Religious Structure Research Articles

Gods, Games, and Globalization: New Perspectives on Religion and Sport

Gods, Games, and Globalization: New Perspectives on Religion and Sport

Obedience to ‘Political Authority’ (Ulū Al-Amr)

The notion of ulū al-amr in Islamic thought emerges from an understanding of the Qur’ān 4:59, which serves as the cornerstone of the entire religious, social and political structure of Islam. The verse enables us to categorise the āmir (leader) into three categories: a) Allāh, b) al-Rasūl and c) ulū al-amr. The focus here is on ulū al-amr, which is interpreted differently by exegetes. Historically, the verse has been a rich source of debates and numerous elucidations. Ulū al-amr is used to refer to religious scholars as well as political authorities. For some exegetes, their obedience is limited while others hold the view they deserve unquestioning obedience. In the context of such contestations and interpretations, this article discusses some of the pre-modern exegetical discourses surrounding ulū al-amr, compares them with two modern South Asian Urdu tafsīr, Muhammad Shafiʿ’s (d. 1976) Maʿārif al-Qur’ān and Sayyid Abul A‘la Mawdūdī’s (d. 1979) Tafhīm al-Qur’ān, and dwells on the implications of the evolutionary transformations that emerged. In doing so, it addresses some major issues, including the extent to which tafsīr literature has been influenced by different theological traditions, political and sectarian interests and differing interpretations in some cases, mainly pertaining to historical and linguistic issues.

Obedience to ‘Political Authority’ (Ulū Al-Amr)


 The notion of ulū al-amr in Islamic thought emerges from an understanding of the Qur’ān 4:59, which serves as the cornerstone of the entire religious, social and political structure of Islam. The verse enables us to categorise the āmir (leader) into three categories: a) Allāh, b) al-Rasūl and c) ulū al-amr. The focus here is on ulū al-amr, which is interpreted differently by exegetes. Historically, the verse has been a rich source of debates and numerous elucidations. Ulū al-amr is used to refer to religious scholars as well as political authorities. For some exegetes, their obedience is limited while others hold the view they deserve unquestioning obedience. In the context of such contestations and interpretations, this article discusses some of the pre-modern exegetical discourses surrounding ulū al-amr, compares them with two modern South Asian Urdu tafsīr, Muhammad Shafiʿ’s (d. 1976) Maʿārif al-Qur’ān and Sayyid Abul A‘la Mawdūdī’s (d. 1979) Tafhīm al-Qur’ān, and dwells on the implications of the evolutionary transformations that emerged. In doing so, it addresses some major issues, including the extent to which tafsīr literature has been influenced by different theological traditions, political and sectarian interests and differing interpretations in some cases, mainly pertaining to historical and linguistic issues. It will be argued that the exact connotations of the term remain unresolved among exegetes.

The role of architectural reconstruction in a post-war context: the case of Mosul

This work addresses the topic of architectural reconstruction in a post-war context, in this case in Mosul, Iraq. Heavily damaged during the war against ISIS, the city faces the immense task of cleaning, restructuring, and rebuilding. The damaged buildings are diverse, but the ancient monuments require specific care as they carry the memory and the heritage of a traumatized community. Both in the cases of partial or complete destruction, the architectural intervention needs to face both cultural and the preservation dimensions of reconstruction. This approach is based on interventions in strategic neuralgic points for the community life such as the market, a religious structure, and the baths. These symbolic spaces host the social, economic, and religious activities that gather the inhabitants. They are also the stages of the traditions and cultural life of Mosul. The reconstitution of the inhabitants' habits and sense of community is centred around these locations and planned to spread around the urban fabric following the redevelopment of the city. Our three different sites are the Souk, the Great Mosque and the Hammam. These projects address several challenges: the construction of a new building inspired by the existing urban fabric, the partial reconstruction of an ancient monument and the construction of a new building in dialogue with existing Ottoman ruins. The balance between tradition and modernization; memory and oblivion; reconstruction and restoration is the focus of the paper.

