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‘A da’wah movement in Mauritius: A study of the Jamaat-Ul-Muslimeen’ is based on qualitative research and its objective is to examine the socio-cultural factors that may hinder the processes of da’wah in Mauritius. The study is placed in the context of a well-known national Islamic organisation, the Jamaat-Ul-Muslimeen whose founder is Mr. Muhammad Cehl Fakeemeeah, a Member of the National Parliament. The movement is also associated with a political party, the FSM (Front Solidarité Mauricien) or the Mauritian Solidarity Front. The Jamaat-Ul-Muslimeen seeks to propose an alternative da’wah program in order to promote understanding between Muslims and non-Muslims and to accelerate the progression of conversion in Mauritius. The movement is involved in politics and mass media in order to reach the maximum number of people in the island. Emphasis is put on the urgent need for each individual to understand the concept of God as well as reading the Qur’an in order to avoid falling into the traps of traditional da’wah which has prevailed in Mauritius for decades.The present thesis analyses data provided in face to face interviews with a number of Mauritian converts as well as observation and discussions with other born Muslim members, all adherents of the said organisation. The Mauritian society is well-known for its multi-religious and multi-cultural background, influenced mainly by the majority, the Hindu community which consists of more than 50 % of the whole population. According to Soonita Kistamah 1, the percentage of Muslims is only 17, 3 % of the whole Mauritian population and this demonstrates a large gap concerning the work of da’wah in the island. Therefore the thesis will investigate factors that hinder da’wah by focusing on one particular movement – the Jamaat Ul Muslimeen. After having scanned the available literature, no specific study on da’wah in Mauritius was found. There is therefore a gap in the knowledge of da’wah especially issues such as socio-cultural factors that may affect da’wah progression within the Mauritian context. This thesis is a contribution to filling this gap. Since the thesis wishes to understand the socio-cultural factors which hinder the progress of da‘wah in Mauritius a qualitative approach was deemed most appropriate to explore this issue. The thesis begins providing my motivation for writing on the topic of da‘wah, a statement of the problem, research objectives, significance of the study, and the theory and methodology applied. Chapter II provides an overview of Mauritius and its history. Emphasis is given to the events of the 12th March 1968, that is, the civil war which occurred between Christians and Muslims which led to ethnic tensions. Another communal crisis which occurred in February1999 between Black Creole and the Hindu community is also examined. Chapter III will provide a biography of Cehl Meeah, the founder of Jamaat-Ul-Muslimeen, his broader religious and political outlook and the history and da‘wah methodology of his organization. Chapter IV examines this methodology in the light of certain theoretical considerations with regard to da‘wah. Chapter V discusses and interprets the results and findings that emerge from interviews and discussions with converts belonging to the Jamaat-Ul-Muslimeen. Chapter VI concludes the dissertation and lists recommendations with regard to da‘wah methodology in Mauritius. / Religious Studies & Arabic / M.A. (Islamic Studies)

‘A da’wah movement in Mauritius: A study of the Jamaat-Ul-Muslimeen’ is based on qualitative research and its objective is to examine the socio-cultural factors that may hinder the processes of da’wah in Mauritius. The study is placed in the context of a well-known national Islamic organisation, the Jamaat-Ul-Muslimeen whose founder is Mr. Muhammad Cehl Fakeemeeah, a Member of the National Parliament. The movement is also associated with a political party, the FSM (Front Solidarité Mauricien) or the Mauritian Solidarity Front. The Jamaat-Ul-Muslimeen seeks to propose an alternative da’wah program in order to promote understanding between Muslims and non-Muslims and to accelerate the progression of conversion in Mauritius. The movement is involved in politics and mass media in order to reach the maximum number of people in the island. Emphasis is put on the urgent need for each individual to understand the concept of God as well as reading the Qur’an in order to avoid falling into the traps of traditional da’wah which has prevailed in Mauritius for decades.The present thesis analyses data provided in face to face interviews with a number of Mauritian converts as well as observation and discussions with other born Muslim members, all adherents of the said organisation. The Mauritian society is well-known for its multi-religious and multi-cultural background, influenced mainly by the majority, the Hindu community which consists of more than 50 % of the whole population. According to Soonita Kistamah 1, the percentage of Muslims is only 17, 3 % of the whole Mauritian population and this demonstrates a large gap concerning the work of da’wah in the island. Therefore the thesis will investigate factors that hinder da’wah by focusing on one particular movement – the Jamaat Ul Muslimeen. After having scanned the available literature, no specific study on da’wah in Mauritius was found. There is therefore a gap in the knowledge of da’wah especially issues such as socio-cultural factors that may affect da’wah progression within the Mauritian context. This thesis is a contribution to filling this gap. Since the thesis wishes to understand the socio-cultural factors which hinder the progress of da‘wah in Mauritius a qualitative approach was deemed most appropriate to explore this issue. The thesis begins providing my motivation for writing on the topic of da‘wah, a statement of the problem, research objectives, significance of the study, and the theory and methodology applied. Chapter II provides an overview of Mauritius and its history. Emphasis is given to the events of the 12th March 1968, that is, the civil war which occurred between Christians and Muslims which led to ethnic tensions. Another communal crisis which occurred in February1999 between Black Creole and the Hindu community is also examined. Chapter III will provide a biography of Cehl Meeah, the founder of Jamaat-Ul-Muslimeen, his broader religious and political outlook and the history and da‘wah methodology of his organization. Chapter IV examines this methodology in the light of certain theoretical considerations with regard to da‘wah. Chapter V discusses and interprets the results and findings that emerge from interviews and discussions with converts belonging to the Jamaat-Ul-Muslimeen. Chapter VI concludes the dissertation and lists recommendations with regard to da‘wah methodology in Mauritius. / Religious Studies and Arabic / M.A. (Islamic Studies)

