Search Results (10)

Opening the debate today about the original aims of the caliphate system and the importance of the relationship between religion and politics in the Islamic tradition might look outdated or fundamentalist in a negative sense. Effectively, in today’s global imaginary, such topics are mostly related to groups like al-Qaeda and ISIS; however, the original sense of the Islamic political system has little to do with what these groups preach and do. This article aims to highlight that the real raison d’être of the relationship between religion and politics in Islam is none other than the desire and will of a believer to seek true knowledge and live according to it. This search for true knowledge where religion and politics meet is also a place where all spiritualities might find themselves together in a genuine search for the truth. Full article

The aim of this research is to contribute to the research field of Islamic pedagogies by providing empirical insights on the educational strategies used in two different educational settings: Diyanet mosques and mosque-based knowledge centers in Belgium. Previous research has mainly focused on ‘imported’, ‘cyber’, or ‘intellectual’ imams, but little attention has been paid to newly emerging local authorities which we can describe as ‘native’ imams, vaizes, and ‘preaching teachers’. Both authorities are born and raised in Belgium and tend to develop a contextualized pedagogical model to meet the needs of Muslims. The analysis is based on fieldwork notes, classroom observations, and social media research. The findings demonstrate that, although similar teaching strategies are implemented in both settings, they are performed differently. It also demonstrates that education takes place through two reflective pedagogical methods that we term as pedagogy of Muslim Identity and pedagogy of Commitment. In addition, the findings show clearly how both aspects are guided by notions such as rooting, authenticity, and community building. Full article

This article investigates the evolving landscape of religious agitation in the digital age, focusing specifically on the religious propaganda activities of female bloggers in the USA and Europe. In today’s society, religious discourse is increasingly being held on various social media channels, shaping a new trend in religious agitation. Muslim female bloggers are emerging as influential voices on these platforms, employing diverse preaching methods and discussing certain feminine topics aimed at Muslim women. This research employs a mix of quantitative, qualitative, and empirical methodologies to discover the peculiarities of the sermons delivered by them. An extensive analysis was performed to evaluate their rising influence, audience interaction, and how they differ from their male counterparts. Additionally, this study examines how Muslim female bloggers are transforming the face of the Islamic call in the USA and Europe by adopting a feminist approach. Importantly, our research work highlights the activities of non-hijabi Muslim bloggers who are influencing Western Muslim women in social media. We examine the religious discourse of Western female and male Muslim bloggers by juxtaposing their preaching activities. Besides, a comparison is made between the female Muslim bloggers in Western regions and the Islamic world. This article underscores the profound influence of social media on religious discourse and highlights their contributions to religious discourse in the digital age. Full article

Traditionalist Islamic preaching in the West is not limited to the normative aspects of theology, law, and ethics. In addition, it addresses the most pressing social and political issues that Muslims are currently confronting in the West; it also challenges Western modernity in general and secularism in particular. Two critical sermons of secularism delivered by two of the most well-known traditionalist Muslim preachers in their respective countries—Hamza Yusuf in the USA and Hani Ramadan in Switzerland—are analyzed in this study. First, I shall examine the arguments put up by these preachers against secularism and in support of post-secular society. Next, I will study the rhetorical strategies used in these two sermons. Finally, I will discuss the relevance of these two sermons to the contemporary debates in the West on contesting secularism and multiple secularisms. It is argued here that traditionalist Muslim preachers see secularism as an encroaching power that poses a danger to the figures of authority and norms that control gender, knowledge, and education within Muslim communities and societies. Full article

The Second Vatican Council and the Common Word document constitute turning points in the history of Christian–Muslim Relations. Nostra Aetate and Lumen Gentium appealed to a shared Abrahamic heritage between Christianity and Islam, and the Common Word appealed to a God-based theology, as opposed to the long-standing Prophet-based theology. Authorities in both traditions did so in the search for a shared theological foundation. While the article recognizes the vitality of the two steps, it equally recognizes that there is still much that can be done to advance Christian–Muslim relations. In this context, this article aims to achieve three primary goals: first, to demonstrate the successes of the two initiatives; second, to critically engage with them by examining their limitations; and third, to suggest “practical theology” as a medium through which the aspirations of Vatican II and the Common Word can reach a greater audience. In doing so, it proposes the concept of shahādah “bearing witness”, as opposed to the Islamic concept of daʿwah “making invitation” and the Christian concepts of preaching and messianism. Full article

Aside from being a place for congregational prayers, the West Java Pusdai Mosque is also a center for preaching and other Islamic activities in West Java. Therefore, as a place of worship for Muslims, this mosque needs to maintain a comfortable atmosphere. The comfort or solemnity of worship can be affected by the noise of the surrounding environment or the acoustics of the room. This study aims to analyze the acoustic quality of the prayer room in the Pusdai Mosque, which is influenced by several factors. This research was conducted by observing and simulating, using the Ecotect v5.50 software. A simulation was carried out with the creation of a 3D model and the addition of both the absorption coefficient of the material in the room and speakers to it. In addition, research was also strengthened by conducting literature studies on scientific articles. The simulation was carried out to determine the reverberation time and sound distribution produced by the sound sources or speakers that could indicate the acoustic quality of the Pusdai Mosque. The acoustic quality of the Pusdai Mosque is greatly influenced by the interior materials and the shape of the ceiling. Based on the results of this analysis, the Pusdai Mosque has room acoustic defects. This is due to the large use of sound-reflecting materials and the form of the ceiling, which is quite complex. This causes a lot of sound reflection to occur, causing the reverberation time to exceed the optimum limit of a 500 Hz frequency (conversational space). This causes the speaker’s voice to become an echo or hum. Therefore, the Pusdai Mosque needs to improve its room acoustics in order to create comfort and solemnity in worship. Improvement can be made by adding sound-absorbing material. Full article