Trump’s Peace Plan

Since the 1960s, the US foreign policy has been characterized by relative stability in interaction with the dynamics of the Palestinian conflict. Well-established American institutions, legal, constitutional and political restrictions, and various groups of interests and pressure, especially the Jewish lobby, research centers, media, and American public opinion, which mostly support the Israeli point of view, are the important factors in developing and defining the foreign policy of the United States. One more factor relates to international and regional shifts. As the Palestinian-Israeli conflict was going on, and since the signing of the Oslo Accords in the early 1990s, the first issue among the priorities of successive US administrations in the Middle East until regional developments imposed other priorities as a result of the events of September 2001, and the subsequent occupation of Iraq in 2003. The emergence of Al Qaeda, the turmoil of the Middle East region and the disturbance of its political, social and religious structure coincided with the emergence of the so-called Arab revolutions of 2011 and extremist jihadist organizations such as the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant. Therefore, the role of Trump administration was determined by developments within the US on the one hand, and by the interaction of events in the Middle East region on the other hand.

The Development and State of the Modern Religious Situation in Byelarus

After gaining sovereignty in 1991, the Republic of Byelarus had to independently form its policy in religious aff airs, which was based on the reaction to the changes taking place in the religious sphere. These changes concerned both the radical revaluation of the role and socio-cultural status of religion in the history and culture of Byelarus and the qualitative and quantitative characteristics of the religious fi eld: the number of believers, religious organizations, religious publications and the nature of state-confessional relations were changing. In search for an optimal model of organization and regulation of the religious sphere, Byelarus has passed through several stages, learning and improving its own and the global experience. The present-day religious situation in Byelarus is the logical result of several cultural, historical and socio-political processes, as well as the result of a whole complex of reasons, some of which have a long history, while others are a product of the post-Soviet period and the present conjuncture. Many characteristics of the modern religious fi eld (religious structure, the nature of religiosity of the population, the presence of non-traditional religiosity and quasi-religiousness, and the peaceful nature of inter-confessional relations) make Byelarus similar to most countries of the civilized world, while others have their own specifi c characteristics. At the same time, the religious diversity in Byelarus has quite pronounced ethnic features: some national groups are the main carriers of certain religions, which is predetermined by their historical past. Thus, the Polish Catholics, German Lutherans, Russian Old Believers and Muslim Tatars are typical elements in the ethno-religious structure of modern Byelarus. Another characteristic of the contemporary religious situation in Byelarus is the internal organizational stability of religious organizations and confessions. Researchers might also be interested in religious-political reconstructions, which are typical for some intellectuals and take place in the framework of the debate about the Byelarussian identity and political future: if you choose your faith, you choose your political ideal. In this context, of special interest is the problem of peculiar socialization of historical and religious themes into actual political life, which began during the USSR collapse and aimed at formation of new national ideology.

Expression of regional identity in urban toponomy of major Kosovar cities

This paper presents the model of identity research using the street names from five major Kosovar cities. The purpose of this research is to demonstrate the fact that identity in the urban environment can be determined through the analysis of street names, to uncover the difference in the presence of hodonyms that express regional identity from those that express national identity, and to investigate the presence of urban toponyms of international importance. This paper also aims to examine the relationship between regional identity and ethnic and religious structure, as well as to identify the role of historical-political circumstances at the level of the manifestation of regional identity. We found that the regional identity has been expressed more deeply compared to the national and international hodonyms, which have a lower representation. Although regional hodonyms dominated in all cities that were analyzed, there were differences in the representation of regional hodonyms which were related to personalities, events, or geographical objects that belong to the respective city or surroundings.

S Konsep Integrasi Nilai-Nilai Keislaman Dalam Pembelajaran Pendidikan Agama Islam pada Lembaga Pendidikan

In the context of the religious structure of Indonesian society, Islamic education has an important role in shaping the character and character of the nation. Islamic education has the function of actualizing Islamic values ​​in the midst of changes in people's lives which are full of shifts and clashes of current values. In fact, the implementation of Islamic religious education, which takes place at various levels of education, is still less successful in working on the attitudes and behavior of religious subjects of students and building the nation's morals and ethics. For this reason, this paper will discuss the reformulation of the pattern of integration of Islamic values ​​in Islamic education.
 
 Keywords: Integration, Islamic Values, Islamic Religious Education.

