Search Results (118)

This article examines the development of Islamic education in Islamic primary schools in the Netherlands from 1988 to 2025. Since the early 1970s, the Muslim population in the Netherlands has grown significantly—initially due to labor migrants from Turkey and Morocco, and later as a result of asylum seekers from countries such as Somalia, Iraq, and Syria. The desire to practice and pass on their faith led to the establishment of mosques, educational centers, boarding schools, and eventually Islamic primary schools. In 1987, some of the founders of Islamic primary schools aspired to establish institutions similar to Madrasas, focusing heavily on Islamic instruction such as Qur’an recitation and Hadith studies. However, these ambitions could not be realized due to funding requirements. Others were inspired by the Imam Hatip schools in Turkey, which offer religious subjects such as Qur’an, Hadith, and Sira (the life of the Prophet Muhammad) alongside the national curriculum. Ultimately, a Dutch model of Islamic education emerged—partly influenced by the Imam Hatip concept, yet possessing a distinct identity. This study investigates how Islamic education has evolved in practice through semi-structured interviews, school observations, document analysis, and a national survey of religion teachers. The findings indicate that the desire to provide Islamic religious education was the primary motive behind the founding of the first Islamic primary school in 1988. Since then, this objective has remained central to school boards and parents alike. Religious education has progressed from fragmented teaching materials rooted in Arabic and Turkish contexts to coherent, Dutch-language curricula. By 2025, the teaching materials of Worden wie je bent (“Becoming Who You Are”) and the Amana have become dominant. Instruction encompasses not only religious knowledge and Qur’an recitation but also social-emotional development, citizenship, and sexuality education within an Islamic framework. Full article

Background: This study’s objective was to be the first to explore the ethnicity/cultural origins, gender identity, ability/disability, sexual orientation, socioeconomic background, and harassment/discrimination experiences of Canadian radiation oncologists (ROs). Methods: Following a literature review and input from content experts, an ethics-approved national cross-sectional electronic survey was developed in English and French and electronically distributed to all ROs in Canada (n = 598). Descriptive statistics summarized responses. Comparisons between groups were performed using Chi-square tests, and content analysis was performed on open-ended responses. Results: The survey was completed in full by 42.5% of ROs (254/598). Most respondents were male (62.9%), 35–44 years old (39.2%), and heterosexual (94.3%). 41.2% identified as belonging to a racialized group, which is higher than the overall Canadian population (27%), but Black, Indigenous, and Southeast Asian ROs were underrepresented (1.9% vs. 4%, <1% vs. 5% and 1.6% compared to 4%, respectively). A significant subset analysis showed that only 20% (21/105) of racialized ROs were women, whereas Caucasian women comprised 49.3% (74/150) of Caucasian respondents (p < 0.001). While 75.4% of respondents reported job satisfaction, 42.1% reported experiencing workplace discrimination/harassment within the past 5 years; most commonly, this was perpetrated by fellow faculty (31.7%; 58/183) or patients or their family members (31.7%; 58/183). Respondents felt that gender, race/ethnicity, and age were the three top reasons for discrimination/harassment, with double the amount of racialized ROs reporting harassment compared to White ROs (p < 0.001). Nearly half (45.2%; 114/252) did not understand how to report, or felt uncomfortable reporting, workplace discrimination/harassment. Conclusions: This study highlights high harassment and discrimination rates amongst Canadian ROs, especially amongst racialized women, which may affect career satisfaction and attrition rates. Compared to census data, Black, Indigenous, and Southeast Asian ROs were underrepresented, and amongst racialized ROs, racialized women were significantly underrepresented. These findings underscore the need for targeted diversity initiatives, improved mentorship programs, and stronger institutional policies to address harassment and foster an inclusive work environment. Full article

This study critically examines the civil–religious influence of Korean conservative Protestantism, which mobilizes heteronormative strategies to oppose anti-discrimination and family rights legislation, through the lens of Christian normativity. These movements justify heteronormative values by appealing to the immutability of the “creation order” in Genesis. Yet such literalist interpretations disregard contemporary findings in evolutionary biology and animal behavior that document same-sex phenomena across species, thereby framing creation and evolution in rigid opposition. Imported from American fundamentalism, “creation science” has further fueled an anti-intellectual public sentiment that naturalizes heterosexuality as divine law. The absolutism of the creation order and special revelation exposes deep theological contradictions when confronted with the existence of diverse sexual and gender identities. In response, this study turns to process theology, which reimagines creation as open-ended, dynamic, and co-creative. Engaging Catherine Keller’s apophatic theology to reopen theological space for sexual minorities, it further develops Justin Sabia-Tanis’s interpretation of transgender transformation as a process of co-evolution, in dialogue with Donna Haraway’s notion of cyborg hybridity. Moreover, drawing on John B. Cobb Jr.’s “persuasive political theology,” it argues that participation in divine co-creation must be expanded into the socio-political sphere. Ultimately, this study seeks to resist anti-intellectualism and advocate for a transformative Christian civil religion in Korea—one oriented toward justice, inclusion, and continual co-creation. Full article

