New Muslims in the European Context: The Experience of Scandinavian Converts
... The nascent body of work in this area has tended, however, to focus upon conversion patterns and processes (Roald, 2004(Roald, , 2012, dynmics of change and continuity (Alyedreessy, 2016), socio-political context (Flower, 2013), identity (Brice, 2011;Pędziwiatr, 2017;Sealy, 2021c), race (Moosavi, 2014(Moosavi, , 2015 and gender (Spoliar & Brandt, 2020;Ramahi & Suleiman, 2017). What emerges from over two decades of research into the convert experience following 9/11 is a sharp dissonance between the religious motivations and perspectives spoken about by converts themselves (Sealy, 2021c) and the ways in which they are constructed and theorised about in the discourse. ...
... The nascent body of work in this area has tended, however, to focus upon conversion patterns and processes (Roald, 2004(Roald, , 2012, dynmics of change and continuity (Alyedreessy, 2016), socio-political context (Flower, 2013), identity (Brice, 2011;Pędziwiatr, 2017;Sealy, 2021c), race (Moosavi, 2014(Moosavi, , 2015 and gender (Spoliar & Brandt, 2020;Ramahi & Suleiman, 2017). What emerges from over two decades of research into the convert experience following 9/11 is a sharp dissonance between the religious motivations and perspectives spoken about by converts themselves (Sealy, 2021c) and the ways in which they are constructed and theorised about in the discourse. ...
This paper presents a tentative argument for the application of a unique methodological approach in researching convert Muslims in contemporary Britain. By throwing into relief some of the theoretical limitations of previous studies on the topic, a case is made for a dialectical model of thinking that foregrounds Islamic epistemology and places it into conversation with a critical posture. The article contributes to a wider discourse within academia about the ability of the contemporary study of religion to reflect the increasingly diverse world of religious and non-religious practice found in contemporary Britain. It is critical of the over enfranchisement of secular readings of Islamic conversion specifically, and orientalist framings of Islamic identity generally. I conclude by asserting insider positionality and the primacy of reflexivity as an approach to ensure intellectual rigour.
... 15 Cf. Roald 2004, McGinty 2006Jensen 2008;Krotofil et al. 2022. 16 The conversion process entailed significant events during their conversion journey, as well as the challenges they faced at familial and societal levels post-conversion, e.g., wearing a hijab, interactions with born Hui/Uyghur Muslims. ...
Its about Han Chinese conversion to Islam.
... The most important 'others' with whom converts interact in shifting constellations are the direct relatives and friends, the Muslim community of converts and born-Muslims-including in-laws-into which they enter, and actors in the societal debates about Islam in the Netherlands at large. As Roald (2004) observed, converts often show a fascination with the Muslim community at first-a period in which they often clash with their relatives. Yet after a while some of them express their disappointment with the Muslim community and distance themselves from born Muslims (Özyürek 2015). ...
Although conversion is an ongoing religious journey, it is rarely studied as such. This article provides a longitudinal study of conversion to Islam by Dutch women. People who recently convert might firmly hold on to their new convictions, not providing space for doubts and uncertainty, whereas studying the long-term process also gives insights into moments of weak belief, doubts, and ambivalence, or growing faith and spirituality. Not only these internal contestations are important to examine, also the context of the conversion narrative can change over time. Conversion is a contested issue, yet which aspects of the conversion are contested can shift due to societal debates on Islam. This article conceptualizes the conversion experience as a contextual narrative of the ongoing religious transformation of the ‘self’ in relation to different ‘others’ over time.
... They may fail to find the strong positive attachments they crave for a variety of reasons. They may have an overly romantic view of Islam or face challenges navigating the more culturally-determined, as opposed to religiously expected, practices of their new religious lifea challenge commonly mentioned by converts trying to integrate into mosques dominated by one ethnicity (Al-Qwidi, 2002;Roald, 2004;Sultán, 1999, Zebiri, 2008. As a result, a pronounced sense of disappointment, caused by the perceived gap between their idealized expectations and reality, can foster the resentment, isolation, and quest for answers and significance commonly associated with radicalization (Kruglanski et al. 2018). ...
Evidence from multiple sources suggests converts to Islam are significantly overrepresented in the ranks of Salafi-jihadist terrorists. Researchers have been speculating for some time why this might be the case. This paper identifies, and critically examines, four hypothetical explanations commonly found in the literature: (1) some explanations focus on the significance of prior personal characteristics of the converts; (2) some explanations emphasize the rapidity of the movement from conversion to radicalization; (3) some explanations highlight the lack of religious knowledge on the part of radicalized converts; and (4) some explanations point to the role of the zealotry of converts. Examining each explanation, we find the causal mechanisms hypothesized are inadequate and the hypotheses are incongruent with the data we have collected on radicalized Canadian converts. In the end, we offer an alternative hypothesis, based on the analysis of the response of radicalized converts to an experience of disappointment that is common in the post-conversion period.
... In the Nordic countries, social scientific studies of immigrant religions have also experienced growth. 3 In Sweden, empirical studies have been conducted on the religious faith of immigrants from Chile (Nordin 2004), on Muslim converts (Roald 2004;Sultán Sjöqvist 2006), and on Islam in Sweden (Samuelsson 1999). In Finland, there are studies on various immigrant religions in a local society (Martikainen 2004), as well as Muslim women (Tiilikainen and Lehtinen 2004). ...