An ethnographic study on the role of village culture and family relations in the transition from home to preschool education

ABSTRACT This ethnographic study aimed to investigate children’s transition from home to preschool education in a traditional village in Turkey. The data were collected through participant observation, interviews, document analysis and researcher diary. Descriptive and content analyses were used to analyze the data. The results revealed that physical conditions, sociocultural and religious structure, and family characteristics in the village created difficulties for children during the transition to school and reduced the frequency and quality of communication between families and school. It was concluded that joint efforts of families, schools, communities and policy-makers would provide an opportunity for children to make a successful transition from home to preschool education.

Historical and Socio-Cultural Significance of the <i>Ahenemma Mpaboa</i> in the Asante Royal Regalia

The <i>Ahenemma Mpaboa</i> or royal sandals are the second most valuable artifact in the Asante royal regalia that define the authority of a chief in the Asante Kingdom of Ghana. Unfortunately, little is known of the <i>Ahenemma Mpaboa</i> as an important cultural symbol that defines royalty in the Asante Kingdom. Therefore, this ethnographic study under the qualitative research approach was carried out to investigate the history, philosophy, purpose, types and socio-cultural relevance of the <i>Ahenemma Mpaboa</i> in the Asante community. Semi-structured interviews and observation were the main data collection instruments that were analysed using the qualitative thematic analysis. The data were garnered from <i>Abrempong</i>, <i>Mfekutire</i>, chiefs, elders, royal attendants, members of the royal households as well as vendors and craftsmen of the <i>Ahenemma Mpaboa</i>. The <i>Ahenemma Mpaboa’s</i> origin is tied to a historical event that happened to Nana Nketia Tim Abamoo, Queen mother to the first Asantehene, Nana Osei Tutu I. The types, colours, shapes and designs of the <i>Ahenemma Mpaboa</i> are symbolic reflections of the accepted cultural values in the Asante Kingdom that play significant socio-cultural roles in the community. The study contends that there is a strong symbolic connection between the <i>Ahenemma Mpaboa</i> and the chiefs of the Asante. It is a powerful regalia of the Asantes that exemplifies their philosophy and worldview while projecting their religious, sociocultural and political structure. The study recommends the development of a robust digital archiving system on Asante stool regalia to serve as a hub for cultural education for both domestic and international tourists.

Mary McLeod Bethune: Village of God by Yahya Jongintaba

Reviewed by: Mary McLeod Bethune: Village of God by Yahya Jongintaba Ida E. Jones Mary McLeod Bethune: Village of God. By Yahya Jongintaba. ( Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 2021. Pp. xxii, 327. $60.00, ISBN 978-1-62190-621-6.) The life, legacy, vision, and reach of Mary McLeod Bethune indelibly marked the twentieth century. Known as Mrs. Bethune, Dr. Bethune, Mother Bethune, or Sister Bethune, she lived a selfless life shaped by the cultural, emotional, and spiritual deposits made by her grandmother, mother, and father. She was born with a birth caul, which in folklore was purported to mean that she would see possibilities and potentialities beyond the average person. Her parents cultivated her innate talent and encouraged her quest for education. Clearly, these prophecies manifested over her nearly eighty years of life. During her retirement years, she sought to pen an autobiography. In her essay "How God Has Helped Me," she wrote, "I am conscious of the increasing power of God all through the years. He is today a sustaining power, comforting and controlling the way I take" ("How God Has Helped Me," in Chiazam Ugo Okoye, ed., Mary McLeod Bethune: Words of Wisdom [Bloomington, Ind., 2008], p. 63). In this essay, she recounted her life from the little village school in South Carolina to the campus of Bethune-Cookman College in Daytona Beach, Florida. This essay is the foundational document Yahya Jongintaba uses to situate Mary McLeod Bethune: Village of God. Jongintaba employs the idea of a village as a scene, story, place, being, language, idiom, and mission through which the life of Bethune is infused with divinely ordered steps. This biography of Bethune deviates from the chronological structure, preferring a religious structure in five parts: Freedom, Creativity, Integrity, Discipline, and Love. Jongintaba posits, "Who knows but that the foregoing five virtues are the framework by which God enables Mary to read into deeper and deeper layers of books over the course of her years" (p. 25). Chapters 1 and 2 provide an exegesis of Rackham Holt's Mary McLeod Bethune: A Biography (Garden City, N.Y., 1964) filtered through ideals of Christian freedom and creativity. Here Jongintaba shares that Bethune's initial desire was to become a missionary sent to Africa. Her longing for Africa was fulfilled in 1952 when she traveled to Liberia at the age of seventy-six. Africa, nature, and closeness to God were interconnected and contributed to her sense of purpose and her worldview. "Africa is a blessed place to Mary but so is the nature and history of the land with its African retentions into which she was born in rural Sumter County, South Carolina," Jongintaba writes (p. 47). Chapter 3 examines integrity: Jongintaba writes, "Woman is the custodian of the future. If she fails in the home, she fails forever … because the home is the link between the womb and the further forms of [the] village" (p. 136). Chapters 4 and 5 feature the demonstrative elements of Bethune's spiritual ideals, discipline, and love. These traits were infused throughout her institutional and organizational affiliations as essential building blocks for faith-led women. In closing, Jongintaba provides an exhaustive presentation of Bethune's writings, which allow Bethune to speak directly to the reader. The use of her diaries, lectures, and speeches demonstrates the divine intervention in her life. However, the spiritual filter used is esoteric at times, making the larger work [End Page 186] hard to follow. Other distractions were the use of Mary in lieu of Bethune and citing her birthday as May 10, not July 10, throughout the book until page 266. Lastly, the foundational essay, "How God Has Helped Me," should have been included for reference. The best audiences for this book are Bethune scholars, womanist theologians, historians, and sociologists. Ida E. Jones Morgan State University Copyright © 2022 The Southern Historical Association

