study – Islamic Research and Information Center (IRIC) https://iric.org Sun, 17 Mar 2024 16:49:10 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.2.14 https://iric.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/iric-favicon.png study – Islamic Research and Information Center (IRIC) https://iric.org 32 32 PhD Thesis: “American Muslim Well-Being in the Era of Rising Islamophobia” https://iric.org/phd-thesis-american-muslim-well-being-in-the-era-of-rising-islamophobia/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=phd-thesis-american-muslim-well-being-in-the-era-of-rising-islamophobia https://iric.org/phd-thesis-american-muslim-well-being-in-the-era-of-rising-islamophobia/#respond Wed, 27 Sep 2023 05:25:05 +0000 https://iric.org/?p=29278 PhD Thesis: “American Muslim Well-Being in the Era of Rising Islamophobia: Mediation Analysis of Muslim American Social Capital and Health”

Author: Keith Matthew Miller

University: Indiana University

Date of Award: April 2023

Abstract:

This study aims to examine American Muslim well-being and social capital in the face of Islamophobia. Ecological frameworks and social capital theory were synthesized to provide an approach for research, analysis, and social work practice. A mediation analysis was conducted to test the mediating effect of cognitive social capital on the relationship between structural social capital and distress. The paths of structural social capital, cognitive social capital, and distress were conceptualized using the ecological framework of Berkman and colleagues. Special attention was paid to how experiences of Islamophobic discrimination affect cognitive social capital and distress. Structural social capital was operationalized as the number of active memberships in civic organizations; Cognitive social capital was operationalized as trust in major institutions such as schools and the local police and Distress was operationalized using the Kessler Distress Scale. It was hypothesized that an increase in structural social capital would show a decrease in distress with cognitive social capital mediating the path. Results showed that cognitive social capital mediates the relationship between structural social capital and distress. However, an inconsistent mediation was found where an increase in cognitive social capital shows a decrease in distress, but higher levels of structural social capital show an increase in distress. Lastly, the results of the analysis were interpreted to inform current interventions with the American Muslim community through a social work lens.

Read the full text HERE.

Source: ProQuest

]]> https://iric.org/phd-thesis-american-muslim-well-being-in-the-era-of-rising-islamophobia/feed/ 0 Muslims second ‘least-liked’ group in UK https://iric.org/muslims-second-least-liked-group-in-uk/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=muslims-second-least-liked-group-in-uk https://iric.org/muslims-second-least-liked-group-in-uk/#respond Sun, 23 Jan 2022 07:09:56 +0000 https://demo.iric.org/?p=15185 Muslims are the second “least-liked” group in the UK, according to a new study that reveals the shocking extent of Islamophobia in the country.

The study, by researchers at the University of Birmingham, found that roughly one in four Britons hold negative views of Muslims and Islam — the highest of any group apart from gypsies and Irish travelers. Over a quarter of people — 25.9 percent — feel negatively toward Muslims, and just under 10 percent feel “very negative.” Significantly more Britons hold negative views of Islam in the survey of 1,667 people than they do of other religions.

That translates into much higher support for a hypothetical policy that bars all Muslim migration to Britain. Nearly one in five people — 18.1 percent — support banning all Muslim migration to the UK, and 9.5 percent “strongly support” that idea.

The study found that Britons are very willing to pass judgment on Islam, but are extremely unlikely to have any real knowledge of the religion. “British people acknowledge their ignorance of most non-Christian religions, with a majority stating they are ‘not sure’ how Jewish (50.8 percent) and Sikh (62.7 percent) scriptures are taught,” said the study. “In the case of Islam, however, people feel more confident making a judgment, with only 40.7 percent being unsure. This is despite the fact that people are much more likely to make the incorrect assumption that Islam is ‘totally’ literalistic.”

This finding — that Britons know less about Islam but are more willing to pass judgment on the faith — “says something about how prejudice works,” Dr. Stephen Jones, author of the study and a researcher focusing on British Muslims, told Arab News. “We tend to associate prejudice with ignorance, but that’s too simple. Instead, prejudice is a kind of miseducation: Many people in this country think they know what Islam is about, and what Muslims believe, in a way that they admit they don’t for other non-Christian religions.”

