Muslim Sample Research Articles

The interplay of culture, religion and luxury consumption: a cross-national investigation

PurposeThis study aims to examine differences in the perceived value of luxury as drivers of luxury purchase intentions between individualist and collectivist cultures (at a country level) and consumers of Muslim versus Christian religious backgrounds. Moreover, this study investigates how consumers’ acculturation to the global consumer culture (AGCC) impacts their perceived luxury values.Design/methodology/approachThe authors conducted two online survey studies. The first study compares Muslim consumers in Kuwait versus Muslims consumers in the UK. The second study compares the UK Muslim sample to a UK Christian sample. The authors collected data from 600 and 601 respondents, respectively. Partial least square structural equation modeling was used to test this study’s research hypotheses.FindingsThe perceived personal values of luxury primarily drive consumers’ luxury purchase intentions. The hedonic value of luxury impacts luxury purchase intentions significantly more for Muslims in the UK than in Kuwait. No significant differences were observed between religions. Consumers’ AGCC exerts a positive impact on all included perceived luxury values and more strongly impacts perceived uniqueness for Muslims than for Christians.Originality/valueThe paper builds on an integrative luxury values framework to examine the impact of luxury values on consumers’ purchasing intentions by studying the moderating effect of culture and religion on these relationships. The study is partly set in Kuwait, an understudied country, and investigates a Muslim minority in the UK.

When religious fundamentalists feel privileged: Findings from a representative study in contemporary Turkey

Previous research established that people who are or feel more privileged tend to be less religiously fundamentalist. However, in the present research we predicted this association to be reversed when political leaders such as governments are promoting and incentivizing (religious) fundamentalism. Using Turkey as an example, we found support for our hypothesis in a Muslim sample (N = 736) representative for age, gender, education-level ethnicities, and urbanicity: Individuals, who feel more privileged – i.e., less deprived – were more fundamentalist, even after controlling for a range of other variables that were previously associated with fundamentalism including conspiracy beliefs, personality, and sociodemographic variables. This negative association between deprivation and religious fundamentalism was not mediated by conspiracy beliefs. Interestingly, the associations of the control variables such as authoritarianism and conspiracy beliefs with religious fundamentalism mostly replicated previous research. Implications are discussed.

COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs and vaccinations: A conceptual replication study in Turkey

Pivetti et al. (2021a; 2021b) examined links between COVID-related conspiracy beliefs and acceptance of vaccinations in Italy and Finland in 2020. They found that moral purity negatively predicted confidence in science, whereas political orientation predicted COVID-related conspiracy beliefs. Confidence in science, general conspiracy beliefs, and COVID-related conspiracy beliefs were found to negatively predict support for governmental restrictions and attitudes towards vaccines, and positively predict perceptions of informational contamination. Finally, attitudes towards vaccines in general strongly predicted attitudes towards the COVID-19 vaccine. The current research seeks to replicate these findings conceptually on a predominately Muslim sample (N = 570, M age = 26.69, 69.8% females) in Turkey in 2021, when the COVID vaccines were widely available. Measures of religiosity and left, center, and right political orientations were added to the original instrument. Hypothesized serial mediational models were tested using structural equation modelling. Results revealed that left and center political orientations positively predicted COVID-related conspiracy beliefs and confidence in science. Religiosity was negatively related to confidence in science. Confidence in science and COVID-related conspiracy beliefs predicted general attitudes toward vaccines. Conspiracy beliefs predicted COVID-related conspiracy beliefs, which in turn negatively predicted support for government restrictions and positively predicted distrust in mainstream media. Attitudes towards vaccines were strongly and positively related to attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccines. [This paper was added to the Special Issue on “Conspiracy Theories about Infectious Diseases” in a post-hoc manner. Online publishing allows the addition of new papers to a published special issue, thereby permitting a special issue to grow.]

Love for Allah and love for self: exploring the connection between religious affect and self-esteem among Muslim adolescents in England

ABSTRACT The connection between religious affect and self-esteem has been supported by a series of studies conducted among Christian or post-Christian samples. The present study extends this research tradition among a sample of 919 self-identified Muslim adolescents (between the ages of 11 and 14 years) attending schools in England. The data demonstrated that, after controlling for personal factors (age and sex) and for psychological factors (extraversion, neuroticism, and psychoticism), there was a significant positive association between the two core variables (religious affect and self-esteem). From the perspective of the empirical psychology of religion this study confirms among a Muslim sample a finding previously recorded among Christian or post-Christian samples.