Religijność mieszkańców Śląska Cieszyńskiego w ujęciu statystycznym

In recent years Poland has been undergoing rapid socio-cultural changes. Along with these changes one can observe a systematic decline in the importance of religious life. This leads to reflection on the direction and depth of transformations, and consequently on the place of religion in the life of future generations. The study attempts to statistically present the religious situation of the inhabitants of Cieszyn Silesia. This is a very specific region mainly due to the diversity of confessions. Historical conditions, as well as the current religious structure make this subject difficult to study, but at the same time very interesting. For a more complete picture, the data from the beginning of the 20th century, as well as from the present day, were used.

СТАРОВЛАШКЕ НАХИЈЕ БОБОЉ И ОСТАТИЈА (15–18. ВЕК) THE DISTRICTS OF BOBOLJ AND OSTATIJA IN STARI VLAH (15 TH - 18TH CENTURY)

The paper relies on a comparative study of Ottoman sources and archaeological ground reconnaissance. Owing to a multidisciplinary approach, old settlements were located, such as Bobolj and the largest settlement in Golija – Ravništa. The remains of several religious and economic buildings were also identified. The majority of churches were approximately dated, and the ktetor of the Pridvorica monastery was determined. The paper presents the development and characteristics of the mountain settlements, the origin and dynamics of the population, specific status of the Stari Vlah inhabitants, and the most commonplace economic activities. The rare defter of old and new estate owners from 1708 sheds more light on the rebellion in Golija from 1688, the scope of suffering and migration in the Great Migration, as well as the religious and social structure of new owners. A part of the paper is devoted to the found material remains.

The Call: Leo Strauss on Heidegger, Secularization, and Revelation

The Call: Leo Strauss on Heidegger, Secularization, and Revelation

PATRIARCHAL FAMILY TENDENCIES AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC AND PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS IN PAKISTAN

Pakistani families are now tended to have more sons than daughters to stabilize their future economic condition. The aim of this research was to assess the reason that set into motion this very phenomenon of sex selection and consequent impacts in the social, economic, and psychological realms. The prime concern was to comprehend how certain cultures manufacture and perpetuate gender roles in general and patriarchal tendencies in particular that are created by individuals within a society who choose to imbue a particular structure with meaning. Hence, such tendencies are constantly toyed with and negotiated by actors subscribing to and questioning them. The supremacy of male child is engineered and hence knitted well into our patriarchal socio-cultural and religious structure from which one cannot be aloof and to escape from this labelling, and to support the practice of non-medical gender selection, ‘family balancing’ has taken the position. The methods that the researcher used to collect data is constituent of two parts. First part explained rationale of the study design while the second part comprised the detailed description of each sub-part of this design including description of the questionnaire. As approach of the study was quantitative research, sampling of the study was probability sampling technique, data was collected through Face-to-Face structured interview schedule and lastly, analysis was done through SPSS. The study denotes that the son preference is the product of multifaceted psychological, social, and economic causes. It can be concluded that there are psychological, social, and economic causes as well as impacts that comprise some factors which have more importance for the nuance interpretation of the son preference than the overall factors themselves. Keywords: Patriarchy, patriarchal family tendencies, sex selection, son preference, socio-economic, psychological causes and effects.