Islamophobia is so widespread in Britain, Jones said, that it has become socially acceptable. That is why the report dubs it “the dinner table prejudice” — because people will openly and freely admit to their anti-Muslim prejudice, in a way that they are unlikely to with other religious or ethnic groups.

Source: Arab News

]]> https://iric.org/muslims-second-least-liked-group-in-uk/feed/ 0 Women are becoming more involved in U.S. mosques https://iric.org/women-are-becoming-more-involved-in-u-s-mosques/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=women-are-becoming-more-involved-in-u-s-mosques https://iric.org/women-are-becoming-more-involved-in-u-s-mosques/#respond Mon, 23 Aug 2021 11:18:01 +0000 https://demo.iric.org/?p=15114 Women continue to be less involved than men in mosque life in the United States, but the pattern appears to be changing, according to a recent survey of American houses of worship. The share of mosques in which adult women account for more than a quarter of all attendees at the Friday Jumah prayer service grew between 2011 and 2020, according to the new study, conducted by Ihsan Bagby, an associate professor of Islamic studies, as part of the 2020 Faith Communities Today (FACT) study. Women represented more than a quarter of attendees at just 14% of U.S. mosques in 2011, a share that rose to 21% of mosques by 2020.

Despite the increase, men continue to account for the vast majority of attendees at Friday prayer services at most U.S. mosques. Men make up the majority of Jumah prayer attendees in 94% of mosques, and there were no mosques in which men make up fewer than three-in-ten attendees at Friday prayer. The survey also found that while 44% of mosques have no children at the Friday prayer service (which typically happens during the school day), children were present in 55% of mosques.

The relatively small share of women among Friday mosque congregants aligns with results from previous Pew Research Center surveys of Muslim American adults. The Center’s most recent study, conducted in 2017, found that Muslim women were less likely than men to attend religious services at a mosque each week (37% vs. 48%), and less likely to say they were satisfied with the quality of mosques where they live (67% vs. 78%) – despite being no less likely to pray all five daily prayers (45% vs. 39%).

Source: Pew Research Center

]]> https://iric.org/women-are-becoming-more-involved-in-u-s-mosques/feed/ 0 American Muslims are 2 times more likely to have attempted suicide than other groups https://iric.org/american-muslims-are-2-times-more-likely-to-have-attempted-suicide-than-other-groups/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=american-muslims-are-2-times-more-likely-to-have-attempted-suicide-than-other-groups https://iric.org/american-muslims-are-2-times-more-likely-to-have-attempted-suicide-than-other-groups/#respond Mon, 23 Aug 2021 09:45:53 +0000 https://demo.iric.org/?p=15046 U.S. Muslims are two times more likely to have attempted suicide compared with other religious groups, according to a study published last month in JAMA Psychiatry. Nearly 8% of Muslims in the survey reported a suicide attempt in their lifetime compared with 6% of Catholics, 5% of Protestants and 3.6% of Jewish respondents. “Anecdotally and in clinical settings, we’re definitely seeing an uptick in suicides and suicide attempts,” Dr. Rania Awaad told NPR. She’s the director of the Muslim Mental Health & Islamic Psychology Lab at Stanford University and a researcher on the study.

Researchers attribute the high suicide attempt rate to two factors: religious discrimination and community stigma — both of which, they say, prevent Muslim American communities from seeking mental health services.

Of the many factors that prevent families or individuals from seeking mental health treatment, stigma is “perhaps the most significant,” according to a 2013 study that looked at the cultural backgrounds of Muslims.

SEEMA, launched in 2018, hosts support groups with licensed therapists at community centers and mosques and awareness workshops highlighting the importance of mental health and how to care for someone struggling with a mental illness.

Source: NPR (National Public Radio)

]]> https://iric.org/american-muslims-are-2-times-more-likely-to-have-attempted-suicide-than-other-groups/feed/ 0 Free access to the significant amount on content for the study of Islam and the Middle East https://iric.org/free-access-to-the-significant-amount-on-content-for-the-study-of-islam-and-the-middle-east/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=free-access-to-the-significant-amount-on-content-for-the-study-of-islam-and-the-middle-east https://iric.org/free-access-to-the-significant-amount-on-content-for-the-study-of-islam-and-the-middle-east/#respond Fri, 10 Apr 2020 07:00:53 +0000 https://demo.iric.org/?p=19087 Due to COVID-19 emergency some publishers are now offering free access to their content. These publishers offer significant amount on content for the study of Islam and the Middle East.