... There has been a growth in organisations that portray whereas Islamophobia is specifically meant to promote hatred, fear and discrimination against Muslims. This agrees with Roald's (2004) perception that Islamophobia should be recognised as a form of intolerance alongside xenophobia and anti-Semitism. ...
p>Recent events show that there are heightened fear, hostilities, prejudices and discriminations associated with religion in virtually every part of the world. It becomes almost impossible to watch news daily without scenes of religious intolerance and violence with dire consequences for societal peace. This paper examines the trends, causes and implications of Islamophobia and religious intolerance for global peace and harmonious co-existence. It relies on content analysis of secondary sources of data. It notes that fear and hatred associated with Islām and persecution of Muslims is the fallout of religious intolerance as reflected in most melee and verbal attacks, anti-Muslim hatred, racism, xenophobia, anti-Sharī'ah policies, high-profile terrorist attacks, and growing trends of far-right or right-wing extremists. It reveals that Islamophobia and religious intolerance have led to proliferation of attacks on Muslims, incessant loss of lives, wanton destruction of property, violation of Muslims’ fundamental rights and freedom, rising fear of insecurity, and distrust between Muslims and non-Muslims. The paper concludes that escalating Islamophobic attacks and religious intolerance globally had constituted a serious threat to world peace and harmonious co-existence. Relevant resolutions in curbing rising trends of Islamophobia and religious intolerance are suggested.
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... Mühtediler ile ilgili çalışmasında Roald (2004); bu yeni Müslümanları geleneksel, rasyonel ve aşırılar olarak üç yönelim üzerinden değerlendirmektedir. Sufiler Roald'ın tasnifine göre geleneksel bir İslami akımdır. ...
... Miembros de los Hermanos Musulmanes sirios, libaneses o egipcios comenzaron a participar así en congresos y conferencias celebrados en territorio europeo, en encuentros con musulmanes europeos o árabes, para dar a conocer su ideario, atraer nuevos miembros y gestionar el Islam y las necesidades de los musulmanes. Progresivamente y por diversos motivos (integración en la sociedad de acogida, cambios en sus países…) estos dirigentes en territorio europeo se desvincularon orgánicamente de los grupos de origen, aunque mantuviesen lazos intelectuales, o si se quiere espirituales, con las enseñanzas del grupo y, especialmente, con las del fundador Hasan al-Banna, dando lugar a una nueva figura, "post-ijwaní" (posthermano), como nueva categoría de análisis (Roald, 2004). ...
Este Documento de Trabajo se centra en la contemporaneidad de la interrelación entre islam y política. No aspira a presentar la historia intelectual del islamismo, pero sí considera necesario presentar unas pinceladas de la misma para entender la actualidad del islam político y otros islamismos. Tal y como se ha señalado, a pesar de los llamamientos a la tradición y de multitud de miradas occidentales, es importante recordar que se trata de un fenómeno moderno que impone un marco normativo para una determinada sociedad, incluida su arena política, bajo el mantra ‘el islam es la solución’. El Documento trata de ilustrar que existen varios tipos de islamismos, que el islamismo no es un movimiento homogéneo. Tal y como se ha explicado, y como se comprobará a lo largo del volumen, las restricciones impuestas por los respectivos contextos locales, esto es, los márgenes de maniobra consentidos por los diferentes regímenes en el poder, representan un factor crítico para entender el desarrollo de distintas formaciones islamistas.
Este volumen adopta una perspectiva regional para entender la evolución individual de los distintos islams políticos en el Norte de África y Oriente Próximo. Lo hace partiendo de una base preeminentemente empírica, sin recurso explícito a marcos teóricos para que, a partir de los estudios de caso, sea posible para el lector entender la realidad pasada y presente del islam político en la región. A este respecto es importante especificar que el objetivo es precisamente presentar al lector con un análisis de la realidad sin por ello formular una teoría sobre el estado actual del islam y la política, sino más bien poner énfasis en la heterogeneidad y particularidades del fenómeno. El estudio se centra principalmente, aunque con excepciones, en movimientos que han pasado a formar parte – de una forma u otra, en un momento u otro –de la arena política de un país. Algunos incluso han ocupado posiciones de poder. La gran mayoría abrazaron la vía democrática en su momento, y aún hoy su estrategia gira primariamente en la necesidad no sólo de sobrevivir, sino de mantener y maximizar el apoyo popular del que gozan.
This scholarly research article overviews the current and growing concept of cybersecurity in Pakistan, pointing out the importance of employing strong security measures as threats rise due to the growing technology. This paper starts with the discovery of open weaknesses in cybersecurity in Pakistan, including ignorance, old-age facility and equipment, fewer experts in the area, and geopolitics. These weaknesses make the nation vulnerable to many cyber risks such as theft of data, sabotage of its infrastructure, cyber spying and many more such as the social engineering scams. The threats are identified to have pedestrian economic and national security consequences to Pakistan and therefore the call to comprehensively and urgently approach the improvement of the country's cybersecurity. Speaking of the problem of weaken cybersecurity and its possible consequences mentioned in the article, it states that the lack of proper security measures may result in rather severe outcomes including significant information theft, disruption of the services that are critical to public health, and crushing loss of intellectual property. The discussion also touches on the possibilities for elevated cybercrime-rates: especially the spread of online scams and social engineering, which can take advantage of the population's general ignorance on security measures. These threats also affect the individual as well as the organizations, but they also result in threats to the nation's stability and its economy. While evaluating the risks of the identified threats, the article focuses on potential impacts on the economic and national security aspects and, thus, the necessity to strengthen cyber protection measures. The article is devoid of concrete suggestions, yet it outlines quite a number of possible measures and approaches to the problem and ways of building up robust Pakistan's cybersecurity. These include: The passing and implementation of effective cybersecurity laws for the country, enhancement of the general technological frameworks utilized in most organizations, creation of nationwide cybersecurity programs which can be under taken by organizations and institutions, general enhancement of cybersecurity education and training among professionals in the field and others. Further, international cooperation and information exchange are also underlined as the ways to use the world's best practices and assets. Thus, by following the outlined strategies, Pakistan can put an end to the existing cybersecurity threats and move to the sphere of digital security.