Symbolic meanings of Holy Temple in Cao Dai Tay Ninh Holy See

Dai Dao Tam Ky Pho Do [The Great Way of The Third Amnesty Era] (shortly Caodaism) is an indigenous religion established in southern Vietnam in the early 20th century. Being one of the new religions in the region, Caodaism has been constantly developing and attracting quite a great number of followers of over three million. The doctrine of Caodaism is a synthesis of the Three Religions, e.g. Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism together with elements from some other religions. The doctrine is not only shown in scriptures, religious structure, but also expressed through symbols in architecture, rituals and costumes. To a certain extent, it is thus essential to understand the symbolism of the Holy Temple – the most important one of the symbolism system so that we can fully comprehend Caodaism. The Temple is the most solemn and sacred place in Cao Dai Tay Ninh Holy See. It carries both philosophical and esoteric meanings as an emblem of cultural syncretism. The study of the Holy Temple symbol will elaborate further Caodaist doctrines in a relationship with the cultural context of the Southern region.

Exploring the Views of Mosque Committee Members on Mosque Religious Education Programs in Gombak

There are a multitude of social problems characterised by the growth of crime rate of violence, religious disintegration, hatred, religious disunity and tension. Such problems have raised serious attention from various parties as they lead to social disintegration and will eventually harm social security as a whole. The phenomena could be attributed to the lack of religious understanding; a critical factor in constructing the moral behaviour of human beings. A study has been conducted to obtain feedback from mosque committee members on the nature of mosque religious education curriculum. Focus Group Discussions had been conducted by engaging relevant stakeholders of mosques in order to identify the views of mosque committee members on the mosque religious education curriculum in the district of Gombak, a district in the state of Selangor, Malaysia. The findings have been analysed using thematic analysis. The findings show that mosque committee members highlighted several issues which concern mosque religious education structure, education resource, participants content of curriculum, teaching and learning approaches and their expected outcomes. The findings increase the understanding on the roles of mosque as centre to acquire knowledge for sustainable development. The information can be used as bases for the development of Mosque Religious Education Curriculum.

Review: Krishna’s Playground: Vrindavan in the 21st Century, by John Stratton Hawley