“Cambridge University Press is making higher education textbooks in HTML format free to access online during the coronavirus outbreak. Over 700 textbooks, published and currently available, on Cambridge Core are available regardless of whether textbooks were previously purchased.”

https://www.cambridge.org/core/what-we-publish/textbooks

Due to unprecedented demand and reported misuse publisher temporarily removed the free access to textbooks. They are working to address these concerns plan to reinstate free access as soon as possible.

“Project Muse: Free Resources on MUSE During COVID-19”

https://about.muse.jhu.edu/resources/freeresourcescovid19/

“Access to the digital Loeb Classical Library will be free to schools and universities impacted by COVID-19 until June 30th. From Harvard University Press International @HarvardUPLondon In these uncertain times, sometimes you need to look back at the classics.

Access to the digital Loeb Classical Library will be free to schools and universities impacted by COVID-19 until June 30th.  Librarians: email loebclassics_sales@harvard.edu for access.

]]> https://iric.org/free-access-to-the-significant-amount-on-content-for-the-study-of-islam-and-the-middle-east/feed/ 0 Western/MENA attitudes to religion portray a lack of faith in common values https://iric.org/western-mena-attitudes-to-religion-portray-a-lack-of-faith-in-common-values/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=western-mena-attitudes-to-religion-portray-a-lack-of-faith-in-common-values https://iric.org/western-mena-attitudes-to-religion-portray-a-lack-of-faith-in-common-values/#respond Sun, 31 Mar 2019 05:54:20 +0000 https://demo.iric.org/?p=20815 YouGovwas recently commissioned by the Muslim Council of Elders to conduct a multi-country study on attitudes to religion in the West and Middle East/North Africa region…The research included online surveys in France, Germany, Britain, the United States, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Algeria and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Fieldwork was conducted between 31st December 2018 and 31st January 2019.

As findings show, substantial portions of Western respondents in the survey perceived a clash between Islam and the values of society in their country.

This included nearly half of respondents in France (46%) and Germany (47%), and a plurality in the United States (36%) and Britain (38%) who chose this statement. Notably smaller portions chose the alternative statement – that Islam is generally compatible with the values of society in their country – including 22% in France, 20% in Germany, 17% in the United States and 24% in Britain.

In a separate survey experiment for the purpose of comparison, only 14% of US respondents perceived such a clash with Buddhism, with similar or matching results for Sikhism (15%) and Hinduism (14%). Likewise, only 6% of British respondents perceived a values clash with Buddhism, while just 8% said the same for both Sikhism and Hinduism.

In other results, general impressions of Islam were comparatively less favorable than that of other world religions among significant numbers of Western respondents.

For instance, all four Western samples had a discernibly higher number of respondents who felt unfavorable to Islam, compared with other religions.

Source: YouGov

]]> https://iric.org/western-mena-attitudes-to-religion-portray-a-lack-of-faith-in-common-values/feed/ 0 Special Issue: “Pilgrimage and Diversity in the Information Age” https://iric.org/special-issue-pilgrimage-and-diversity-in-the-information-age/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=special-issue-pilgrimage-and-diversity-in-the-information-age https://iric.org/special-issue-pilgrimage-and-diversity-in-the-information-age/#respond Sun, 24 Jun 2018 06:27:33 +0000 https://demo.iric.org/?p=22059 A Special Issue of International Journal of Information, Diversity, and Inclusion (IJIDI)

Guest Editors: Dr. Nadia Caidi, University of Toronto and Dr. Perla Innocenti, Northumbria University

Religious and secular pilgrimages have been part of human history since the beginning of time and remain very much alive today, whether it is the Holy Land, the Hajj, Lhasa, Kumbh Mela, Char Dham, or else the Camino de Santiago, Kumano Kodo, Glastonbury Tor, Elvis’s Graceland, national parks, or war memorials. Pilgrimage has been an object of study across disciplines: in art, architecture, and heritage, history, literature, social anthropology, religious studies, and tourism, among others. Yet, as a research context in information science, pilgrimage has been surprisingly overlooked. Similarly, while a body of work investigated religious tolerance and pluralism, few scholars explicitly addressed contemporary questions of diversity and inclusion in pilgrimage studies.

