Religious Obligation Research Articles

Factual or Moral Persuasion in the United States? Evidence from the Papal Encyclical on Climate Change

How do elite cues shape public opinion? We assess two ways in which such cues may be influential: by changing citizens’ factual beliefs about the world (the “factual channel”) or by triggering a moral reevaluation (the “moral channel”). We study this issue in the context of the papal encyclical on climate change, in which Pope Francis attempted to persuade Catholics that there is a scientific consensus around climate change and that protecting the environment is a moral and religious obligation. Exploiting panel data from the United States before and after the encyclical, we find that both mechanisms played a role: Catholics who regularly attended church became disproportionately more likely to believe both that global warming was happening and that climate change was a religious issue. The pope's influence on Catholic policy preferences, however, operated only through the factual channel.

Cultural Oppression Disguised as Religious Obligation: A Fatal Misrepresentation to the Advancement of Muslim Women’s Rights in the Context of the So-Called Honor Killings

Author(s): AlBader, Fatemah | Abstract: Advocates of women’s rights have faced various struggles throughout the decades in the advancement of women’s rights and emancipation in Muslim-majority countries. Much of the struggle is caused by the long-held misconception that the principal barrier to the advancement of such rights is due to the religion of Islam or, more accurately, the prevailing interpretations of Islam. In fact, historically, Islam has helped to further women’s rights. If that is so, then there must be another reason so as to why Muslim women living in Muslim-majority countries or Muslim communities in the west are often deprived of the same rights that are granted to their western counterparts. The answer lies within the culture itself.The dangers of misconstruing culture with religion is apparent. For one, mixing up religion with culture does not create an accurate depiction of Islam, which is why Muslim communities in different parts of the world practice “Islam” differently. What often occurs is different communities often mix their culture with religion, resulting in different versions of Islam being practiced from one community to the next with dire consequences for women. Second and more relevant to this discussion, if one were to perceive tension between women’s rights and religion, the advancement of women’s rights would be much more difficult to achieve. That is because opponents often hide behind arguments that religion takes precedence over all other rights.Because of the complexities caused by mistaking cultural norms as religion, this Article aims to lay to rest the misconception that women’s rights are hindered by religion. By arguing that it is culture and tradition that are the main obstacles to the advancement of women’s rights in Muslim communities, this Article hopes to defeat any potential arguments that aim to hinder the advancement of women’s rights under the false guise of religion. In doing so, this Article will look at one practice that is erroneously perceived as being governed by Islamic law: honor killings.

Multi National Survey of the Advice Given to Muslim Kidney Graft Recipients by Muslim Nephrologists about Lifestyle and Religious Rituals with Potential Medical Risk.

Muslim renal transplant recipients often ask their physicians if performing certain lifestyles or religious obligations may be harmful to their health. Permissibility as advised by an expert Muslim physician is considered as being religiously accepted. A cross-sectional, survey-based study was conducted enquiring what nephrologists would advise their transplant recipients to do, about some lifestyles and religious duties. Fifty-eight nephrologists responded to the survey. Of these, 77% routinely follow-up post-transplant patients; 34% were from Saudi Arabia, 18% from the USA, and 20% from Pakistan. Fifty-four percent of the respondents would let patients with stable graft function fast during Ramadan, while 20% would not recommend fasting at any time following transplantation. This response did not change much if the patient was diabetic although in these patients, not recommending fasting at any time increased to 32%. For kidney donors, fasting would be allowed by 58% of the respondents once the kidney function stabilizes. About 50% would let their patients perform Omrah or obligatory Hajj any time after 12 months following transplantation, and only about 3% would not recommend that at any time after transplantation. For nonobligatory Hajj, 37% and 22%, respectively, would allow. Sixty-one percent would delay the pregnancy in nullipara with stable renal function, and none of the nephrologists would deny the opportunity to pregnancy at any time. In multiparous transplant recipients, the respective frequencies would be 45% and 20%. To our knowledge, this the first study exploring the consensus among Muslim nephrologists regarding the advice they would give on performance of potentially risky lifestyles and religious rituals by Muslim posttransplant patients.

Self-Education Mechanism and Community Strengthening: Understanding Da’wa as Formalized Ritual of Tablighi Jemaat

This article identifies the da’wa movement of the Tablighi Jemaat as a formalized ritual performed by the community to strengthen its existence as a transnational Islamic movement. By applying a phenomenological approach to study the members and activists of Tablighi Jemaat in West Java, Indonesia, this article aims to uncover the understanding and experience of the community carrying out da’wa movements. Data was obtained through participant observation, in-depth interviews, and literature study. This data reveals that da’wa means more than just conducting religious obligations for the Tablighi Jemaat community. As part of the formal rituals required, it becomes the collective identity of the community, which distinguishes it from similar transnational Islamic movements. This is demonstrated in two ways. First, da’wah activities summarized in the khuruj ritual are a self-education mechanism meant to improve the good qualities of each member. It is believed that conveying kindness to others directly will reflect positively on the performers of da’wa. Second, the series of da’wa activities conducted in khuruj aims to invite others to join the community so that it will become stronger and more widespread.