Dark Triad traits, recalled and current quality of the parent-child relationship: A non-western replication and extension

Most of the existing evidence regarding the adverse effect of poor parenting on the development of Dark Triad traits comes from Western industrialized samples. In the present study, we replicate and extend these findings using a Muslim (i.e., non-WEIRD) sample. Our findings mirrored those of previous studies by revealing that Dark Triad traits were significantly associated with an insecure attachment style and low parental care. Beyond replicating these previous findings, we found that these dysfunctional parent–child bonds may continue at least to early adulthood, with the relationship between Dark Triad individuals and their parents being marked by greater conflict. Individuals with higher Machiavellianism reported having the worst quality of current relationship with their parents—relationships characterized by greater conflict and lower depth. These findings contribute to the literature by providing cross-cultural support for the potential mechanisms that influence the development of the Dark Triad traits and by adding new knowledge about the dysfunctional pattern of relationship with parents that may last into adulthood.

Religiosity, Spirituality, Forgiveness, Religious Coping as Predictors of Life Satisfaction and Generalized Anxiety: A Quantitative Study on Turkish Muslim University Students

During the last two decades, several studies have been carried out to examine the main predictors of life satisfaction and anxiety. This paper investigates the connection between spirituality, religiosity, religious coping, forgiveness, anxiety, and satisfaction with life in the case of a Turkish Muslim sample. In total 560 respondents were selected from different faculties of Bolu Abant İzzet Baysal University. 53.4% (N= 299) of the sample were females and 46.6% (N= 261) of them were males. Participants’ age changed to between 18 and 38 years. 28.4% (N=159) of students were from faculty of education, 25.9% (N=145) of students were from faculty of architecture and engineering, 23.8% (N=133) of students were from faculty of theology, and 22% (N=123) of students were from faculty of administrative sciences and economics. In the present researchers utilised the “Forgiveness Scale”, “Positive Religious Coping Scale”, “Religious Struggles”, “Scale for Satisfaction with Life” and “Generalised Anxiety Scale” to collect data. According to multiple regression findings, religiosity and forgiveness were significant predictors for life satisfaction. Moreover, forgiveness and religious coping (religious struggles and positive religious coping) were significant predictors of generalized anxiety.

Prayer and well-being in Muslim Canadians: exploring the mediating role of spirituality, mindfulness, optimism, and social support

ABSTRACT Prayer has been found to have a salutary effect on mental health. However little empirical work has examined the effects of prayer on the well-being in individuals from the Muslim faith. This study examined mediators of the relationship between prayer and well-being in a sample of Canadian Muslims (n = 155). Results revealed that optimism and spiritual experiences mediated the relationship between prayer frequency and subjective well-being. Mindfulness correlated with prayer frequency and well-being but did not mediate the relationship between the two. Social support through religious activity correlated with prayer frequency but not with well-being. Results suggest that daily spiritual experiences and optimism are important ingredients that explain the positive effects of prayer and subjective well-being in a Muslim sample.

Correction to Bagby et al. (2020).