Text in German / It is the aim of this study to present the problems concerning the conversion of Jews with communist background to Christianity. This way useful advice shall be won for the missionary work among Jews who came from the former Sowjetunion. At first the social, cultural, religious and political background of the Jews before the immigration into Zsar-Russia until their emigration from the former Sowjetunion are researched. Then, in order to research the processes of conversion, 18 former Sowjetunion Jews who live in Israel were given interview-questionaries to get an idea from personal experiences and knowledge. To get a more objective picture of the conversion subject, testimonies of messianic Jews, statements of pastors, information letters and messianic literature were also consulted. In the last part of this study the mission-theological conclusion of the conversion subject is given and reflected for the missionary work among Jews stemming from the former Sowjetunion. / Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology / M. Th. (Missiology)

This dissertation titled The History of the Catholic Church in Lesotho 1862-1989 has three chapters. The first chapter deals with the formation of the seventy-seven missions in Lesotho, and the establishment of the four dioceses of Lesotho the seventy-seven mission had all been formed during the period mentioned in the title, and those formed after appear in the appendix. The second chapter deals with the socio-political involvement of the Catholic Church in Lesotho, this part deals with the authority of the bishop and the Church government and again with the role of the bishop and his relationship to the Oblate authority. In this part four bishops are taken to illustrate this point, and this covers the period from 1930 to 1966. In short this deals with the internal affairs of the Church, and its finances. And we go on to deal with the involvement of the Church in the party politics which led to independence of the country. The last chapter deals with the church under the indigenous clergy, which actually is inculturation its problem and attempted solution. / Christianity, Spirituality, Church History and Missiology / M. Th. (Church History)

Text in German / It is the aim of this study to present the problems concerning the conversion of Jews with communist background to Christianity. This way useful advice shall be won for the missionary work among Jews who came from the former Sowjetunion. At first the social, cultural, religious and political background of the Jews before the immigration into Zsar-Russia until their emigration from the former Sowjetunion are researched. Then, in order to research the processes of conversion, 18 former Sowjetunion Jews who live in Israel were given interview-questionaries to get an idea from personal experiences and knowledge. To get a more objective picture of the conversion subject, testimonies of messianic Jews, statements of pastors, information letters and messianic literature were also consulted. In the last part of this study the mission-theological conclusion of the conversion subject is given and reflected for the missionary work among Jews stemming from the former Sowjetunion. / Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology / M. Th. (Missiology)