Hate speech comprises expressions that promote discrimination, violence, and the exclusion of individuals or groups based on identity characteristics such as race, gender, religion, or sexual orientation. Social media platforms have provided a space for the amplification of such discourse, fostering a climate of intolerance that undermines social and democratic coexistence. In the educational sphere, hate speech has a detrimental impact on the initial training of students and teachers. That its presence within school environments contributes to social fragmentation, the deterioration of learning processes, and an increase in violence. Furthermore, such discourse reinforces prejudices and stereotypes that hinder the construction of a critical and pluralistic citizenship. From the outset of teacher education, it is essential to develop pedagogical strategies that foster critical thinking and education in democratic values. Digital literacy and explicit instruction on the impact of hate speech can contribute to the prevention of these exclusionary dynamics. An inclusive and reflective education is key to counteracting the effects of intolerance in contemporary society. Full article

In Fulton v. City of Philadelphia, the United States Supreme Court ruled that the city of Philadelphia could not exclude a Catholic Social Services agency from the city’s foster care system because it would not work with same-sex couples. Access to foster care agencies, however, is a public benefit that should not involve religious qualifications interposed by a nongovernmental organization. When aided by public funds, religious organizations should not receive exemptions from nondiscrimination laws to deny potential clients services because they disagree with these clients’ religious beliefs, sexual orientations, or marital status. First, equal access to public funds is not neutral when it allows religious entities to limit the life plans of others who do not share their convictions. Second, religious entities should certainly be able to advance religion but not on the public dollar. Finally, although exemptions for these entities augment the free exercise of religion, especially when accompanied by public funds, they also amount to what has been termed a “shadow establishment”. Full article

“If it wasn’t for the women” is a common refrain in Black Church culture, made most popular by Cheryl Townsend Gilkes’ sociology of religion work in the 1990s. As conversations grow around a perceived disconnection from the church—particularly among younger generations—many Black congregations and denominations are asking the following question: Where do we go from here? One possible response is to ask the women. Black women have long been central to the sustenance and theological framing of the Black Church. However, many contemporary Black women theologians and church-adjacent writers are reshaping religious discourse in ways that move beyond traditional ecclesial boundaries and into the interiority of Black womanhood. This turn should be considered essential in any reimagining of the Black Church. This paper employs content analysis to examine five contemporary works by Black women thinkers—Candice Benbow, Lyvonne Briggs, Tricia Hersey, EbonyJanice Moore, and Cole Arthur Riley—whose writings reflect Black women’s embodied spirituality, theological imagination, cultural meaning-making, and institutional critique within Black religious life. Rather than signaling a decline in moral or spiritual life, their work points to the search for sacred spaces that are more liberative, inclusive, and attuned to lived experience. Through a thematic analysis of Power, Authority, and Institutional Critique; Afrofuturistic Visioning of Faith; Sacred Embodiment and Spiritual Praxis; Language and Rhetorical Strategies; Gender, Sexuality, and Sacred Autonomy; and Liberation, Justice, and Social Transformation, this study contributes to the evolving conversation on Black women’s spirituality, leadership in religious spaces, and a possible iteration of the Black Church. Full article

Background: The existing literature often oversimplifies the complex relationship between religion and Adolescent and Youth Sexual and Reproductive Health (AYSRH), particularly regarding church-based interventions. This study aimed to investigate the nature and implementation strategies of church AYSRH programmes within their belief systems to inform effective programme development. Methodology: An interpretive descriptive design was employed. Data were collected in the Vaal Triangle region of South Africa (Vanderbijlpark, Vereeniging, and Sasolburg) between August 2019 and February 2020. In-depth interviews were conducted with pastors, government officials, and school principals. Focus group discussions were held with parent and youth church groups alongside youth groups from Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges. Data were analyzed using Atlas.ti v.23. Results: Church-based AYSRH interventions primarily emphasize information provision and abstinence until marriage, aligned with prevailing moral values. These interventions are delivered through integration into existing church programmes and collaborations with external stakeholders for specialized areas like contraception. Limitations identified included ineffectiveness, superficiality, impracticality, tensions between religious doctrine and lived realities, a reductionist focus, a singular information-sharing approach, and limited pastor understanding and openness regarding AYSRH. Conclusions: Churches possess valuable communication platforms and partnerships that could be leveraged for AYSRH interventions. However, this study highlights a one-sided focus on church teachings and significant tensions between idealized approaches and practical implementation, raising critical questions about the overall efficacy of church-led AYSRH projects. This research validates prior findings on church-based AYSRH interventions while offering nuanced insights and heuristic perspectives for a more comprehensive and less simplistic understanding of church-driven AYSRH services. Full article