This Special Issue of IJIDI will address this gap by offering a combined information and diversity perspective to the study of pilgrimage; shedding light on the approaches and concepts that can enrich our understanding of the pilgrim’s journey and it complexities through the lens of information and media practices, embodied experiences, memory work, discourses and practices around diversity, curation practices, and community building in a global and digital world. This holistic approach will pave the way for a broader conversation on social phenomenology and the diversity of human information behaviors and religious/spiritual practices in the context of pilgrimage.

This Special Issue will try to answer the following questions:

– What research approaches are most suitable for exploring pilgrimage from the standpoint of diversity and inclusion in a global, networked environment?
– What framework would best account for the diverse informational rituals related to pilgrimage (including material, symbolic, affective dimensions)?
– What is the current and future role of cultural and memory institutions as resources on, and sites for, the documentation and curation of experiences and rituals in our networked world?
– How can we best understand the role played by meaning-making, authenticity, value-making, and performativity in the context of a diverse set of pilgrimages?
– How are pilgrimage traditions evolving in an age of migration and displacement? For example, what is the role of secondary shrines and new pilgrimage sites?

The International Journal of Information, Diversity, & Inclusion (IJIDI) presents wide­ ranging and multidisciplinary perspectives on the intersection of equity, social justice, and information. The journal seeks to expand the discourse on how access to, interaction with, and the use of information by a range of populations can impact individuals, communities, and society. IJIDI is a quarterly, open access, online journal.

IJIDI is a collaboration between the University of Maryland Libraries and iPAC, the Information Policy & Access Center at the University of Maryland.

More information at: https://publish.lib.umd.edu/IJIDI/

]]> https://iric.org/special-issue-pilgrimage-and-diversity-in-the-information-age/feed/ 0 The Religious Studies Project (RSP) https://iric.org/the-religious-studies-project-rsp/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-religious-studies-project-rsp https://iric.org/the-religious-studies-project-rsp/#respond Mon, 28 May 2018 06:22:17 +0000 https://demo.iric.org/?p=22318 The Religious Studies Project (RSP) is an international collaborative enterprise producing weekly podcasts with leading scholars on the social-scientific study of religion.

Since January 2012 we have released over 250 interviews (of around 30 minutes) on cutting-edge theoretical, methodological and empirical issues, which is available through the website, iTunes and other portals. In addition to the podcasts, the website also features weekly essays, roundtable discussions, book reviews, resources, and conference reports, plus our weekly digest of opportunities (jobs, journals, conferences, etc.).

The Religious Studies Project is produced by The Religious Studies Project Association (SCIO), a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organization (charity number SC047750).

The RSP was launched in 2012 by Christopher R. Cotter (University of Edinburgh) and David G. Robertson (The Open University) to help disseminate contemporary issues in RS to a wider audience and provide a resource for undergraduate students of RS, their teachers, and interested members of the public.

The RSP is a non-profit charitable organization supported by the British Association for the Study of Religions (BASR), North American Association for the Study of Religion, and the International Association for the History of Religions.

We have a lot of ideas for the future, and we hope to continue complementing the excellent journals, conferences, associations and other resources already out there representing our field.

Contacts

]]> https://iric.org/the-religious-studies-project-rsp/feed/ 0 Austria: Muslim kindergarten study reviewed for text changes https://iric.org/austria-muslim-kindergarten-study-reviewed-for-text-changes/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=austria-muslim-kindergarten-study-reviewed-for-text-changes https://iric.org/austria-muslim-kindergarten-study-reviewed-for-text-changes/#respond Sun, 09 Jul 2017 05:47:54 +0000 https://iric.org/?p=25357 A study commissioned by an Austrian government minister critical of Vienna’s Muslim-run kindergartens has ignited a political fight between the minister’s party and rivals seizing on allegations that his staff rewrote parts of the study to make it more negative. The University of Vienna is examining a study on Austrian kindergartens run by Muslims for possible changes in the text allegedly made by officials of Sebastian Kurz’s foreign and integration ministry to make it more negative.