This thesis argues that conversion to Christianity in the Nepali city of Bhaktapur is closely connected with ethical attitudes towards suffering in Bhaktapurian churches. This argument is situated within broader debates in the anthropology of Christianity. Anthropologists have debated the extent to which Christianity is a force for cultural discontinuity, and have often connected it with modernity and individualism. I contribute to these discussions by showing how distinctively Christian conceptions of suffering may promote cultural change by stimulating new understandings of selfhood and ethics. The first three chapters explore the social life of Bhaktapur's Hindu majority. I describe how the last fifty years have seen a process of cultural unsettlement in Bhaktapur; one aspect of this unsettlement has been a disruption of traditional norms of care and deference. It is in this context that the distinctive ethics of Christianity have proved attractive to some. Those who convert have typically experienced a significant episode of suffering, and have felt themselves to be failed by those around them. They find in churches a framework that emphasises the moral significance of inner experience (I call this 'inwardness') and addresses affliction more in terms of ethics than ritual. I describe these ethics in terms of 'care': they stress presence with the afflicted person, engagement with their experience, and appeal to God in prayer. After two chapters describing Christianity in Nepal and Bhaktapur in general terms, I devote four chapters to examining different categories of Bhaktapurian Christians: those who have experienced healing, women, leaders, and youth. I focus on four conversion narratives, and relate these narratives both to other ethnographic materials and to broader trends in Bhaktapurian and global Christianity. I highlight the significance of the values of inwardness and care, and of narrative itself, in the life-worlds of Bhaktapurian Christians.

This dissertation titled The History of the Catholic Church in Lesotho 1862-1989 has three chapters. The first chapter deals with the formation of the seventy-seven missions in Lesotho, and the establishment of the four dioceses of Lesotho the seventy-seven mission had all been formed during the period mentioned in the title, and those formed after appear in the appendix. The second chapter deals with the socio-political involvement of the Catholic Church in Lesotho, this part deals with the authority of the bishop and the Church government and again with the role of the bishop and his relationship to the Oblate authority. In this part four bishops are taken to illustrate this point, and this covers the period from 1930 to 1966. In short this deals with the internal affairs of the Church, and its finances. And we go on to deal with the involvement of the Church in the party politics which led to independence of the country. The last chapter deals with the church under the indigenous clergy, which actually is inculturation its problem and attempted solution. / Christianity, Spirituality, Church History and Missiology / M. Th. (Church History)

The evidence presented in this thesis supports a view of the first Mormon men as coming from the agrarian majority of early nineteenth-century American farmers and artisans who embraced a set of manly ideals that differed significantly, in many ways, from those embraced by their middle-class contemporaries. These men's life writings attest to boyhood experiences of working alongside their fathers as soon as they were physically able, and subsequently of acting as substitute farmers and breadwinners as well as being put out to work outside the direct supervision of their fathers. Such experiences enabled them to frequently follow in the occupational footsteps of their fathers and almost always to marry at ages significantly lower that those of their more upwardly-mobile urban counterparts. Thus, they were able to follow a path to manly independence that was difficult yet direct and relatively rapidEarly Mormonism attracted an unparalleled percentage of men, who, in turn, embraced and supported the development of a the more self-confident and self-assertive theology of man in early Mormon doctrine. Compared to the other denominations of the day, a disproportionate number of early Mormon converts were, or were led to Mormonism by, men. Although these men had received prior religious instruction in their earliest years, typically from their mothers, the content of that instruction was not of the feminized variety stressed by many historians, and a significant portion of these men had been unable to achieve evangelical conversion experiences. Since many of them had previously turned to more liberal religious beliefs regarding the nature of man and his relationship to God, these men undoubtedly supported Mormonism's development of similar doctrines. Their rejection of revivalist rites of passage, which stressed submission and self-abnegation, is also consistent with their enthusiastic participation in more traditional, physically assertive, unrestrained and combative passages to manhood and rites of male bonding. Such beliefs and behaviors were in marked contrast to the manly self-restraint increasingly enjoined by the Northeastern middle class which has provided the model for most previous studies of nineteenth-century American manhood.

Recent sociological studies propose a model for understanding early Mormonism in its cultural context. Such models, while experimental, suggest commonalities between Mormonism and contemporary millennial sects. Enthusiastic beginnings, early convert response to American millennialism, the containment of charisma through institutionalization, discomfiture of Mormon millenial expectation, and the process of apostasy within the church provide the parameters of this study.The life of Hiram Page, an early convert, is used as a foil to this end. Page is prototypal of the original band of followers who were attracted to Joseph Smith. Drawn to Joseph for spiritual comfort, Page and his associates supported the Prophet's work, testified of the extraordinary events of the Mormon Restoration, and as the first believers made the movement possible. Later, they became dissatisfied with the developmental church and withdrew from fellowship in an attempt to reestablish what they perceived as the original and pristine expressions of Mormonism.