Reports an error in "Examining the "traditional background hypothesis" for the MMPI-2-RF L-r scores in a Muslim faith-based sample" by R. Michael Bagby, Karin A. Onno, Ardeshir Mortezaei and Martin Sellbom (Psychological Assessment, Advanced Online Publication, Jul 27, 2020, np). In the article "Examining the 'Traditional Background Hypothesis' for the MMPI-2-RF L-r Scores in a Muslim Faith-Based Sample," by R. Michael Bagby, Karin A. Onno, Ardeshir Mortezaei, and Martin Sellbom (Psychological Assessment, 2020, Vol. 32, No. 10, pp. 991-995, http://dx.doi.org/ 10.1037/pas0000941), the word "not" was missing in the abstract from the text "(b) direct assessments of strength of faith or positive impression management were included or measured independently." The correct sentence should have read as follows: "(b) direct assessments of strength of faith or positive impression management were not included or measured independently." All versions of this article have been corrected. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2020-54974-001.) The traditional background hypothesis (TBH) is a long-standing belief associated with the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) L scale; a validity scale, which appears on every version of the family of MMPI instruments including the soon-to-be released MMPI-3. The L scale was originally designed to assess whether test respondents presented themselves in an unrealistically favorable light. Both researchers and clinicians noted, however, that those from traditional Christian faith-based groups produced elevated L-scale scores. A recent meta-analysis supported this observation, reporting an average L-scale elevation 0.50 SD greater than the MMPI-2 normative sample compared to samples of those with presumptively strong Christian-Judeo faith. Some limitations of this meta-analysis are that (a) the samples used in it included those undergoing an evaluative assessment, which could elevate L-scale scores independent of strength of faith belief, and (b) direct assessments of strength of faith or positive impression management were included or measured independently. Our primary goal in this study was to examine the TBH addressing these limitations with a sample of those who self-identified as believers in the Muslim faith (N = 267), the examination of which expands the scope beyond those of the Christian-Judeo faith. Consistent with previous results, the mean L-r (MMPI/MMPI-2 L scale counterpart on the MMPI-2-Restructured Form) was 56.41 T. Higher L-r scale scores were associated with increasing strength in the Muslim faith, and although increasing L-r scores were primarily associated with impression management, increasing Muslim-based faith values had a nontrivial influence on L-r scores and especially in the moderate score range of this scale. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Love for Allah and love for others: exploring the connection between religious affect and empathy among Muslim adolescents in England

ABSTRACT The study explores the connection between love for Allah (conceptualised as religious affect) and love for others (conceptualised as empathy) among a sample of 919 self-identified Muslim adolescents (between the ages of 11 and 14 years) attending schools in England. The data demonstrated that, after controlling for personal factors (age and sex) and for psychological factors (extraversion, neuroticism, and psychoticism), there was a significant positive association between the two core variables (religious affect and empathy). From the perspective of the empirical psychology of religion this study confirms among a Muslim sample a finding previously recorded among Christian or post-Christian samples. From the perspective of empirical theology this study confirms that the aspiration expressed in Qur’anic scriptures is reflected in the lives of young Muslims attending schools in England.

Conceptual Model of Religious and Spiritual Struggles in Iran: A Qualitative Study

Abstract Introduction: This study aimed to explore the conceptual model of religious and spiritual struggles among a Muslim sample by using qualitative method. Method: The current study was carried out by using the grounded theory. The purposive sampling method was applied and sampling continued until data saturation. Via In-depth, semi-structured phenomenological interview, 14 individuals with religious and spiritual problems were interviewed. Based on the standards of in-depth interview, with each individual, four 90-minute sessions were held to identify different dimensions of their experiences. Open-ended questions were used to accomplish the purpose of the interview. In addition, “clinical exercises” were used to elicit clients' religious and spiritual struggles. Results: Based on the findings of this study, religious and spiritual struggles have been divided into six categories: divine struggles, intrapersonal struggles, interpersonal struggles, supernatural struggles, struggle with some teachings of religion, and struggle with the effectiveness of religious institutions. Conclusion: There are different types of religious and spiritual struggles among Iranians. It is necessary to address religious and spiritual struggles, as many studies have reported a negative relationship between spiritual struggles and mental health. One practical implication of the present study is the necessity of constructing psychological interventions for spiritual and religious struggles in the Iranian society in order to improve well-being and mental health, especially among religious people.

SUSCEPTIBILITY TO INTERPERSONAL INFLUENCE AMONG YOUNG ADULT MUSLIMS

Consumer susceptibility to interpersonal influence is a general trait that varies across persons and affects a number of consumer behaviour. This study assessed the similarities and differences in terms of consumer susceptibility to interpersonal influence between young adult Muslim living in a Muslim country (i.e. Malaysia) and non-Muslim country (i.e. Britain). To investigate the differences in susceptibility to interpersonal influence between young adult Muslim in Malaysia and Britain, the Consumer Susceptibility to Interpersonal Influence Scale was used. A total of 175 and 217 completed survey questionnaires were collected from Malaysian Muslim and British Muslim sample, respectively. Data collected were analysed using exploratory factor analysis and independent t-test. Findings suggest that irrespective of group, there were two-factor dimensions underlying an individual’s susceptibility to interpersonal influence; namely normative and informational influence. In comparison to British Muslim, Malaysian Muslims were more susceptible to normative influence. This finding may suggest the importance of group approval among Malaysian Muslims’ decision-making. While most Muslim consumers’ lifestyle, dietary and financial rules are determined by the Islamic faith, findings from this study suggest that they are far from homogeneity. This study reveals that Muslim consumer from Malaysia and Britain demonstrate differences in terms of their susceptibility to interpersonal influence which consequently will affect marketing practitioners around the world on how to serve their relatively young Muslim consumers from different countries. 
 