The stereotype of an “oppressed Muslim woman” is a legacy of Orientalist constructions that historically served the Empire’s cultural project in Muslim lands, but also today affect Muslim women in their everyday lives and their religious practice. Muslim convert women have to deal with this stereotype however simultaneously during their conversion period, as family, friends, and the society at large question the genuineness of their spiritual transformation. These women are externally presented as “forced” into conversion by their husbands or having been spiritually “brainwashed,” lacking agency and ability to make moral choices. This chapter will present counter-narratives to these depictions based on interviews with Finnish Muslim convert women, for whom the decision to convert has been independent from any male figure. Furthermore, their agency during the conversion process is highlighted in their narratives of an intellectual journey to discovering Islam as their choice of worldview and lifestyle.
This study attempts to use Big Data Analytic Techniques to investigate the views of Millennial Muslims on the effectiveness of scholars/preachers on cyber-Islam. Two eminent scholars, Bilal Philips, and Mufti Menk have been chosen for this purpose. It examines the changing expressions and manifestations of Islam because of historical epochs and contexts. For example, the modern world is in its "post-postmodernist" stage and context, which necessitates a rethinking of previous debates and discourses on Islam. The Millennial Age is discussed, as well as its characteristics and their implications for Muslim expression of Islam. Cyber-Islam is the study of the intersection of Islam and online platforms. There is a review of academic literature on Bilal Philips and Mufti Menk. This study's methodology is to incorporate data mining methods to create a framework that can be used effectively to analyze the Twitter content and followers of Bilal Philips and Mufti Menk from an Islamic perspective. The study reveals various facts about Millennial Muslims as well as the way Islamic knowledge is communicated via social media. The study concludes that combining social media studies with Islamic studies can provide a more complete picture of contemporary Muslims and their online engagement with Islam.
Unlike Western European countries, in Poland, there are two groups of native Muslim citizens: the Tatars and converts to Islam. They differ from mainstream society by their religion – Islam, and the Tatars, additionally, by their ethnicity. However, one of these groups – Islam converts – is racialised by the other. We argue that the Polish Tatars can use the repertoire of both sides – non-Muslim mainstream society and born Muslims – in order to otherise and racialise Polish converts to Islam. As autochthonous Poles, whose membership in mainstream society has never been questioned, they can employ strategies used by non-Muslims. As born Muslims they can build on the wide range of strategies against Islam newcomers. Moreover, the racialisation of Polish converts seems to be a strategy that aims to maintain the boundaries between these two groups and the positive self-assessment of the Tatars. This article contributes to the scholarship on racialisation of white converts to Islam by bringing out the local context with unique dynamics and power relations between different groups of Muslims.
This research aims to analyze the phenomenon of religious conversion in theory and practice. This research uses library research in answering two main questions, namely how is the academic debate and case study of conversion of Islam and Christianity? The authors found that the factors that influence the process of religious conversion are caused by internal factors in the individual such as frustration, soul shocks, damaged souls and spiritual experiences. External factors such as the influence of the social environment, organization, peers, and marriage. This academic debate about religious conversion has started from William James (1958) with the theory of conversion as the healing of a divided self until Henri Gooren (2010) with the theory of the conversion career. Finally, the case of religious conversion to Islam is not through mental disorders, violence and coercion, but with full awareness. However, converts to Christianity are often followed by cases of violence, coercion, and mental disorders. Keywords: Religious conversion, Conversion Career. AbstrakPenelitian ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis fenomena konversi agama dalam teori dan praktik. Penelitian ini menggunakan library research dalam menjawab dua pertanyaan pokok, yaitu bagaimana perdebatan akademis dan studi kasus konversi agama Islam dan Kristen? Penulis menemukan bahwa faktor-faktor yang mempengaruhi proses konversi agama disebabkan oleh faktor-faktor internal dalam diri individual seperti frustasi, guncangan jiwa, jiwa yang rusak dan pengalaman spiritual. Adapun faktor eksternal seperti pengaruh lingkungan sosial, organisasi, teman sejawat, dan perkawinan. Perdebatan akademis tentang konversi agama ini telah mulai sejak masa William James (1958) dengan teori Conversion as the Healing of a Divided Self sampai Henri Gooren (2010) dengan teori The Conversion Career. Terakhir, kasus konversi agama ke Islam tidak melalui gangguan-gangguan mental, kekerasan dan pemaksaan, namun dengan kesadaran penuh. Namun, pelaku konversi agama ke Kristen seringkali diikuti oleh kasus-kasus kekerasan, pemaksaan, dan gangguan mental. Kata kunci: Konversi agama, Karier konversi.
