Comparative Perspectives from Malaysia and Britain

By Sara Ashencaen Crabtree

Publisher: Routledge (January 31, 2021)

Drawn from over fifty-eight individual, in-depth, qualitative interviews with women of faith in Malaysia and Britain, Women of Faith and the Quest for Spiritual Authenticity is a multifaith, multicultural and cross-cultural comparative focus that explores women’s religious expressions, as derived from practising Buddhists, Hindus, Christians, Muslims, Jews, Wiccans and Druids among others.

This is an ecumenical and entertaining ethnography where women’s narratives and life stories ground faith as embodied, personal, painful, vibrant, diverse, illuminating and shared. This book will of interest not only to academics and students of the sociology of religion, feminist and gender studies, politics, ethnicity and Southeast Asian studies, but is equally accessible to the general reader broadly interested in faith and feminism.

About the Author

Sara Ashencaen Crabtree is Professor of Social and Cultural Diversity at Bournemouth University, UK. She has worked extensively in Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and the Middle East and is widely published in the areas of gender, vulnerability, discrimination, disadvantage, cross-cultural issues and belief.

Table of Contents

1. Searching for the Sacramental: An Introduction
2. Gender and Faith: A Critical Review
3. ‘When Eve Delved’: Fieldwork Reflections
4. What is it to be a Woman of Faith?
5. God the Patriarch and Other Relatives
6. The Sacred, Sacramental and Sex
7. The Damnable, Salvational and Salvageable
8. Conclusions and Contemplations

Source: Routledge

Japan came top of the list with visa-free access to 191 countries, followed by Singapore and South Korea. The rest of the top 10 was dominated by Western nations.

Meanwhile, a Malaysian passport allows its citizens to travel to 178 countries visa-free. The Malaysian passport has such prestige because Malaysia is a developed country that has strong bilateral relations which a number of regional and international bodies.

The UAE (18th) and Brunei (23rd) were the only other Muslim nations which ranked highly on the list. The UAE has climbed a remarkable 47 places over the past 10 years and now has a visa-free/visa-on-arrival score of 171.

In general Middle Eastern countries made strong gains on the list as part of overall efforts to boost trade and tourism. The UAE and Saudi Arabia each climbed four places, while Oman climbed three. Saudi Arabia is now in 66th place, with citizens able to access 77 destinations around the world without a prior visa, while Oman sits in 64th place, with a visa-free/visa-on-arrival score of 79.

But migration and mobility trends in the Middle East were largely driven by conflict. Deepening conflicts in Libya, Syria, and Yemen, and with renewed anti-government protests in Egypt, Iraq, and Lebanon, forced displacement which will most likely continue to dominate migration and mobility patterns within the Middle East. Moreover, most Muslim passports appeared at the bottom of the list with Afghanistan ranked last in 107th place. It has only 26 visa free destinations…

Source: 5pillars.uk