This paper analyzes online sermons on Muslim loyalty to non-Muslims uttered by Tareq Oubrou, one of the most prominent Muslim religious authorities in France. The aim of this study is twofold. First, Oubrou’s rhetoric will be examined (especially in what pertains to the opening, the hybrid format of preaching, the languages used, citations, digital tools, and the closing). Second, Oubrou’s online sermons will be addressed as a counter-narrative on loyalty intended primarily to neutralize the radical Salafi discourses which forbid any form of loyalty towards non-Muslims. Oubrou utilizes online preaching: (1) to teach wider audiences of ordinary Muslims, outside of the practicing audience who attend mosques regularly, loyalty towards non-Muslims; (2) to compete for space and authoritative discourse on Islam; and (3) to prosecute radical discourses on loyalty particularly present in the virtual space as well as among undersized, albeit active, Salafi communities in France. Full article

This article provides the first academic analysis of the popular Pakistani Islamic scholar and Urdu-speaking preacher Maulana Tariq Jamil. Drawing on years of ethnographic study of the Tablighi Jama’at, the revivalist movement to which Jamil belongs, as well as content analysis of dozens of his recorded lectures, the article presents a detailed biography of the Maulana in five stages. These comprise: (a) his upbringing and early life (1953–1972); (b) his conversion to the Tablighi Jama’at and studies at the Raiwind international headquarters (1972–1980); (c) his meteoric rise to fame and ascendancy up the movement’s leadership ranks (1980–1997); (d) his development into a national celebrity (1997–2016); and (e) major causes of controversy and criticism (2014–present). Tracing his narrative register within the historical archetypes of the quṣṣāṣ (storytellers) and wuʿʿāẓ (popular preachers), the paper identifies core tenets of the Maulana’s revivalist discourse, key milestones in his life—such as the high-profile conversion to the Tablighi Jama’at of Pakistani popstar Junaid Jamshed—and subtle changes in his approach over the years. The article deploys the classical sociological framework of structure-agency to explore how Maulana Tariq Jamil’s increasing exercise of agency in preaching Islam has unsettled structural expectations within traditionalist ʿulamāʾ (religious scholar) circles as well as the Tablighi leadership. It situates his emergence within a broader trend of Islamic media-based personalities who embrace contemporary technological tools to reach new audiences and respond to the challenges of postcolonial modernity. Full article

Over the last two decades we have seen a proliferation in the number of self-proclaimed Islamic scholars preaching piety to Muslim women. An emerging few of these scholars gaining prominence happen to be women, feminizing what is predominantly a patriarchal domain of dawah (missionary work) and proselytization. Traditionally speaking, Muslim missionaries have never been restricted to a particular moral province, perhaps due to the fact that Islam was never intended as a hierarchical religion with a mosque–state divide. This makes mapping Muslim moral spaces in a hyper-globalized world—one in which shared identities and ideologies transcend territorial boundaries—all the more challenging. Using the firebrand female Muslim tele preacher, Dr. Farhat Hashmi, and her global proselytizing mission (Al-Huda International) as a springboard for discussion, this paper seeks to map out the ways in which modern Muslim women in the post-9/11 British Pakistani diaspora navigate these moral provinces. By juxtaposing the staunchly orthodox impositions of niqab-clad Dr. Hashmi, with the revolt from within Muslim spaces, from practicing, ‘middle-path’ Muslims, this paper critically engages with Saba Mahmood’s concept of the ‘politics of piety’ and its various critiques. In so doing, we reimagine Muslim spaces, as well as the moralization versus multivocality debate surrounding them, and the importance of positioning agency and complex lived realities of women occupying these spaces at the center of our analysis on Muslim moral provinces. Full article

This study aims to examine Islamic narratives heard at mosques and in study groups in the greater metropolitan area of Jakarta, Indonesia. The article asks if youth and leaders of youth organizations in Jakarta are receptive to radical/terrorist discourse or if they deliberate and weigh what certain narratives mean. Qualitative in-depth interviews were conducted with 24 subjects. These included Rohani Islamic group leaders who hold extracurricular study groups after middle and high school classes, as well as Islamic Mission organizations or Lembaga Da’wah Kampus (LDK—literally translates as Campus Mission Organization; they are some senior students and may invite Islamic scholars or themselves teach Islam and preach to students who are willing to learn Islam specially only at the university as an extracurricular activity; in this article, we translate it as Islamic Mission organization.). which exist on Jakarta’s university campuses where radical narratives are discussed. Other organizations and their leaders were also included. Questions posed to members of these organizations by the authors of this article asked if they accepted, rejected, or negotiated certain ideas regarded as radical by the Indonesian government. Respondents were asked if they believed violent acts against non-reform Muslims and non-Muslims were justified. Respondents were also asked if the Indonesian constitution, Pancasila, should continue its secular democratic legal format, or if it should be replaced by sharia law. Ultimately, most informants took more moderate stances, somewhere in between pure secularism and pure radical terrorism. In this way, this study disproves scholars such as Martin van Bruinessen (2013) who claim that Indonesian Islam is becoming more conservative, and others such as Harsono who claim Indonesian Islam is becoming more violent. While violence was condoned by some respondents, this article reveals that a majority of respondents rejected the view that sharia law should prevail. Ultimately most respondents in this study decided a balanced viewpoint was the best. Thus, this article reveals the degree of moderation of most Jakarta residents, and the nuance and depth of consideration that devout individuals give to a range of contemporary ideas as they negotiate their stance on religion, the state, and their local identities. Full article