Batılıların eskiden beri, Müslümanları ve İslam’ı kendi varoluşlarının önünde bir engel olarak gördükleri söylenebilir. Sürekli kendilerini üstün görüp kendileri gibi olmayanları küçümseme yoluna gitmişlerdir. Bu bakış açısının oluşturduğu önyargı, İslam medeniyetini görmelerinin önünde bir engel oluşturmuştur. Her ne kadar birçok bilim insanı ve düşünür, İslam düşüncesinden etkilenerek bu birikimi değerlendirme çabasına girseler de yönetimler ve halklar meseleye karşıtlık olarak bakmışlardır. Müslümanların fetihler yoluyla Batılı (Hristiyan) toplumların ülkelerini fethetmeye başlamalarıyla bu kin daha da artmıştır. Viyana Kilise Konseyi’nin destekleriyle kurulan Oryantalizm Araştırma Merkezleri'nin amacı, Doğuluları/Müslümanları anlama yerine onları tüm yönleriyle tanıyarak bulabildikleri zayıf tarafları üzerinden bu mücadeleyi daha sistematik hale getirmek olmuştur. Böylece Batılılar kendilerinin her alanda üstün olduğunu Müslümanların ise eskiden beri gerici olduğunu ve düzeltilmeleri gerekenler olduğunu Müslüman zihnine yerleştirmek istemişlerdir. Modern dönemde Batı’da dinin bilime ve ilerlemeye aykırı olduğu ve tüm anlaşmazlıkların kaynağı olduğu düşüncesi hâkim olmuştur. Bu nedenle din ve dinî olandan arındırılmış bir insan ve toplum oluşturulması hedeflenmiştir. Seküler bir toplum denemesinin yapıldığı modern dönemde insanlar mutlu edilememişlerdir. Postmodern döneme gelindiğinde manevi ve inanç yönü ihmal edilen insan bunun özlemiyle dine tekrar yönelme eğilimi göstermiştir. Batılı yönetimler, siyasetçiler ve küresel sermayeler bu yönelişin İslam’a olmaması için her türlü çareye başvurmuşlardır. İslamofobi’nin inşası da bu arayışın somut bir kanıtı olmuştur. Özellikle ABD’de gerçekleştirilen 11 Eylül olayları ve takip eden diğer birçok Batılı devletlerde görülen terörist saldırılarının failinin Müslümanlardan olması Batı’da İslamofobi’nin, inşasının payandası olmuştur. Küresel sermayelerin kapital iştahları ve kadim düşmanlıklar İslamofobi ile Müslüman ülkelerine doğrudan müdahalenin kapısını aralamıştır. İslamofobi sayesinde hem Batı toplumlarında hem de birçok Doğu toplumunda bu müdahale meşru olarak kabul görmüştür. Bu çalışmada inşa edilen İslamofobi’nin nasıl bir pragmatik araca dönüştürüldüğü üzerinde durulmuştur. Batı’nın özellikle de ABD’nin iştahını kabartan Ortadoğu’nun enerji ve petrol kaynaklarını kontrol altına almasında İslamofobi’nin bir meşruiyet aracı haline getirildiği irdelenmiştir. Gelinen noktada ise Batı ve ABD’nin hedeflerine büyük oranda ulaştığı görülmüştür. Fakat müdahale edilen toplumlarda yoksulluk, terör olayları, etnik ve mezhepsel bölünmeler, göçe zorlanan kitleler gibi çözümü yakın tarihte mümkün olmayan problemler bıraktığına vurgular yapılmıştır. Bu çalışmada, Batılıların neden böyle davrandığı ve bununla neyi hedefledikleri nitel bir yöntemle ele alınarak bir tahlil denemesi yapılmıştır.
Обзорная статья посвящена проблеме теоретико‑методологического изучения феномена религиозной конверсии в современной социологии. В фокусе внимания интегративные концептуальные модели религиозного изменения, сформировавшиеся в конце XX — начале XXI вв. и ориентированные на решение вопроса структуры и агентности на примере процесса религиозной конверсии. Автором проводится критический аналитический разбор и сравнительный анализ концепции символической трансформации М. Вольраб‑Сар, теории рационального выбора религии Р. Старка и Р. Финке, структурно-субстанциальной модели конверсии И. Джиндер, концепции конверсионной карьеры Г. Гурена и объединенной теоретической модели религиозности Й. Штольца. Теоретико‑методологические подходы рассматриваются как с точки зрения онтологических оснований — функционального анализа, критического реализма, методологического и структурного индивидуализма их возможности и ограничения как фундамента для формирования инструментария исследования, так и в теоретическом контексте их создания текущих дискуссий о секуляризации, рыночной теории религии и культурного подхода в социологии религии. Делается вывод о том, что перспективным направлением развития социологии конверсии является использование методологии аналитической социологии, позволяющей выявить механизмы религиозной конверсии во взаимосвязи с релевантными им контекстуальными условиями, и применение стратегии «объяснительных смешанных методов», минимизирующей проблему валидности. The review article is devoted to the theoretical and methodological study of the religious conversion in contemporary sociology. The focus is on the integrative conceptual models of religious change, formed at the end of the 20th and beginning of the 21st century, which try to solve the issue of structure and agency through the examination of the process of religious conversion. The paper provides a critical analytical evaluation and comparative analysis of the concept of symbolic transformation by M. Wohlrab‑Sahr, the theory of rational choice of religion by R. Stark and R. Finke, the structural‑substantial model of conversion by I. Jindra, the concept of conversion career by H. Gooren and the unified theoretical model of religiosity by J. Stolz. The approaches are considered both from the point of view of their ontological foundations — functional analysis, critical realism, methodological and structural individualism — their possibilities and limitations defining the choice of the research tools, and in the theoretical context of their origin — current discussions about secularization, market theory of religion and a cultural approach in the sociology of religion. It is concluded that a prospective direction for the sociology of religious conversion is the methodology of analytical sociology, which is able to identify different mechanisms of religious conversion in relation to relevant contextual conditions, and the use of the strategy of “explanatory mixed methods”, which is able to minimize the problem of validity.
