstate borders, especially between Sweden and Denmark, where a Muslim agglomeration has already been formed between Copenhagen and Malmö.

Religion and integration: does immigrant generation matter? The case of Moroccan and Turkish immigrants in the Netherlands

ABSTRACT Public debates on Muslim migration to Europe often describe religiosity as a barrier to immigrant integration. Among the first generation, negative correlations between Muslims’ religiosity and integration were indeed found, but among the second generation, religion and integration are more often decoupled. To examine whether the relation between religion and integration differs across immigrant generations, this study compares foreign-born with local-born Turkish and Moroccan minorities in the Netherlands based on the NELLS data (N = 1,776). We analyse how religiosity (religious identification and practices) relates to eight indicators of immigrant integration and find it to be unrelated to socio-economic participation, Dutch contacts, national identification and gender egalitarianism, but negatively related to Dutch friendships, language skills and sexual liberalism in both generations. Only the association between religiosity and educational attainment in the Netherlands differs across generations, and changes from negative in the first to non-significant in the second generation.

Islamic schooling, migrant Muslims and the problem of integration in The Netherlands

ABSTRACT In the Netherlands, Islamic schools and Islamic education in general have been subjects of public debate for quite some time. After the event of 9/11, they found themselves increasingly being criticised and some people in Dutch society go as far as considering them breeding grounds for terrorism and think they foster an anti-integration attitude among their students. In this article, however, I will demonstrate that Islamic education can function in and be adjusted well to the requirements of the local communities where Islamic education is offered to Muslims. I will argue that in the Netherlands teachers utilise Islamic primary schools to promote their students’ integration into Dutch society, as their mission statements indeed explicitly state. The inclusion of civic education into the curriculum of Islamic schools is another indication that they seriously teach their students how to be good citizens who can actively participate in Dutch society. This article is thus to show that Islamic primary schools are well able to prepare their students both physically and mentally for integration into Dutch society.

Indo-Maritius Muslims: genesis of their Religious Identity

The paper focuses on the Indo-Mauritian Muslim Community, which plays an important role in the social and political life of the island state. The paper deals with the revival of the Urdu language spoken by the Indo-Mauritian Muslims who had almost lost the “ancestral tongue” in the process of adaptation to the Mauritius` multi-ethnic and multi- religious society through the eighteenth – nineteenth century. The study reconstructs a brief history of the Urdu-speaking Indian Muslims` migration to Mauritius and their partial assimilation with the local society. The Muslim migrants accepted the local Creole language and some elements of their culture but remained loyal to their religion and traditional Muslim values. The author makes a special emphasis upon the means of revival and development of Urdu language and the formation of the Mauritian Urdu Literature. The Urdu language today is a tool of self-identification of Indo-Mauritian Muslims and primary marker of their religious identity as well.

Message, Sociocultural Background, and The Politics of Religion of Islamic Sermons in The Netherlands

Da‘wa does not merely concern theology and religion, but it also addresses socio-political aspects. This is highly dependent on the background of the da‘i (preacher) and public space of politics of religion in which the da‘wa message is conveyed. Using the qualitative method, this research focuses on three questions; what are the priority da‘wa message in the contemporary Netherlands? How is the suitable qualification of the da‘i for the context of Netherlands? How does the politics of religion support the life of Muslim migrants? On that question, some mosques and Muslim communities are chosen for data collection. The research shows that the most delivered topic of da‘wa message is about aqīdah (creed) and sharī‘ah (Islamic law), then akhlāq (ethics). The background of the da‘i heavily influences the selection of da‘wa material. There are two major streams on the matter; Salafi and Sunni. The da‘wa activity by Sunni da‘is tends to be more open, compared to Salafi activities. Concerning the politics of religion, the Dutch government launched a program of Pillarization of Islam so that the government maintains the controls over the activities of Muslim migrants, as well as for the benefits of the multi-origin and multi-ethnic Muslim migrants. However, this measure proves to be ineffective and the da‘wa goes on without following this pillarization program. Being a Muslim is because of personal will, not just because of sermon.

The Islamic Subject of Home Cinema of Kerala

Migration to the Arabian Gulf as the experience of the state of Kerala has mostly been elided in mainstream Malayalam cinema. The digital revolution towards the end of the last century has spurred a local film practice in northern Kerala, usually called ‘Home Cinema’/‘home video’/‘home film’ and so on. Home Cinema of Kerala is locally produced low-quality CD/DVD video productions which are full-length feature films distributed through video shops, stationeries, bookstores and so on. Home Cinema, synonymous in its beginning with the films of Salam Kodiyathur, began as an attempt to oppose what was perceived as the immoral qualities of mainstream cinema, both global and regional. As a counter to the mainstream, Kodiyathur attempted to formulate Islamic cinema but in the idiom of a strand of mainstream Malayalam cinema. This article looks at the constitution of the Islamic subjects of these cinemas as negotiating the figure of the migrant Muslim in the dominant idiom of Malayalam cinema.

PROSES AKULTURASI KERUANGAN KOMUNITAS MUSLIM KAMPUNG JAWA DI PERKOTAAN TABANAN BALI

The traditional rules of Bali regulate the use of space as a form of palemahan in the Tri Hita Karana concept. The arrival of Muslim migrants forms the Muslim community of Kampung Jawa which still exists today. The high intensity of interaction between Muslims and Hindus has resulted in spatial acculturation related to the rules of palemahan. This research aims to find out the process of spatial acculturation of the Muslim community in the indigenous territories of Balinese Hinduism. The method used was a case study method with the Kampung Jawa area as a case unit. Case evidence was obtained through observation and in-depth interviews to the informant who are considered to have knowledge of the variety and spatial acculturation processes that occur and supported by other secondary data. This study found a different process and time of formation in each type of spatial acculturation that occurred. In general, there were several stages of the spatial acculturation process, namely: (1) social interaction, (2) Muslim understanding of Hinduism, (3) Muslim adaptation, (4) Hindus understanding of Muslims, (5) acculturation, and (6) expansion of space, actors, and type of spatial acculturations.