ABSTRACT OCH NYCKELORD    Böneutrop har debatterats mycket i Sverige sedan våren 2018, en bidragande orsak är stiftelsen Växjö muslimer som fick tillstånd av polismyndigheten att ha högtalarsända böneutrop. Syfte är att studera religionens plats i det offentliga rummet genom att analysera böneutrop i Växjö. För att belysa händelsen använder jag kvalitativ metod, baserad på överklagan till tingsrätten, mediedebatten samt lagstiftningen. Min uppsats visar på att religionen har ett stort utrymme i det offentliga rummet i Sverige, oberoende om individen är troende eller inte.

The publication of Qur’an commentaries authored by contemporary Muslims provide glimpses into influential trends that have been competing for the attention of contemporary Muslims. This dissertation primarily examines three works of Qur’anic translation and exegesis (Ar. Tafsīr) in the English language. These works are representative of three influential trends or schools of thought in contemporary Islam: an “Islamist” or “Activist” trend represented by Abu’l ‘Ala Mawdudi, a rationalist-modernist trend represented by Muhammad Asad, and a Salafi trend represented by the Mubarakpūrī English abridgement of the medievalist Ibn Kathīr's hadith-based tafsir. These commentators often engage earlier Qur’anic commentaries and make choices about which voices and positions from the “classical legacy” they foreground, highlighting what they believe may resonate with their readers. The first chapter provides an historical overview to some of the major trends in Qur’anic exegesis. The second chapter provides background on the commentators, including the social and political contexts of the commentators as well as their education and important aspects of their careers. The third and fourth chapters focus on two chapters of the Qur’an (Q12 and Q18) as these appear in the three commentaries, highlighting how modern commentators reflect their own concerns and context and their various reform projects in their interpretations of Muslim scripture. I supplement the main three commentators with a sample of contemporary living voices who also comment on these two Qur’anic chapters to highlight how Muslims continue to reinterpret the Qur’anic texts in relation to what they see as most relevant and meaningful. Chapter five looks at how these works have been received and considers how they offer a window into the contestation taking place in contemporary Islam. I conclude with a reflection upon my own teaching of these two chapters in a university setting. While the Islamic scholarly traditions and Qur’anic commentaries are a multilayered, polyvalent tradition, these traditions are often (unfortunately) truncated by many contemporary Muslims. I try to highlight certain areas where the contemporary commentaries are, on the one hand, generally narrower than the rich polyvalent traditions of the premodern exegetical tradition, but on the other hand, move in new directions as Muslims today relate their readings of scripture to contemporary concerns. This analysis of contemporary Qur’anic commentaries and their commentators moves beyond freezing Muslims into the fixed category of the “premodern.” Though the three commentaries were chosen to be representative of three important trends in modern Islam, the dissertation is also careful to show that the boundaries between these approaches are often fluid, providing concrete examples of how contemporary Muslims are reinterpreting Muslim scripture, affirming and selecting from the premodern tradition, critical of certain aspects of that tradition, and also adding their own voices to make the Qur’anic text speak to their modern situations.

Thesis advisor: M. Brinton Lykes / Every day Muslim women in the United States wake up to a harsh political world that attacks their identities, communities, and freedom. In this context, Muslim women endure immense psychological tolls on their sense of identity, safety, and relationships. For many of them, walking out the door and claiming their Muslim identity is an act of political resistance. Despite the disempowerment they may experience, many engage in social actions to resist these oppressive forces. Yet, Muslim women activists have received strikingly little attention in the psychological literature. To date, no research has explored the psychosocial experiences of Muslim women who engage in activism, nor the meanings they make of these engagements or their trajectories of resistance. Using a participatory research approach informed by art-based inquiry techniques, this inductive qualitative study explored 10 Muslim women activists’ trajectories into and experiences of engaging in social action. A constructivist theoretical model of Muslim women activists' processes of resistance and community liberation was developed through qualitative inductive analyses of in-depth interviews and participants’ illustrations. Eight “clusters” have been configured to map a model that represents both processes and outcomes of how these 10 women engaged, experienced, and made meaning of their activism. They include: (1) living in a post 9/11 sociopolitical context; (2) navigating the Muslim community context; (3) internal experiences of being a Muslim woman; (4) guiding ideals toward activism journey; (5) development of political analyses; (6) resistance actions toward social change; (7) burdens and benefits of engagement in resistance; and (8) supportive forces in the process of resistance.  Although only representative of 10 participants, the model is sufficiently theorized to suggest that life in a multiply traumatizing context shapes Muslim women activists’ experiences, precluding and contributing to their persistence and resistance throughout and during their engagement in social change work. Political analyses and ideals are vital in their descriptions of their trajectories of becoming activists. Benefits and burdens that are inevitable in social change work include both the thrill and fun of engaging in activism as well as the costs to relationships and conflicts inherent in such work. Finally, encouragement by other Muslims and allies is discussed as a valuable source of support to Muslim women activists. Limitations are discussed and implications are proposed to inform possibilities for future healing centered research and action. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2020. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Counseling, Developmental and Educational Psychology.