Due to constantly evolving technology, a new challenge has entered the relationship landscape: the inclusion of robots as emotional and intimate partners. This article raises the question of the degree to which companionship and intimacy may be fulfilled by robots. Three hundred and fourteen undergraduates, the majority of whom were first- or second-year college students, responded to an online survey on robot acceptance. Factor analysis identified two constructs, which the authors labeled as simulated companionship (e.g., robots as companions/helpful assistants) and simulated intimacy (e.g., robots as intimate partners–emotional and sexual). Data analysis revealed a difference between companionship and intimacy regarding student robot acceptance for home use. Overall, there was greater acceptance of robots as companions than as intimate partners. Group differences for simulated companionship were found for gender, sexual values, commitment to religion, and sexual orientation. While robots may enhance various elements of human life, the data revealed the limits of outsourcing emotional intimacy, companionship, and sex to machines. Full article

In dementia care, access to effective psychosocial interventions is often addressed by evidence-based guidelines for care providers. However, it is unclear if current guidelines consider personal characteristics that may impact intervention effectiveness. This study investigates if, and within what framing, dementia care guidelines in Europe address what is effective and for whom. A review of 47 guidelines from 12 European countries was conducted. Content analysis focused on (i) if guidelines recommended specific psychosocial interventions, and how guidelines referred to (ii) social health, (iii) the intersection of social positioning, and (iv) inequities in care or outcomes. Thirty-five guidelines (74%) recommended specific psychosocial interventions. Around half referenced aspects of social health and of intersectionality. Thirteen guidelines (28%) referenced inequities. Social health was not explicitly recognised as a mechanism of psychosocial interventions. Only age and comorbidity were consistently considered to impact interventions’ effectiveness. Inequities were acknowledged to arise from within-country regional variations and individual economic status, but were not linked to (intersectional) individual societal positions such as sex and/or gender, sexuality, and/or religion. The results between European countries were heterogeneous. Current guidelines offer little insight into what works for whom. Policymakers and guideline developers should work with researchers, generating and translating evidence into policy. Full article

The tenets and philosophies of the Igbo traditional religion (ATR) form the bedrock of the Igbo traditional and sociocultural belief system whose principles and practices directly and indirectly influence the perceptions and way of life of the Igbo society. These traditional and sociocultural beliefs are practiced in a way that promotes patriarchy, reducing the women to second-class citizens, and often making room for gender-based violence (GBV) against the women. This study is designed to establish the prevalence, forms, effects, and causes of GBV using results from empirical data. A total of 369 women, selected from 12 villages in Enugu State, South Eastern Nigeria, via single-stage adaptive cluster sampling, were involved in the study. The data were analyzed using means, frequencies, and percentages. This study identified a high presence of all forms of physical, sexual, emotional, and economic violence, as well as violence through harmful traditional religious and widowhood practices. More than 70.0% of physical, sexual, emotional, and economic acts of GBV were perpetrated mainly by intimate partners (husbands and/or boyfriends). There was little evidence of intimate partner violence (IPV) in all the forms of harmful traditional and widowhood practices. Rather, traditional and widowhood acts of violence against women are mainly perpetrated by the female peer group (Umuada), family members, and their husbands’ kinsmen (umunna). This study recommends effective outlets for victims to speak out and an action-oriented legal system to bring offenders to justice. Full article