The Islamic State as the Epitome of the Terrorist Parastate

AbstractThis article examines a category of parastatates that has been largely neglected; the terrorist parastate. The main aim of the article is to fill this gap by scrutinizing the case of the Islamic State (IS), an organization that could be considered as the epitome of a terrorist parastate. Before the collapse of its territorial strategy in 2019, the group had targeted a significant number of states through terrorist attacks, while simultaneously controlling large swathes of territory and developing state-like institutions. During its buoyant period, IS called itself a state (Dawla), it viewed itself as a state (accomplishing a religious obligation), and perhaps more significantly, it was often perceived as a state by its enemies. The article will discuss the future prospects for the Islamic State after the collapse of its territorial/statehood strategy. After conceptualizing the nature of the terrorist parastate, the article will venture into comparative uncharted territory through an examination of the terrorist parastate vis-Á-vis its ordinary secessionist counterparts. One of the chief dissimilarities is the fact that IS, and terrorist parastates in general, tend to be less durable projects than secessionist parastates because they lack international sponsorship and they are more susceptible to foreign military interventions.

Human Rights in Xinjiang 1978-2007: Internationalisation of the Uyghur Dilemma and China’s Reaction

Since 1978 when Deng Xiaoping took over the leadership of China after the demise of Mao Zedong in 1976, the country witnessed dramatic changes in the human rights situation. These included freedom in performing religious obligations such as pilgrimage, for the Muslim Uyghurs and freedom to practice their culture and language. Hence, there was an overall improvement in human rights situation in Xinjiang province. However, in the late 1990s the Chinese Communist Party reverted to harsh policies once again. They declared the policy of ‘Strike Hard’ which sanctioned the use of torture and arbitrary detention as well as extra-judicial killings of the Uyghurs. This article examines the factors that have influenced China’s policies on the human rights condition in Xinjiang from 1978 until 2007. It also analyses the role of Uyghur diasporas in their struggle to internationalise the human rights issues in Xinjiang and China’s reaction towards the international pressures.

The Islamic veil in the Gulf and Arabian modernity: A qualitative study on female managers

The aim of this study is to identify the feelings of female managers in the Gulf region about the Islamic veil, and the meanings they attribute to this veil, a key element of Arabian modernity and of the evolving gender-inclusive business environment. This three-year study, conducted in the Gulf region focused on the values of Arabian female managers after their sudden admission into the professional world, especially since the early 2000s. Twenty women participated in the qualitative study, in which semi-structured interviews were used to question interviewees about their values, notably the influence of religion on their daily behavior and way of thinking. The discussion is supported by both anthropological data and religious sources. A significant proportion of the questionnaire focused on the interviewees’ religious feelings, and in particular on a crucial and controversial subject in Europe: the Islamic veil. The main findings suggest that although the Islamic veil has religious significance for the interviewees, they consistently privileged the concept of free choice, showing that female managers in the Gulf region consider freedom of choice as a form of symbolization of religious obligation, and this view is one of the essential markers of Arabian modernity.

Rethinking Hijab in Contemporary Indonesia: A Study of Hijab Community “Tuneeca Lover Community”

Hijab (veil) for female Muslims has been subject to a debate regarding its meanings. On the one hand, it represents the virtue of religious obedience and piety. Still, on the other hand, it is associated with the form of women oppressions in the public domain. At this point, the hijab has been an arena of contesting interpretations. Meanwhile, contemporary Indonesia is witnessing the increase in the use of veil among urban female Muslims that leads to the birth of various hijab wearer communities. One of them is Tuneeca Lover Community (TLC). This community has become a new sphere where female Muslims articulate their ideas about Islam through various activities such as religious gathering, hijab tutorial class, fashion show, and charity activities. This study seeks to answer several questions: Why do these women decide to wear a hijab? Why do they join the TLC? How do they perceive the veil? Is it related to religious doctrines or other factors such as lifestyle? This research employs a qualitative method using documentation and interview to gather the data among 150 members of the TLC. This research shows that their understanding of the hijab results from the common perception that places the veil as a religious obligation. Nevertheless, each of the members has one's orientation over the hijab. This paper also suggests that they try to transform this understanding into modern settings. As a consequence, they are not only committed to the traditionally spiritual meaning of the hijab but are also nuanced with modern ideas such as lifestyle and particular social class. Their participation in the TLC enables them to reach both goals simultaneously.