Çağdaş dünyada sosyal medya, bireylerin dinî kimliklerinin oluşturulması, şekillendirilmesi, sürdürülmesinde ve ifade edilmesinde önemli bir rol oynamaktadır. Bu araştırmanın amacı, Müslüman olan Japonların yeni dinî kimliklerinin oluşturulmasında ve sürdürülmesinde sosyal medyanın ne kadar etkili olduğunu ve aynı şekilde Japon Müslümanların yeni dinî inançlarını beyan etmek ve açıklamak için sosyal medyayı ne ölçüde kullandıklarını incelemektir. Makale Japonya’da iki buçuk yıla yakın yürütülen saha çalışmasının verilerine dayanmaktadır. Nitel araştırma veri toplama yöntemleri olan yarı yapılandırılmış mülakat, katılımcı gözlem ve saha notlarına başvurulmuştur. Mülakatlar, kartopu ve amaçlı örneklem metotları ile ulaşılan ve yaşları 19 ile 81 arası değişen 32 kadın 30 erkek toplam 62 kişi ile yapılmıştır. Çeşitli cami, mescit ve derneklerin etkinliklerine katılmak suretiyle Japon Müslümanlar ile iletişime devam ederek gözlemler yapılmış ve saha notları tutulmuştur. Hedef, sosyal medya ve dinî kimlik konusunun Japon Müslümanların deneyimleri özelinde ne anlam ifade ettiğini anlamak olduğu için veriler fenomenolojik bir bakış açısıyla incelenmiştir. Araştırmada, sosyal medyanın Japonların Müslüman kimliği ile karşılaşma ve bu kimliğin oluşumu üzerine fazla bir rolü olmadığı görülmüştür. Bununla birlikte, azınlık olan ve Japonya’nın muhtelif bölgelerine dağılmış ve başka türlü bir araya gelmeleri kolaylıkla mümkün olmayacak Japon Müslümanların birbirleriyle ve göçmen Müslümanlar ile bağlantılar kurarak dinî kimliklerini şekillendirme, sürdürme ve meşrulaştırmasında sosyal medyanın son derece mühim bir rolü bulunmaktadır. Öte yandan, sosyal medya Japon Müslümanların yeni dinî kimliklerini kendi toplumlarına beyan etmek için sık başvurdukları bir araç değildir.
In this article, we discuss the main arguments related to female Muslim converts' formation of a religious subjectivity in the context of studying Islam in online spaces. In distinguishing between Western and Eastern Europe, it is our purpose to highlight the significance of online sources for converts who inhabit geographic “peripheries” of Islam. After giving an overview of the literature that discusses Muslim subject formation among converts, we analyse 35 in‐depth, qualitative interviews with Polish female converts to Islam in reference to a theoretical framework that integrates Belenky et al.'s model of epistemological categories of knowledge and the concept of Muslim subjectivity formation. We argue that for the Polish female converts we interviewed, the process of acquiring and revising their knowledge about Islam, through online engagement with individuals, groups, texts, and multimedia content, is vital for developing an ontologically secure Muslim subjectivity.
This article focuses on converts to Islam in Poland, taking into account the specific socio-cultural, political, and historical contexts and new trends that have emerged with the gradual growth of the Muslim population. We draw attention to the unique patterns of practices related to Islam and patterns of belonging. Eastern European Islam remains relatively under-researched and, as a consequence, there is little clarity whether processes identified in relation to Western European Islam are mirrored in Eastern Europe. In line with the current literature, we propose the concept of ‘Polish Islam’ as an analytical tool. Based on 16 interviews with Polish female converts, this article traces the way meanings of religious teachings and practices are negotiated and integrated into daily social interactions. We analyse participants’ views regarding the fit between Islam and the national culture. Expanding on the finding that Polish converts to Islam in our sample do not consider themselves to be outsiders, we explore the implications of this pragmatic stance and discuss that the majority of our respondents choose to amalgamate Polish cultural practices with their new religion and renegotiate the meanings of these practices.
Buildings of the burial complex of Suleiman the Magnificent were excavated between 2015–2019 in Szigetvár. This paper investigates why, despite the traditional anti-Muslim sentiments in the local community, the FIDESZ-KDNP failed to turn the Suleiman story into local political success after the 2015 migration crisis, during a period of extensive anti-Muslim campaigning. This analyses focuses on the opportunities, challenges and concerns of the creation of a Muslim pilgrimage site and cultural tourism attraction based on the death place of the Ottoman emperor. The Muslim rule in the early modern period has left deep memorial traces on Hungary. Despite the superficial similarities, opinions about Muslims in Szigetvár are more complex than in the wider Hungarian public and are influenced by acts of reconciliation and economic considerations. Results of a deep empirical research are presented on local identity and Muslim related sentiments in this paper.