The study’s author, a professor at the University of Vienna, says he would never allow his work to be changed, while Foreign and Integration Minister Sebastian Kurz has indirectly denied the allegations. But the alleged tampering reported by Austrian media was serious enough for the university to announce the study was under review for evidence of possible manipulation.

The incident also has injected a potential note of volatility in Austria’s national election scheduled for October. Kurz’s chance to become Austria’s next chancellor could hinge on the outcome of the university’s review.

Austrian Chancellor Christian Kern — a Social Democrat whose greatest challenge to re-election is Kurz’s conservative People’s Party — said Wednesday that the matter needs to be investigated but he doesn’t believe the minister was personally involved in any wrongdoing… Kurz has responded only indirectly to the text-altering allegations, saying the study “carries … the handwriting” of University of Vienna Islam expert Ednan Aslan, its author.

Aslan himself says he backs the report “to the last period.” In first reporting the allegations, the monthly Falter magazine juxtaposed several texts it said showed willful changes to the original wording to reflect negatively on kindergartens run by Muslims. One section purportedly written by Aslan originally said Muslim parents look for “values like respect, tolerance, individuality of the child … love, warmth and security, independence and transparent rules” in such kindergartens.

The magazine reported that the text was rewritten at the ministry to say parents consider “the transmission of Islamic values of paramount importance” for their children in Muslim-run kindergartens.

Source: The Washington Post

]]> https://iric.org/austria-muslim-kindergarten-study-reviewed-for-text-changes/feed/ 0 Imam Zakariya Academy https://iric.org/imam-zakariya-academy/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=imam-zakariya-academy https://iric.org/imam-zakariya-academy/#respond Tue, 03 Jan 2017 11:17:43 +0000 https://demo.iric.org/?p=25102 In Depth Study of Subjects Such as Tafsir, Hadith, Fiqh and Their Principles

Under the guidance of Mufti Shah Sadruddin

Alim Course

The aim of the Alimiyyah curriculum is to produce Ulama (scholars) and leaders who are competent in the Islamic sciences such as Tafsir and Hadith possessing the professional skills necessary to serve, guide and lead the Muslim community with excellence. In addition to imparting knowledge and skills, the curriculum, and the environment within which it is taught is designed to produce scholars whose scholarship is marked by tradition, intelligence, piety, responsibility, and generosity of spirit, ensuring that we are not simply producing academics and professionals seeking a career but are reproducing the selfless spirit that has always been so characteristic of Islamic scholarship.

Duration

The course consists of seven years, with emphasis given to learning Arabic syntax (Nahw) and Morphology (Sarf) in particular in the first two years. Taught in the English medium by ulamah who have graduated from various darul ulooms (including Bury, Dewsbury, Blackburn and India), the course is intensive in its content, and requires motivation and a keen zeal for knowledge.

Books in 1st and 2nd year

The course itself comprises seven years. The kitabs studied are mainly in Arabic, with explanation given in English.

In the first year, students build up their knowledge of Arabic grammar by studying the following books:

  • Taudheeh un Nahw (English)
  • Imdad us Sarf Part 1 (English)
  • Behishti Zewar
  • Qasas un Nabiyyeen (Arabic)
  • Duroos ul Lughah (Arabic)
  • Tajweed

The second year is a more detailed study of Arabic grammar with emphasis placed on reading Arabic texts correctly. Students also begin to memorize Ahaadeeth compiled in the kitab Zaad u Taalibeen by Hadhrat Moulana Ashiq Elah Bulandshehri. Fiqh is also taught in detail. The kitabs studied include:

  • Hidayat un Nahw (Arabic)
  • Qasas un Nabiyyeen (3&4)
  • Provisions for the Seekers (Hadith)
  • Fiqh ul Muyassar
  • Noor ul Idhaah
  • Duroos ul Lughah (3)

Contacts

]]> https://iric.org/imam-zakariya-academy/feed/ 0