Influence of Religiosity on the Behavior of Buying Sports Apparel: A Study of the Muslim Market Segment in India


 
 
 The paper is aimed to study the influence of religiosity on the behavior of buying sports apparel in the Muslim market segment of India. The data was collected from 1000 Muslim respondents from four states: Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Uttarakhand, and Jammu & Kashmir. The paper has found that religion plays no role when Muslims buy sports apparel. They shop as any other religious person does. No other factor, even fashion and religious obligation, is influenced by religion, except for shopping enjoyment responsiveness, which is influenced by intrapersonal Islamic religiosity. The paper’s perspective in studying the religious influences will assist sporting apparel manufacturers to design new products that will meet the requirements of the large Muslim segment in India, which is neglected so far. It will help marketers to save their effort and energy which would be utilized for Muslim Population.
 
 

Good Faith Principles in Islamic Contract Law: A Comparative Study with Western Contract Law

Purpose - Every country needs smooth, reliable, and efficient business growth, both domestically and internationally. Nevertheless, every country differs in terms of its legal, political, cultural, and religious environments and backgrounds, and therefore possesses specific rules and regulations for launching international business. In this context, this research presents a comparative analysis of the good faith principle of Islamic contract law with existing civil and common law. Design/methodology/approach - Descriptive and analytical research methodology was adopted in this study in which relevant materials (verses) have been collected from the Holy Quran, Islamic books, different research papers, and web sites. Findings - This analysis reveals that the good faith principle of Islamic contract law is more business friendly, comprehensive, simple, and realistic, based on honesty and fairness in a business transaction. The good faith principle of Islamic contract law covers all stages of a contract. Research implications or Originality - The good faith principle comprises the prescribed laws, religious, and cultural-backed obligations, as well as trust and fair dealing. Therefore, the good faith principles of different regions, countries, cultures, and religions need to be investigated in order to increase the efficiency of international business. This study could provide a lesson for many lawmakers.

شرعی امورمیں آسانی اور سہولت کا تصور:قرآنی احکام کی روشنی میں

Islam is considered to be the religion of nature due to its originality and suitability to human nature for all times or centuries. It continues to be successful in the developed world, and elsewhere, because its call is in accordance with the fitrah or natural inclinations of mankind. Allah, subhanahu wata'aala, is the creator of mankind and therefore knows his nature more intricately than mankind himself. Allah has therefore chosen for us a religion best suited to the nature of mankind, a religion that goes neither to the extremes of hardship nor of laxity, but instead provides a middle path; in other words, a religion of ease. Islam does not lay on people tasks that they cannot do or they will have difficulty in doing. Whenever, there is any difficulty performing any religious obligation faced by Muslims, they have provided an element of ease and comfort. In this regard, the focus of this paper is to throw light on the notion of ease and leniency of Islam.

Analysis on Non Muslim Heir Position Towards the Inheritance of Muslim Testator in Indonesia

Article 171 section c the Compilation of Islamic Law which was ratified through the Presidential Instruction of the Republic of Indonesia Number 1 of 1991 stressed that one of the conditions for heirs in Islamic inheritance law is Mulsim. In its development, the requirement of the Islamic religious obligation is deemed not to provide justice, this can be seen from the many complaints filed by the community to the court. Based on this background, the formulation of the problem in this study is Firstly position of Non-Muslim Inheritance of Islamic Inheritance Inheritance according to positive law in Indonesia Secondly, to find out the position of Non-Muslim Inheritance Against Islamic Inheritance Inheritance from various court decisions in Indonesia. This research is a juridical research, with a statutory, conceptual, and case approach. The results of this study indicate, that First, according to positive law in Indonesia, Non-Muslim Heirs are not entitled to Islamic Inheritance. Secondly, in its development, to fulfill the sense of justice in the community, the judge in Indonesia, decided that the Non-Muslim heirs, although not entitled to become heirs, were still entitled to the inheritance of the Islamic heirs through the obligatory wills. This can be seen from the various court decisions that exist, such as Supreme Court Decision Number 368 K/AG/1995, Supreme Court Decision Number 51 K/AG/1999, Supreme Court Decision Number 16 K/AG/2010, and Supreme Court Decision No. 331 K/Ag/2018

The Role of Accounting Information in the Determination to Muzakki's Decisions for Zakat payment