This article is a systematic literature review of research conducted in the last two decades (2000-2020) on conversion and converts to Islam in western societies and Australia. The review highlights findings of this body of literature in six key points: there are important nuances of difference of conversions to Islam from country to country, conversion to Islam is a gradual process, converts to Islam do not entirely replace their existing identity with an Islamic one, converts are alienated by their friends and family leading to deep loneliness and isolation, converts to Islam feel denied meaningful roles in the Muslim community and converts to Islam experience a subtle form of Islamophobia. These findings and insights at the same time reveal gaps in knowledge and offer a road map in charting new research. This review highlights six important areas of research and gaps in knowledge: research need to include equally men and women converts, interplay between Islam influencing converts’ identity and converts influencing the way Islam is understood in western societies, there is a lack of the Muslim converts’ voice in research involving Muslims in the west, there is no study that investigates how converts successfully integrate within their respective Muslim community, the theory of conversion to Islam is not fully developed, research on Aboriginal converts to Islam needs to be investigated without the constraints of a security lens.
In this study, the phenomenon of conversion is analysed in the context of the experiences of Japanese Muslim converts. The purpose of this study is to understand the processes leading to conversion to Islam among Japanese and to explore religious conversion motifs of Japanese Muslim converts, thus making a conceptual contribution to the existing conversion literature. The problems of the research were, understanding the conditions leading Japanese to Islam, exploring circumstances the Japanese had started to develop an interest towards Islam and Muslims, and finally discovering the main motivating factors of their conversion. With this aim, the research has been designed as qualitative research. A combination of phenomenology and grounded theory research methods were applied in order to understand the essence of the conversion experience of Japanese Muslims and also to develop a theoretical explanation for their conversion. A total of 2 years and 3 months, between September 2016 - December 2017 and February 2019 - January 2020, were spent in Tokyo, Japan for the fieldwork. The data is derived from the semi-structured interviews, participant observation and field study notes. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 32 women and 30 men, in total 62 Japanese Muslims, whose ages are changing between 19 and 81. The participants were reached via snowball and purposive sampling methods. Most of the Japanese Muslims interviewed are from Tokyo, and some reside in other cities in Japan. The events and activities of various mosques, masjids and associations, especially of the Tokyo Mosque and Turkish Cultural Centre and the Japanese Muslim Association, were participated in order to make observations. Additionally, field notes were kept during these visits. Waseda University library and its resources were consulted for the literature research. It is discovered that Japanese conversion to Islam is a social process, led by their encounters with Muslims. Most of the time, their first memorable encounter with Islam took place in the social context, overseas, during their study abroad, business or leisure travel, or at their work and schools, or via their romantic interests within Japan. Few of them got introduced to Islam via media or their personal interests. Upon their encounters, the Japanese, who were not seriously dissatisfied with their existing living conditions and beliefs before, and who were not in search of a new way of life and belief, began to be interested in Islam in different ways. It is also discovered they had a lack of strong prejudice against Islam, thus following their encounters, they had an open attitude learning towards the religion and the people. In this study, four motivational factors discovered influential on Japanese conversion to Islam: social, intellectual, psychological and pragmatic. In social motivations, desires to be included in the Muslim community they encountered, to be like them, and to lead a life them are strong. Participants in this category are interested in human relations, perspectives, attitudes and behaviours of Muslims. They were impressed by the closeness of family relations, by the idea of an international Muslim brotherhood-sisterhood, kindness, sincerity and helpfulness they observed among Muslims, and their courage towards calamities of life. In this group, the participants are most interested in Muslims. In the intellectual motivations, their primary motivation is their conviction of Islam intellectually. The attention of participants was attracted by the theoretical and ideological aspects of Islam, its teachings and its belief system. They began asking questions about Islam to the Muslims around them. Some were convinced by clear, simple and sensible answers they received. Some found similarities between Islam and Japanese culture, and felt close to Islam. Some were interested in the Islamic social system. Lastly, some participants who were Christians previously found Islam as the next logical step they could continue. In the psychological motivations category, the participants are in need of a belief and a quest for a God prior to their encounters. The idea of a God with an infinite power, who can protect them from their fears and anxieties and who can always watch over them attracted them. Most of the participants in this category, while describing their experiences, explained that they realised their need following their encounters with Islam and Muslims. Few had emotional experiences hearing the sound of the adhan and the Qur’an, and participating in the prayer. The last motivations are the pragmatic ones. In this category, Islam and conversion are instruments for participants who had other interests. Some converted for marriage with their Muslim partners, some for business and scholarship opportunities.
This e-book is the fruit of the Institute for Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies (IMEIS) third annual conference on the theme “Identity, Legitimacy and Power in the Muslim World”. It gathers insights from academics, analysts and field observers, and offers a multidisciplinary overview of the current situation of the Muslim World.
"The unnecessary refugee crisis. Rule of law, the civil society and the refugees 2015 - 2021". Civilsamhällets vitbok. Fokus ligger på rättssäkerheten inom Migrationsverket och domstolarna respektive civilsamhällets stora insatser allt sedan 2015. Ett femtiotal författare. 528 sidor.