Mian Mohammad Sharif's Muslim Thought: Its Origin and Achievements was first published in 1951 in Lahore, Pakistan. Discussing the most important facts about the origin and the evolution of Islamic science and philosophy, it points out historical connections between the Islamic and Western civilizations in fields of literature, philosophy, science and law. It makes the case that the Western civilization owes its progress in science and philosophy to the medieval Islamic world. The importance of the book arises from the fact that its author was one of the pioneers of philosophical study in Pakistan, and from the fact that it is a short, lucid and comprehensive introduction to the field. This thesis has produced a standardized text of Muslim Thought: it has edited the book for mistakes, typing errors and factual revisions; it has included a detailed bibliography of the sources that existed before 1951 or the post-1951 sources that provide credence to the historical references in the book; it includes a glossary of those names, places and words that may not be clear to all the readers and that are not self-explanatory within the context of the book. The thesis is accompanied by an Introduction that contributes new facts about Sharif's scholarly works and discusses the significance of this edition by placing it within the history of editorial work done in South Asia.

The purpose of this thesis is to analyze the way in which religious beliefs and practices are instrumentalized by a Muslim community in order to strengthen Afro-Colombian ethnic identity, in an urban context of social exclusion. The study aims to examine the relationship between ethnicity and religion, and the role they play in the process of identity construction, particularly the way in which religious concepts and behaviors can be used to fortify ethnic identity. Another aim of this research is to describe and understand the processes of social change in an ethnic-religious minority and, as a final goal, to analyze the history of the Afro-Colombian Muslim community of Buenaventura. The thesis is based on fieldwork, which includes observation activities and interviews with members of the Muslim community in Buenaventura. A total of 21 participants between the ages of 18 and 72 are included in this study, all of them of Afro-Colombian origin. It is clear that the religious conversion of Afro-Colombians to Islam took place within the complex socio-political context of the Colombian conflict. To be sure, the adoption of this new religious perspective did not evolve in an isolated manner, rather, it transformed the identity of the community by strengthening the value of ethnic differences in a place of segregation. In this way, this thesis analyzes the role of religion as an important element in the construction of ethnic identity. Departing from this paradigm, we will look into some theological concepts, such as the Islamic jurisprudence and rituals, which have been reworked, in order to accommodate local aspirations for social mobility and ethnic differentiation. It is important to keep in mind, however, that this cultural negotiation happens at the margins of the dominant society, which negatively views Afro-Colombian minorities, or simply ignores them. Other findings include the identification of key moments of the historical development of the community; the analysis of the processes of conversion to Islam in this population; and the description of the organization, institutionalization, and hierarchy in the community in accordance with the changes from the Islamic perspective they have developed through its five-decade history.

Depression is a serious mental health condition which affects millions of people around the world. The biomedical model of illness categorises depression as a clinical disorder and primarily physiological in origin. However, conceptions of mental health such as depression may vary contextually because they are shaped by cultural understandings of illness. Research is encouraged to further investigate the context and culture of those affected, in an effort to better respond to local realities and psychologies. A qualitative research approach was utilised in this study, with social constructionism as its paradigmatic point of departure. One in-depth semi-structured interview was conducted with five South African Indian Muslim women from the greater Johannesburg area. Thematic analysis was used to interpret the interviews. Four main themes surfaced; what depression is and is not, causes of depression, treatment and stigma. Each main theme included various sub-themes. In addition, culture and gender arose from the analysis, as influential constructs across these themes. These themes highlighted the complexity and importance of culture and gender on the constructions of depression, for these women. These findings encourage the inclusion for cultural sensitivity in treating Indian Muslim women, and responding to the broader community’s needs. This can assist mental healthcare professionals to integrate culture and gender, as constructs, in offering more effective and appropriate treatment for lay understandings of depression, to respond to local realities. Furthermore, these findings add to a growing body of research which attempts to broaden and deepen understandings of mental health and culture, to better respond to patient’s needs. / Mini dissertation (MA (Clinical Psychology))--University of Pretoria, 2021. / Psychology / MA (Clinical Psychology) / Unrestricted