According to Research about the decision of zakat payment by compulsory zakat or muzakki in determining how much zakat to pay is very interesting to be traced as a muzakki behavior to fulfill his religious obligations. Muzakki's behavior towards zakat payment is inseparable from the explanation of some of the underlying reasons by looking at it from the perspective that leads to their understanding of religion or subjective norms, attitudes, and wills held by the muzakki. In terms of accounting it also relates to the accounting behavior of calculations and decisions that are the basis for muzakki's considerations. For this purpose, this study is to examine the behavior (compliance, attitudes and norms) of the decision to pay zakat and to find out whether accounting information mediates the relationship between behavior and the decision to pay zakat. This research was conducted on the perception of 100 muzakki people who pay zakat in all Baitul Mal in Aceh. Based on the results of the study, it was found that Muzakki's attitude had a positive and significant effect on the perception of zakat accounting information. The perception of accounting information has a positive and significant effect on the decision of muzaki to pay zakat through Baitul Mal. Accounting information only mediates the influence of attitudes on muzakki's decision to pay zakat but does not mediate subjective norms and muzakku's compliance to pay zakat. The study recommends the importance of accounting information to improve the decision of muzakki to pay zakat in Baitul Mal Aceh. Keywords: Zakat, Accounting Information, Muzakki, Mediation.

Determinants of Customer’s Intention to Use Murabaha Financing In Indonesia: Modified the TRA Model

This study aims to investigate factors influencing customer’s intention to use murabaha financing in Indonesia, and to what extent do attitude, social influence, religious obligation, price mechanism, and government support affect customer’s intention to use murabaha financing in Indonesian Islamic banks. 200 customers of Bank Muamalat Indonesia and Bank Syariah Mandiri were collected through a semi-structured questionnaire. The study modifies the theory of reasoned action and extends the earlier research conducted by Amin et al. (2011) and Ali et al. (2015). The findings show that attitude, social influence, government support, and price mechanism have a positive and strong relationship with intention to use murabaha financing. In the contrary, the religious obligation is not the main factors that determine the customer’s intention to use murabaha financing. The findings have practical implications to fill the gap between the current practices of Islamic banks and perception from a consumer point of view. This study also analyzed possible variables that may influence the strategies to attract more customers to use murabaha financing and increase Islamic bank’s market share. To the best of author’s knowledge, this is the first study which modified the TRA model in the context of murabaha financing in Indonesian Islamic Banks.

Performance of Shari’ah based Investment: Evidence from Pakistani Listed Firms

The investment universe of Shariah Compliant (SC) equities is relatively smaller compared to the investment universe of Non-Shari’ah Complaint (NSC) equities due to the imposition of Shari’ah specific filters. Therefore, under the diversification theory, it is argued that portfolios constructed by using SC equities are sub-optimal. To empirically test this notion, the main purpose of this study is to investigate that either the SC portfolios (faith bound investors) forego some part of returns or hedged against market risks while fulfilling their religious obligations. To test the foregoing, we imply simple asset pricing techniques which are in vogue in conventional finance. Firstly, we segregate the firms listed at Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) into SC and NSC stocks. Then, we form two portfolios within each group based on market capitalization and volatility. The purpose is to analyze and compare the performance of these two groups while controlling for firms related characteristics such as size and volatility. The data coverage is from January 2004 until June 2016. Our results indicate that in most of the cases the risk-adjusted returns (alphas) for the returns differential between SC and NCS firms are positive. This is mainly because the SC firms in comparison to their counterparts in PSX, provides excess returns that are hedged against market, size and value based systematic risks factors. Overall, these results reconcile with one prevailing notion that the SC stocks that have lower financial leverage and higher investment in real assets are lesser exposed to market risks. Further, the SC firms that are more capitalized and lesser volatile, perform better than lower capitalized and higher volatile SC and NSC firms. To sum up our results, we do not find any substantial evidence for opportunity loss due to limited diversification opportunities in case of SC firms. This paper highlights that Islamic funds have potential to fulfill the demands of risk averse investors who are also faith bound.

How Does Faith Feel?

Abstract Research on emotion in anthropology has been supplanted by an ethnographic turn toward ‘subjectivity’, ‘embodiment’, ‘personhood’, and ‘experience’. In this article, I explore how these interrelated modes of analysis can help ethnographers to better understand the cultural processes that constitute how people feel. I show that among my Christian Dusun interlocutors in Ranau, Malaysian Borneo, the interactive engagement between subjects and their environment determined the vectors of emotional possibility in terms of belief. The intersection of religious objects (God, the Holy Spirit, Satan) and mutual obligations in the community produce what I refer to as the ‘faith network’. I trace these collective attachments to consider how ‘believing in’ regulates feeling in relation to situations of crisis, impasse, and tragedy. The combined efforts of my interlocutors, I suggest, created an active commitment that pulsated through the faith network, which sustained an intensive and defining mode of their relational experience.