Jack Hawley has devoted his academic career to studying Vaishnava devotional (bhakti) groups centered on Krishna. Much of his research over the last five decades has been conducted in Vrindavan, a once-small town in the “wilderness” (the “van” in Vrindavan) about 90 miles from the outskirts of New Delhi. Deeply revered by the devotees of Krishna as an idyllic land of pastures and forest glades, the surrounding district (Braj) provides the background to many beloved tales of Krishna’s pastimes, or lila. The town itself is nestled in an oxbow of the sacred Yamuna river, which is central to many of the stories and rituals enjoyed by Krishna’s devotees.Hawley seems extremely well integrated into the region’s life and rhythms and his deep local knowledge is on display throughout the text. He begins his tour of Vrindavan with detailed discussions of ongoing environmental destruction, land development mania, Disneyfication of sacred sites, manic real estate frenzy, and the mind-numbing political corruption that makes it all possible. Existing and proposed Krishna-based theme parks and shopping malls are described in vivid detail.Since 1970, the professor at Barnard College has personally witnessed Vrindavan’s transformation from near idyllic pilgrimage town (though never the paradise depicted in some nostalgic accounts, of course) to bustling metropolitan sprawl, with high rise apartment complexes cluttering the skyline and the still sacred but hideously polluted and diminished Yamuna river channeled, trashed, toxic, and lifeless. Even the most devout pilgrims no longer risk bathing in the deadly effluent. Hawley provides readers with nightmare images—for example, cows choking on discarded plastic bags—and recurring mentions of the monkey problem. In recent decades, Vrindavan’s resourceful monkeys have taught each other to steal eyeglasses and cell phones. Working in collusion with savvy street kids, these rogue primates drop without warning from eves and awnings to snatch valuables from their startled victims. The loot is then returned to owners by the children for a reward. The children pay their simian collaborators with food. While Hawley is clearly fed up with this symbiotic scam, readers may find it intriguing.ISKCON and its many offshoots and competitors play major roles in the trendy, overdeveloped Vrindavan taking form with great speed. (Curiously, most of the western ISKCON devotees in the town are Russian.) In Hawley’s analysis, “The new Vrindavan could not have developed in the way it has without the particular vision of globalization that the Hare Krishna movement has fostered” (91). The ISKCON faction centered in India’s high-tech incubator Bangalore is especially wealthy, powerful, and ambitious. Hawley devotes a chapter to the group’s partially constructed 70-story temple, the Vrindavan Chandrodaya Mandir. When completed it will be the tallest religious structure on the planet, towering over the long lost pastoral paradise of Krishna’s childhood. Its interior exhibits will edify tourists and pilgrims with anachronistic dioramas and state-of-the-art 3-D projections of the old Vrindavan it has helped destroy.Later chapters discuss competing architectural visions of Vrindavan old and new, the struggle between preservationist and futurist factions fighting for control of the town, the abuse and care of widows (Vrindavan has long provided a rough, but holy, haven for widows discarded by their relatives), the varied influences of ISKCON and rival international new religious movements, and descriptions of the religious careers of Hawley’s Goswami friends. The book concludes with discussions of new versus old, destruction versus preservation, constructed versus primeval, ruin versus renewal, and virtual versus real.The book is an elegy as much as a scholarly tome, written in a style that is highly personal, anecdotal, idiosyncratic, and intimate. Its poetic language and the author’s assumptions about readers’ background knowledge may discourage undergraduates and those unfamiliar with South Asian religion. Readers comfortable with basic Indian religious vocabulary (both Hindi and Sanskrit) will have an easier time with occasional passages where Hawley neglects to translate terms. One suspects that Hawley viewed this book as a culmination of his career and wrote it exactly the way he wished, academic conventions be damned. More power to him.In his final passages, Hawley portrays the rapacious overdevelopment of Vrindavan as emblematic of the disastrous ecological destruction accelerating all around us wherever we live. Hawley concludes with a warning: “Vrindavan is the sign of our times” (297).

STRUKTUR RASA ADORASI

The true religious feeling is rooted in adoration. The taste of adoration is derived from the experience of God which indeed shake one’s soul. On one side, the experience of God leads to the recognition of God as the Great Creator of the universe. In this case, God is experienced as the everything. On the other side, it causes that human being encounters the self-recognition as a helpless creature. One feels as a nothingness of creature here. The feeling of adoration, therefore, has a religious structure in human soul that has a direction to God. As the structure of soul, the adoration is likely to be subjective which means that the subject experiences God (the world of ideas) and at the same time, it is objective that God is experienced by the subject (the real world). The object of the experience of adoration is, particularly, transcendent. Finally, the sense of adoration is needed to revive the living of faith for the believers.

Who Are Those in Authority? Early Muslim Exegesis of the Qur’anic Ulū’l-Amr

The term ulū’l-amr (those in authority) is central to the Muslim understanding of leadership, although it has been understood differently by different scholars. The term appears twice in the Qur’an, namely in verses 59 and 83 of chapter 4 (sūrat al-Nisā’), which serve as the cornerstone and starting point of the entire religious, social, and political structure of Islam. This article carefully examines early Muslim exegesis of the Qur’anic ulū’l-amr and how the two verses have become the locus classicus of intra-Muslim polemics. The main point of this article is to trace the early development of the meaning of ulū’l-amr in the exegetical works (tafsīr) of both Sunni and Shi‘i Qur’an commentators during the first 600 years of Islamic history. It will be argued that it is chiefly in the tafsīr tradition that the meaning and identity of ulū’l-amr is negotiated, promoted, and contested. The diversity of Muslim interpretations and the different trajectories of Sunni and Shi‘i exegesis, as well as the process of exegetical systematization, are highlighted. While Sunni exegetes seem to engage with one another internally, Shi‘i commentators tend to polemicize Sunni exegesis to uphold their version of ulū’l-amr as infallible imams (leaders).