No description available.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / 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.

The South African Constitution provides a comprehensive list of rights, many of which are important, directly or indirectly, to meet the needs of religious minorities in the country. However, due to South Africa being a secular state and also having particular needs, many workplaces tend to adopt this approach which leads to a conflict between Muslims' religious obligations and the rules of the workplace. As a result, Muslim employees may perceive that their employers are religiously discriminating against them. Muslim women may face more discrimination than Muslim men as their stigma is less concealable due to their modest dressing and the hijab (religious identity marker). Surprisingly, there has been an increase in cases of religious discrimination against Muslim women. To elucidate, these Muslim women employees were asked to remove their hijab on their job as it somewhat violated the company policies. Therefore, presenting a challenge for Muslim women as their religious identity is part of their self-concept and they are required to follow their religious obligations. Informed by theories such as Social Identity Theory and Intergroup Threat Theory, the present study utilised a cross-sectional design to examine the role of Muslim identity in perceived religious discrimination in the workplace. To gain insight about the hijab in various contexts, the current study also examined the comfortability of wearing the hijab in different contexts. The participants were 75 Muslim women living and working in organisations in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The findings of this research indicate that the dimensions of Muslim identity are not significant predictors of perceived religious discrimination; however, psychological identity can lead Muslim women to perceive less or no discrimination. Furthermore, the ANOVA showed that Muslim women did not feel significantly more comfortable wearing the hijab in certain contexts. This study offered implications for both research and practice and made significant recommendations for future research.

The purpose of this study is to explore Muslims’ parenting styles and determine how factors such as religion, education, income, physical and verbal punishment experienced as a child, and the perception of Islamic childrearing influence their parenting styles. The research focuses on the main tenets of parenting in the Islamic tradition such as fatherhood, motherhood, children’s and parent’s rights and responsibilities, discipline methods, and physical punishment. The study also informs the role of marriage in Islam and the adopted concepts and theories of Western sociological literature. Findings show that authoritative parenting was the most predominant parenting style among study participants. The study also revealed that those who frequently read the Qur’an tended to be less authoritarian. Parents that experienced physical punishment as a child and who think Islam allows spanking were more likely to sponsor an authoritarian parenting style. The study findings provide insights into the complex roles of religion and parenting in Muslim groups.

In this analysis, the aim is to investigate the embodiment and transmission of identity among Swedish female converts to Islam. The examination centers on the position these women occupy in both Swedish society and the Muslim community, and whether they experience a state of “in-betweenness” due to identity conflicts. The focus is also on how Swedish female converts, who are ethnically Swedish, can become perceived as “the Other” within their own society, rooted in concepts of “Swedishness”. Assessing the position of Muslim female converts in Sweden is crucial as they frequently confront prejudiced attitudes and discrimination from both Swedish society and the Muslim community. Simultaneously, they may be considered “traitors” by Swedish society due to their conversion to Islam, resulting in a complex identity conflict where these women find themselves situated between cultures and societies. Hence, finding themselves in a position of “in-betweenness”. This essay endeavors to shed light on the difficulties and opportunities that Swedish Muslim female converts encounter, as well as to examine how they navigate their identity in a Swedish context and how they undergo a transformation from being “part of the majority” to “the Other”.

In a field such as social work, where anti-oppressive practice is preached, it is expected that educators and the academy alike work to challenge xenophobic and Islamophobic discourse. However, this may not be the case. Using a Critical Social Science frameworks, this study explores the experience of Muslim women in social work education through a qualitative methodology. A focus group was conducted with current social work students and recent graduates to explore their experience in social work education. What emerged from the data are the signs of an academy that does not embody the values and ethics it purports to teach. Through a thematic analysis of the data, three main themes emerged: the tensions and challenges between and within social work education and Islamic knowledge and Muslim identity; the marginalization and erasure of Muslim women’s voices in social work education; and the ways that Muslim women students navigate these issues. The findings bring light to the challenges Muslim women face as a result of an academy that continuously tells them that they do not belong. Implications for theorists, educators, administrators and students are explored and recommendations are given regarding the importance of the inclusion of Muslim voices in the discourse, creating safe and inclusive spaces for Muslim students, and working collectively to address the tensions and challenges that Muslim women face in social work education. / Thesis / Master of Social Work (MSW)

<p>The purpose of this study is to examine whether religious behavior or religious identity changes when a person with Muslim background moves to a Christian country and also very secular such as Sweden. </p><p>I have interviewed five people with Muslim background that have moved from Turkey to Sweden. In this study I have applied Anthony Giddens and Thomas Ziehe's theories about building up an identity but also Nader Ahmadis theory of migration and identity.</p><p>The results of this study show that there is a change in the practice of religion but also that this differs between these five people who came from the same country. Nevertheless, a change in the practice of religion can on one hand be as a result of modernity and on the other hand, exclusion of family. It also proves that it is not possible to draw general conclusions on this issue instead it should be looked at from an individual perspective.</p>

The purpose of this study is to examine whether religious behavior or religious identity changes when a person with Muslim background moves to a Christian country and also very secular such as Sweden.  I have interviewed five people with Muslim background that have moved from Turkey to Sweden. In this study I have applied Anthony Giddens and Thomas Ziehe's theories about building up an identity but also Nader Ahmadis theory of migration and identity. The results of this study show that there is a change in the practice of religion but also that this differs between these five people who came from the same country. Nevertheless, a change in the practice of religion can on one hand be as a result of modernity and on the other hand, exclusion of family. It also proves that it is not possible to draw general conclusions on this issue instead it should be looked at from an individual perspective.

Contributing to the literature on the Muslim experience post-9/11, the purpose of this study was to engage with a group that is often talked about, but not with: Muslim youth. Using an integrative anti-racist and anti-colonial approach with an emphasis on a spiritual way of knowing, this study gives voice to young Muslim activists in Toronto who have made the choice to “do something”. The study aims to understand what motivates these young activists, particularly in the context of post-9/11 Islamophobia, with the goal being to challenge stereotypical perceptions of Muslims, while contributing to the body of knowledge that aims to disrupt dominant notions of what “Canadian” identity is. The following analysis helps answer this question, which includes the role of spirituality, the attachment to Canadian identity and the desire to educate. Key challenges and what these youth prescribe for Canada’s future are also discussed.

Within the sample of Muslim-majority countries, the links between how explicitly "Islamic" a society is, the status of women, and economic and other societal outcomes is explored. A country is considered more or less "Islamic" depending upon if Islam is the official state religion, if Islamic law forms a basis for the legal system, and the degree to which the country has rejected or maintained traditional Islamic norms such as regarding the acceptance of polygamy and the legal obligation of women to wear the veil in public. It is found that if a country is more "Islamic," it tends to also have worse outcomes along different dimensions, such as degree of authoritarianism and absence of women's rights. However, focusing exclusively on whether the country has Islamic law as a basis of the legal system, these countries tend to be richer. An extremity index is composed, which contains only variables which describe the status of women in Muslim countries, along educational and legal dimensions. It is found in regressions that this extremity index is a statistically significant predictor of economic growth, where higher extremity leads to lower GDP growth rates. Oil is still an extremely important factor in explaining the variation in GDP levels and growth rates in the Muslim world.