Knowledge and perceptions of male immigrants in Leeds (UK) towards male circumcision as an HIV prevention strategy.

BackgroundThe World Health Organization has accepted and recommended medical male circumcision (MMC) as an HIV prevention strategy. Despite the advantages of MMC, the rate of uptake of this practice among immigrants and the general population in the United Kingdom (UK) is low, yet the procedure is provided in public and private health facilities. The role of negative perception and its contribution to low circumcision rates is unknown.ObjectivesSince immigrants are a key group that is vulnerable to HIV in the UK, this study aimed at understanding their knowledge and perceptions with regard to MMC.MethodsWe enrolled 10 participants who were purposively selected using snowball recruitment methods. Data were collected during individual in-depth interviews using semi-structured interview guides. Responses were audio recorded, transcribed and analyzed using thematic analysis. Appropriate themes were generated from the data collected.ResultsWe found that the majority looked at male circumcision (MC) as a practice to fulfill their cultural and religious obligations rather than as an HIV protection method. Few participants showed belief and certainty that MC or MMC was effective in HIV prevention hence limited knowledge. They also expressed perceived danger. This included fear of pain, complications from the procedure and possible infections when carried out through traditional means. These dangers discouraged study participants from accessing MMC.ConclusionMale circumcision is mainly practiced to fulfill cultural and religious norms, but is not seen as a credible HIV prevention strategy.

A Spatial Analysis of the Prevalence of Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting among 0-14-Year-Old Girls in Kenya.

Female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C), also known as female circumcision, is a global public health and human rights problem affecting women and girls. Several concerted efforts to eliminate the practice are underway in several sub-Saharan African countries where the practice is most prevalent. Studies have reported variations in the practice with some countries experiencing relatively slow decline in prevalence. This study investigates the roles of normative influences and related risk factors (e.g., geographic location) on the persistence of FGM/C among 0–14 years old girls in Kenya. The key objective is to identify and map hotspots (high risk regions). We fitted spatial and spatio-temporal models in a Bayesian hierarchical regression framework on two datasets extracted from successive Kenya Demographic and Health Surveys (KDHS) from 1998 to 2014. The models were implemented in R statistical software using Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) techniques for parameters estimation, while model fit and assessment employed deviance information criterion (DIC) and effective sample size (ESS). Results showed that daughters of cut women were highly likely to be cut. Also, the likelihood of a girl being cut increased with the proportion of women in the community (1) who were cut (2) who supported FGM/C continuation, and (3) who believed FGM/C was a religious obligation. Other key risk factors included living in the northeastern region; belonging to the Kisii or Somali ethnic groups and being of Muslim background. These findings offered a clearer picture of the dynamics of FGM/C in Kenya and will aid targeted interventions through bespoke policymaking and implementations.

Social Capital as a Lubricant for Exercising Rights

Abstract This article explores how social capital acts as a lubricant to create good interactions and relationships to help Muslim communities exercise their rights, buttressed by support systems. An exploratory case study involving 24 participants is conducted in North East England. Findings reveal that good social capital assists participants in communicating beyond their communities, and creates mutual understanding and acceptance within Muslim communities and with other locals. Muslim community organisations and support systems help them exercise their rights and practise religious obligations. Thus, social capital is a lubricant that helps the Muslim community exercise their rights and be accepted as locals.

Impact of fasting during Ramadan in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

Purpose: Fasting during Ramadan is a religious obligation for Muslims. Extended fasting can create undesirable acute complications of diabetes such as hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the impact of fasting on glucose regulation in diabetic patients who fast during Ramadan.Materials and Methods: Patients were informed about the possible side effects of fasting for them and those who stated that they will be fasting during Ramadan were called one month after Ramadan. In this retrospective cohort study by telephone interview, the number of fasting days, daily measurements of glucose, the number of acute complications if existed and whether the patients have changed their treatments were asked.Results: Forty six patients were included in this study. Mean age was 54.3±9.5 yr. The average fasting day was 25.24±2.4. They were categorized according to the risk stratifications. The number of hypoglycemic events was not higher than detected six months prior to the Ramadan. Most of the patients had hyperglycemia rather than hypoglycemia. All of the patients who had hypo-or hyperglycemia did not interrupt their fasting and did not change their medications. Conclusion: Patients who fasted during Ramadan have a tendency both hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia. To improve glycemic regulation and keep these patients in a safe and acceptable glucose range, Pre-Ramadan education is necessary.