My experiences as a Canadian Muslim nurse wearing a hijab have sparked the question concerning the experiences of nurses who, in their daily practice, choose to wear a head cover, an immediate visual signifier of their Muslim identity. I wish to generate understanding of how this religious identity and its racialization intersect with gender to shape nurses’ experiences with anti-Muslim racism. Through listening to the stories of ten Canadian Muslim nurses who were recruited across Canada and who wear different types of the hijab, come from varied and diverse cultural and educational backgrounds, and practice in different healthcare settings and contexts, their experiences are highlighted, and their voices are illuminated, revealing valuable insights into the challenges they encounter in their daily nursing practice. I situate these experiences within a conceptualization of Islamophobia and, more specifically, gendered Islamophobia as a form of anti-Muslim racism that is often experienced by women and girls who are identifiable as Muslims. In this dissertation, I attend to the overarching question: What are the experiences of Canadian Muslim nurses wearing hijab and practicing within the Canadian healthcare system? This question encompasses three sub questions: 1) How do Muslim nurses’ social locations that are produced at the intersections of gender-race-religion converge in understanding their experiences? 2) What are the power relations enacted within the discipline of Canadian nursing that produce and sustain social locations experienced by nurses who wear a hijab? 3) What are the ways these nurses resist their racialization and push against master-narratives that are constructed about them? These questions are approached using narrative inquiry as a research methodology that is informed by critical race feminism and care ethics. These questions are also explored through intersectionality as an analytical lens to unpack the complexities of these nurses’ experiences. In this study I present the nurses’ counter-narrative that challenges the stereotypical assumptions about them and unveils the multilevel contextual power structures that preserve racism within the discipline of nursing and reproduce the processes of racialization experienced by nurses who wear a hijab. In doing so, my aim is to provide a vessel in which the nurses share their stories and to reclaim control over the reductionist Orientalist colonial narratives about them. It is my hope that knowledge gleaned from this study will inform the understanding of the structures and processes that produce and maintain racism within nursing with the goal of advancing transformational change in nursing to achieve social justice. I capture the counter-narrative of nurses who wear a hijab in three composite narratives that I constructed from their stories based on key storylines that I needed to unpack. By ‘composite narrative’ I refer to a technique where several interviews are combined and presented in one or more individual stories that are linked by a shared purpose or identity among research participants. The technique of using composite narratives to present and analyse complex and extensive data is congruent with analyzing stories as a whole instead of fragmenting them. The counter-narrative offers a point of resistance as an alternative discourse that uplifts the voices of the nurses through understanding and generating knowledge about their experiences from their standpoint. The stories of Muslim nurses who wear a hijab bridge a gap in the literature about Muslim nurses’ experiences within the current charged political environment, post 9/11 era, the COVID-19 pandemic, the Quebec ban on wearing religious symbols and the ensuing debates it generated in Canada. Their stories provide a needed and timely understanding of the implications for nursing research, policy, practice, and education to create an inclusive and supportive environment for nurses who wear a hijab. Given the interconnected nature between racism and colonialism, fostering such an environment is inherently anti-racist and decolonial. Importantly, doing the work to create safer, anti-racist spaces for nurses who wear a hijab and to decolonize nursing which would benefit all racialized nurses. / Graduate

It is important that the authors of textbooks for religious studies think about how they express themselves. They could easily be misunderstood, or they could unknowingly create truths they themselves may not stand for. This study focuses on how authors express themselves when they write about Muslims, what is expected of them, the authors, when they are governed by the syllabus. Several previous studies show tendencies of othering/second-rate of Muslims in teaching materials for religious studies. These previous studies point to a problem, that the authors should avoid othering of Muslims. What my study shows is that there are traces of othering of Muslims as practitioners of Islam, if you do not include other aspects, like for whom is “this” textbook produced for. I highlighted the requirements of the syllabus and placed the textbooks for religious studies in a larger context, which led to the othering being erased. The study shows that the authors do not second-rate Muslims in the teaching materials. Instead of second-rate Muslims, the authors problematize different traditions and rituals within Islam in the material. Admittedly, some traditions and rituals violate the norms we have in Sweden and the western Christian world, but most Muslims do not agree with the conservative and sometimes violent interpretations that we hear through the media, among other things. The teaching materials meet the requirements of the syllabus Religious Knowledge by pointing to a diversity within the religions. And creates understanding that Muslims are not a homogeneous group that act and think alike.

This study examined the perceptions of a sample of female Muslim-American students regarding their socio-cultural accommodation in California public high schools. The research provides insight into the daily lives of female Muslim-American high school students to be available to counselors, teachers, and administrators. It also illustrates female Muslim-American students' struggle in trying to adjust to the school environment. The study used perspectives from the theoretical framework of social and psycho-social development, principles of multi-cultural education, and education in Islam. The research was based on data gathered through focus groups and individual interviews with six female Muslim-American first-year university students. The study findings suggested the following: Stereotypical assumptions among fellow students, teachers, and administrators exist with regards to female Muslim-American students on California public high school campuses. Also, despite the lack of accommodation for their religious and socio-cultural practices and the fact that they are socially marginalized, the female Muslim-American students interviewed during this study were able to graduate from high school and attend university. The students attributed their success in high school to the support of their families and religious life, which prepared them to be resilient and to overcome the challenges presented by common misconceptions during their high school years.

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