Consideration of the growing phenomenon of converts to Islam in Britain is emerging at the moment at which converts are entering the popular imagination through the dominant negativised tropes of threat and betrayal. In this context, the religious aspect of conversion is feared, diminished and contained, or is ignored. Based on an emphasis on either change or continuity, the result is that these identities are conceptualised within the hybrid or multiple, with little understanding of the critical properties of religiosity. Based on narrative interviews with British converts to Islam, this article argues that rather than emphasising continuity or change, it is in understandings of the dynamics between continuity and change that important facets of a religious identity emerge as the central problematic of conversion. The concept of congruity is offered to reflect this. It is further argued that religiosity as the basis of this continuity better captures converts' religious identities. Simmel's notion of religiosity is employed to make sense of these identities. Through this notion, Simmel's thought enables a congruity to be read that transcends the apparent contradiction between continuity and change. 1
This book argues that multiculturalism remains a relevant and vital framework through which to understand and construct inclusive forms of citizenship. Responding to contemporary ethnic and religious diversity in European states and the position of religious minorities, debates in multiculturalism have revitalized discussion the public role of religion, yet multiculturalism has been increasingly challenged in both political as well as academic circles.
With a focus on Britain and through a study of the narratives of British converts to Islam, this book engages in debates centered around multiculturalism, particularly on the issues of identity, recognition, and difference. Yet, it also identifies and interrogates multiculturalism’s shortcomings in relation to specifically religious identities and belonging.
In a unique and innovative analysis, this book combines a discussion of multiculturalism in Britain with insights from political theology. It juxtaposes multiculturalism’s concepts of ethno-religious identity and recognition with the notions of religiosity and hospitality to offer a new perspective on religious identity and the implications of this for thinking with and about multiculturalism and multicultural social and political relations.
Dr. Thomas Sealy is Research Associate in the Centre for the Study of Ethnicity and Citizenship at University of Bristol.
Having highlighted the shortcomings in the literature under consideration with regard to religious identity in the previous chapter, this chapter makes the case for the foregrounding of religiosity and develops the analytical approach to religious identity that will underpin the subsequent chapters. It does so through an in-depth discussion drawing on the narratives of converts to Islam and through considering how aspects of continuity and change and of past, present and future emerge in the narratives. It presents vivid portraits of how they negotiate and narrate their religious subjecthood and reflects on the limits of sociological conceptualisations, arguing for the relevance and necessity of a ‘theological ear’. To make this case it engages with the writings of Georg Simmel on religion and his notions of religiosity and religion, arguing that these are useful for the reorientation that brings religion to the centre of analysis.
Following on from the in-depth discussions of the empirical material and the debates and arguments of previous chapters, this chapter discusses more directly the implications that emerge towards multiculturalism’s notion of recognition and relates this more fully to that of hospitality drawn from political theology. It considers multiculturalism’s shortcomings vis-à-vis religion and how and why recognition may in fact be misrecognition as a result of an ethno-religious lens. It also goes on to consider two further features of recognition and hospitality, judgement and dialogue. Here it suggests that despite the short-comings identified, multiculturalism retains relevance but needs to be made more hospitable within in its own terms of reference. The result is a series of challenges for Muslims, converts and majority society alike; challenges that are, moreover, underpinned by a substantive difference.
This chapter turns the focus to how converts come to be positioned as ‘other’ by family and friends and by majority society as well as by born Muslim communities and how religion, culture and ethnicity are articulated in these processes. It charts forms of discrimination that converts face, the ethno-national and ethno-religious lenses that underpin these perspectives and the way that these group category boundaries serve to exclude converts, leaving them stuck in-between ‘majority society’ and born Muslims. In this way the chapter discusses how converts are made strange and positioned as strangers in a negative sense.
This chapter seeks to locate converts within the terms of multiculturalism, more specifically in reference to the Bristol School of multiculturalism and its central concepts of ethno-religious identity and recognition. It suggests that while these offer significant resources for the purposes of the arguments in the book, current formulations also present shortcomings in specific relation to religion and religious identity. This discussion is expanded in two directions: The first is in relation to challenges presented by interculturalism and everyday multiculturalism, it is argued that multiculturalism offers greater conceptual resources for the concerns of the book. The second orients the discussion towards concepts from the political theology of Luke Bretherton, and in particular the ideas of ‘hospitality’ and ‘liberative difference’. Political theology has largely been ignored in debates around multiculturalism but consideration of this offers a substantive critique of multiculturalism as it relates to religion and religious identity.
This chapter takes up a prominent feature of converts’ narratives that has significant implications for thinking about identity and belonging, the discursive divide between religion and culture. It identifies and critically discusses two approaches to un the relationship between religion and culture in convert narratives, one which sees converts assimilating into born Muslim communities and one which sees converts as excluding born Muslims from a Westernised form of Islam. It goes on to discuss the work of three prominent scholars whose approaches emphasise religious concerns to thinking about the religion–culture divide. This allows this discursive feature to be seen as inevitably grappled with rather than settled in the favour of one side or another. The chapter subsequently proposes an alternative analytical frame based on Simmel’s conception of the stranger and offers a more dynamic and complex understanding of the patterns of belonging that emerge in converts’ narratives.
This chapter outlines the focus, scope and rationale for the book and introduces its main argument in relation to multiculturalism and religious identity. In this vein, it discusses the contemporary context of the UK in relation to three dimensions: Christian, secular and plural, and establishes the problem(s) and debates being addressed in the book in relation to these. It also introduces the study in relation to converts to Islam. It discusses the methodology of the research as part of the theoretical approach the book adopts, thereby setting the scene for the detailed analyses to come, as well as outlines the sample and other methodological considerations.