 Keywords: Muslim, susceptibility to interpersonal influence, young adult
 
 Cite as: Shukor, A. S., & Omar, N. (2019). Susceptibility to interpersonal influence among young adult Muslims. Journal of Nusantara Studies, 4(2), 247-264. http://dx.doi.org/10.24200/jonus.vol4iss2pp247-264

Are authoritarianism and militancy key characteristics of religious fundamentalism? A latent class analysis of an Egyptian Muslim sample.

Are authoritarianism and militancy key characteristics of religious fundamentalism? A latent class analysis of an Egyptian Muslim sample.

Religiosity and Telomere Length: Moderating Effect of Religiosity on the Relationship Between High-Risk Polymorphisms of the Apolipoprotein E and TOMM40 Gene and Telomere Length.

Objective: The current study seeks to examine the relationship between religiosity and telomere length (TL) in an older Chinese Muslim sample and to explore the moderating effect of religiosity on the relationship between high-risk polymorphisms and TL. Methods: A cross-sectional study of 1,692 community-dwelling adults aged 55 or older was conducted. Apolipoprotein E and TOMM40 (rs2075650) gene polymorphisms and TL were determined using standard procedures. Ordinal logistic regression was used to examine the associations. Results: Religiosity was significantly and positively related to TL. A significant interaction emerged between religiosity and the rs2075650 G polymorphism in predicting TL. Stratified multivariate analyses demonstrated that the relationship between the rs2075650 G state and TL was particularly strong among those who were more religious, as hypothesized. Conclusion: The findings revealed that religiosity may influence cellular aging in part by modifying the effect that high-risk genes have on increasing vulnerability to dementia and cognitive impairment.

From Oppression to Violence: The Role of Oppression, Radicalism, Identity, and Cultural Intelligence in Violent Disinhibition.

Violent radicalization and terrorism continue to pose social and security problems. Starting from the theoretical framework offered by the significance quest theory, the purpose of this research was to analyze the different roles that radical intentions play in the relationship between the loss of significance and violent disinhibition in Muslims and non-Muslims. For this reason, we carried out two studies: the first one with 133 Muslims and 126 non-Muslims, and the second with 98 Muslims and 167 non-Muslims. Specifically, we measured how perceived oppression influenced violent disinhibition through radical intentions. Secondly, we also measured the impact of identity and cultural intelligence in these relations. The main finding of the research was that there was an indirect effect of perceived oppression on violent disinhibition through radical intentions in the Muslim sample, whereas, in the non-Muslim sample, the effect of perceived oppression on violent disinhibition was not mediated by radical intentions. These results were replicated in both studies. Additionally, we found that identity and culture were factors that moderated the proposed relations. This work therefore shows that the conjunction of the loss of significance and radical intentions seems to strongly exacerbate the likelihood of a process of violent disinhibition for those who are considered to be in marginal contexts. Overall, different pathways and intervening factors are in the process of radicalizing Muslims and non-Muslims in Western societies.

Testing evolutionary and cultural theories regarding mate selection in Turkey

Most studies on mate selection criteria have focused on women and rely on Western samples. In the present study, we tested both women's and men's mate preferences from evolutionary and cultural perspectives in a large, mostly Muslim sample (N = 1114). Results showed that (1) the relation between women's families' income level and the income level they prefer in their potential mates is inconsistent with the cultural similarity hypothesis; (2) women place more importance on intelligence (i.e., good genes-mental), willingness to provide (i.e., good father) and ability to provide (i.e., good provider) in their potential mates, whereas men place more importance on physical attractiveness (good genes-physical); (3) in contrast to some previous findings, the importance of “willingness to provide” was negatively related to socio-economic status but positively related to religiosity; (4) “willingness to provide” properties were the most important preference criteria for women; and finally (5) as perceived attractiveness of the self increased, both women and men became more stringent in their criteria. Taken as a whole, the findings are consistent with an evolutionary approach to mate selection.