This chapter begins to more specifically locate converts in multicultural Britain in relation to majority society as well as born Muslim minorities in Britain. To do so it discusses British converts emerging during the mid-nineteenth century to early twentieth century in order to highlight both points of similarity as well as of contrast relevant to contemporary converts and their patterns of identity and belonging. In turn, it points to significant structural features in order to begin to position contemporary converts as part of the social and political landscape. To do this it also draws on interviews with leaders of New Muslim organisations and groups to reflect on the changing circumstances and challenges in recent years that converts face and attempt to navigate.
This article analyses six apostasy narratives published on WikiIslam.net and examines how Islam is represented and understood in them. The narratives contain self-referential and autobiographical components, and the truth-claims made in them are often based on the narrator's own experiences as a former Muslim. From the six testimonies it is clear that Islam is presented in a negative and biased way, as summed up in the following three points: (1) Islam is an irrational, illogical way of thought; the beliefs that Islam holds to be true are false; (2) Islam is not about peace, high standards and God; Islam is an evil, selfcentered and morally corrupt religion, and Muslims are hypocrites; (3) Islam is an oppressive, misogynist and violent religion, and is negative for its followers, especially women. These views on Islam, expressed in the apostasy narratives, articulate several themes found in islamophobic discourses and the so called New Atheist movement.
Full text (free access): https://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/DWSXEHVFN8QRE5CNFAIP/full?target=10.1080/09596410.2021.1882144 ///
This article offers an analysis of female conversion to Islam in Ukraine as a complex and multifaceted phenomenon that involves a range of social, psychological and cultural factors. Based on 21 cases derived from media reports and face-to-face interviews, this study explores the primary reasons for conversion expressed by Ukrainian women, their experiences of wearing ḥijāb in public places and their perspectives on Christianity as their former religious tradition. Using Lofland and Skonovd’s theoretical perspective, the article demonstrates that the intellectual motif of conversion – on its own or sometimes in combination with other elements – may be the predominant one among Ukrainian female converts. Although for some women marriage still appears to be a significant factor in turning to Islam as a religious option, even in marriage-related cases converts often experience intense personal transformations tantamount to religious conversion.
Pakistan, being an Islamic Republic, is portrayed as a country where rights of religious minorities are undermined. A major allegation in this context is that members of minority communities, particularly women and girls, are forcibly converted to Islam. The frequent promotion of this allegation has developed a narrative that is repeated without verifying its authenticity to malign Pakistani state and society at international forums.
This baseline report presents content analysis of the reports, academic studies and social media outlets on the narrative of ‘forced’ conversion in Pakistan. The argument of most of the activists and many policymakers about the prevalence of organized and systematic forced conversions of minority community members revolves around the claims and data presented in certain reports. Part I of this baseline report is based on the content analysis of the NGO reports that are often presented as the principal evidence of the existence of the issue in Pakistan. In Part II, the report reviews academic studies on the subject and presents alternative evidence hidden in the scripts of Hindu and Dalit (scheduled castes) activists. In the end, a brief discussion is followed by some recommendations and
propositions for further in-depth study. The analysis primarily focuses on the selection and representation of the cases of alleged forced conversions, the way forced conversion is defined, and the organizations as well as individuals involved in reporting and highlighting the cases and incidents of ‘forced conversions’. It analyzes them to assess the scientific rigor or the validity and reliability of the overall data presented. It also interrogates the discursive anomalies that singularly focus on the State religion, instead of on the post-truth minority politics as it is staged on the internet or social media. Epistemologically, its primary concern is that the meaning of ‘conversion’ becomes fixed as ‘forced’ conversion in various reports.
The content analysis shows that these reports that are often presented by rights activists as the primary evidence based on substantive first-hand data, and understood as such by civil and political society, lack primary evidence, and mainly rely on clichés cited from other similar reports. The reports rely on anecdotal evidence taken from newspaper reports and statements primarily collected from activists and politicians rather than the supposed victims and so-called perpetrators. Based on that, it is argued that claims in these reports framed as statements are tautological in nature and make circular arguments on the basis of unverified/unverifiable secondary data, presumed as primary data. The study also interrogates the polemics against religious clerics, lawyers, police, and the State of Pakistan that characterizes the content of the reports.
The study also underscores the narrative internal to minority communities, particularly Dalits, and found that irrespective of the influence of religious clerics or dominant Muslim communities, the young girls and women have acquired some agency to transcend the domestic or familial pressure of the patriarchs to challenge ‘forced’ marriages, and to break caste-based and religious barriers. Some Dalit activists maintain that the narrative of ‘forced’ conversion is being projected by the privileged caste Hindus to maintain their hegemony over the emerging political class of Dalits.
The report, therefore, concludes that the issue of conversion is more complicated than it is made out to be in everyday politics. The reports and simultaneous projection of the statements through social media and the internet seem more political rather than objective and impartial accounts based on scientific authenticity. Additionally, this study contends that although academic studies on the subject suspect the monolithic narrative of NGO reports, they have not adequately addressed hidden and public scripts of the rights activists, Hindus, Dalits, victim families, and alleged perpetrators. Finally, this analysis recommends primary research into the subject to understand the phenomenon of faith conversions, various factors contributing to it, and the justification and
objectives of the rhetoric being promoted through various reports and statements.
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