The Religious Attribution Scale: further validation with an American sample

ABSTRACTThe Religious Attribution Scale (RAS) was developed recently and validated with a predominantly Muslim Indonesian sample. This study aimed to demonstrate the validity of the RAS with a sample of individuals from the US. Students from two US colleges participated in this research. In addition to the RAS, other constructs such as meaning in life and life satisfaction were assessed. Reliabilities for all measures were acceptable. Similar to the findings reported for the Indonesian sample, positive religious attribution was associated positively with the presence of meaning in the US sample. However, different relations were observed between positive attribution and search for meaning in life in the US and Indonesian sample. We also found that positive religious attribution had positive correlations with life satisfaction and negative religious attribution factors were negatively related to life satisfaction. Mediational analysis revealed that meaning in life was a potential mediator for religious attribution and life satisfaction.

Opinions and Expectations of Muslim Donors' Relatives Deciding Organ Donation: The Sample of Istanbul.

The low rate of consent by relatives of potential donors especially in Muslim majority countries is one of the basic limiting factors of the success of organ transplantation. Therefore, this study aimed to explore opinions and expectations of relatives after donating their beloved ones' organs on a Muslim sample in Istanbul Region. Descriptive method was used. Data were collected from 82 of 95 Muslim donor relatives who agreed to participate in the study between the March and July 2014 via telephone calls. It was found that most of the relatives had donated the organs of their relatives for "keeping alive the beloved ones' organs in others' bodies instead to send them to the soil." Less of the relatives expressed regret for donating due to not introducing to the recipients. Muslim donor families also expect priority in hospitals and priority for transplantation if they have another relative waiting for organ transplantation.

Neuroticism and Religiosity: The Role of Obsessive Beliefs, Thought-Control Strategies and Guilt in Scrupulosity and Obsessive-Compulsive Symptoms Among Muslim Undergraduates.

Neuroticism and religiosity are distal vulnerability factors for OCD phenomenon. The present study aimed to examine the roles of obsessive beliefs (OBs), thought-control strategies, and guilt in the relationship between these vulnerability factors and obsessive-compulsive symptoms (OCSs), specifically scrupulosity symptoms in a Muslim sample via SEM. The sample consisted of 273 university students who filled out a set of questionnaires. The results indicated that neuroticism and the degree of religiosity predict OBs that are positively associated with guilt and self-punishment both of which predict scrupulosity and other OCSs. Findings of the present study were discussed in the context of the related literature.

The connections between religiosity and obsessive-compulsive symptoms and the role of personality traits in a non-clinical Muslim sample

ABSTRACTThis quantitative study was aimed at determining the nature of the relationship between obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), measured by the Brief Obsessive-Compulsive Scale; and religiosity, measured on the Ok-Religious Attitude to Religion-Islam Scale; while checking for the role of personality traits, measured with the Big-Five Inventory. The survey was administered to a sample of 298 Muslim non-clinical participants aged 16–66 (mean age 26.40, sd = 10.6). The results confirmed the strong positive correlation between religiosity and OCD scores. While Neuroticism and Conscientiousness played a role in the prediction of the OCD score, Agreeableness and Conscientiousness accounted for a small portion of religiosity along with the OCD score. The present findings may contribute to the understanding of OCD and its treatment among mental health practitioners, and improve the practices of religious ministries and religious instructors.

The association of scrupulosity with disgust propensity and contamination based obsessive compulsive symptoms: An experimental investigation using highly scrupulous muslims

Background and objectivesThe present study investigated the role of scrupulosity, a rigid religious understanding characterized by fear of God and sinning, in the relationship between disgust and contamination-related OCD in a Muslim sample. MethodThe sample was composed of 209 university students. After an initial screening study, the high (N = 33) and low scrupulous (N = 29) groups were formed. After filling out a self-report questionnaire battery consisting of measures of disgust propensity, obsessive beliefs, and contamination-related cognitions and symptoms, participants were randomly assigned to view either 10 highly disgusting or neutral pictures while imagining themselves in the situation depicted in the picture. After the manipulation, they rated the unpleasantness of the image, emotions, urge to wash and avoid, and also their mood. In the last phase, participants performed a fear provocation task. ResultsThe results indicated that the intensity of disgusting stimuli was positively associated with contamination-related ratings. As expected, high scrupulous participants showed higher disgust propensity and contamination-related symptoms after exposure to the disgust inducing pictures and the fear provocation task. ConclusionsHigh disgust propensity may be a vulnerability factor for contamination based OCD symptoms in highly scrupulous Muslims.