This study addresses the biases in artificial intelligence (AI) when generating creative content, a growing challenge due to the widespread adoption of these technologies in creating automated narratives. Biases in AI reflect and amplify social inequalities. They perpetuate stereotypes and limit diverse representation in the generated outputs. Through an experimental approach with ChatGPT-4, biases related to age, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, religion, physical appearance, and socio-economic status, are analyzed in AI-generated stories about successful individuals in the context of Spain. The results reveal an overrepresentation of young, heterosexual, and Hispanic characters, alongside a marked underrepresentation of diverse groups such as older individuals, ethnic minorities, and characters with varied socio-economic backgrounds. These findings validate the hypothesis that AI systems replicate and amplify the biases present in their training data. This process reinforces social inequalities. To mitigate these effects, the study suggests solutions such as diversifying training datasets and conducting regular ethical audits, with the aim of fostering more inclusive AI systems. These measures seek to ensure that AI technologies fairly represent human diversity and contribute to a more equitable society. Full article

Refugees face post-migration stressors during resettlement in host countries, including forced separation from loved ones. This qualitative study aimed to examine the impact of family separation on refugee men living in the United Kingdom. Data were collected through in-depth interviews and analysed following the Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis framework. Participants described the emotional burden of family separation, alongside a perceived responsibility to support their families practically, emotionally, and financially. Men shared experiences of powerlessness, discrimination, and acculturation in the UK, and associated their experiences with time and context. Participants’ stories were embedded in their intersectional identities of masculinity, race, sexuality, religion, and migration status. Policymakers should consider the unique challenges male refugees separated from their families face in the UK in order to implement positive changes in the asylum system. Clinicians working with refugees and asylum-seekers should inform their assessment, formulation, and intervention approaches. Full article

The literature identifies coercive violence in dating relationships as one of the most prevalent forms of violence and a precursor to more severe types of abuse. While the relationship between the sexual double standard (SDS) and religion with intimate partner violence has been studied, there is a lack of research exploring the direct and indirect influence of religiosity through the promotion of the SDS. This gap is particularly evident when considering measurement invariance by gender, despite these variables being shaped by gender norms. Using a sample of Chilean university students, this study examined the structure and factorial invariance by gender of the Sexual Double Standard Scale (DSS) (N = 909) and the Relationship Control Factor Subscale (RCFS) (N = 855). Additionally, the study analyzed, for each gender, the impact of religiosity on experiences of coercive victimization within relationships, considering the mediating role of the SDS (N = 781). Both instruments revealed different structures by gender, leading to the development of independent models for men (N = 278) and women (N = 500). Religiosity emerged as a risk factor for victimization in both study groups. However, it also exhibited a protective effect specifically for women. Full article

This qualitative study examines common stressors and support mechanisms in the lives of a group of 76 young Black members of the LGBTQIA community ages 18–30 years old based on questions to gauge common conflict or problems in their lives, personal support networks, and experiential reflections. Findings are based on the Structure versus Agency discourse and content analysis. In addition to individual agency, results document experiences navigating structural forces that are often intersectional in nature, the importance of family and friendship networks as a mitigating structural force against stressors, as well as the role of religion and/or spirituality in fostering agency. Full article

Sexual and reproductive health (SRH) is essential for men’s health, but a large body of research has indicated that the underutilization of most SRH services by men is a persistent issue that needs to be addressed. Men’s reluctance to access sexual and reproductive health services is one of the factors that leads to high morbidity and mortality rates among men, although their diseases may have been prevented or cured. This study aimed to explore factors that influence the decision of men who resided in men’s hostels and who accessed urology clinics in KwaZulu-Natal to seek help for their sexual and reproductive health issues. An exploratory qualitative approach was adopted using focus group discussions. We interviewed seventy-two men of ages above 15 years. The data were analyzed thematically. The Biomedical Research Ethics Committee (BREC) of UKZN granted ethical clearance (BE 347/19). Of the 72 interviewed men, thirty-three men attended urology clinics in the selected hospitals, and thirty-nine men resided in the hostels around Durban in KZN. Seven themes (lack of awareness of SRH services; participants’ reluctance to access SRH services; influence of culture and religion; lack of financial resources; influence of relationship dynamics; perceived low risk of individual sexual behaviors; and healthcare factors that discourage men from accessing SRH services) emerged from the data that were identified as barriers to SRH service utilization by men, whilst three themes (healthcare enabling factors; access to general information on SRH services; and personal motivational factors) emerged as factors that encouraged the participants to access these services. The participants’ reluctance to access SRH services was attributed to the lack of awareness of available SRH services, the influence of culture and religion, lack of financial resources, relationship dynamics, the perceived low risk of sexual behaviors for individuals, and healthcare workers’ negative attitude towards men requiring SRH services. The availability of healthcare resources, the appointment of more male healthcare workers, and more positive attitudes among healthcare workers will encourage men to utilize SRH services. The exposure of various barriers to SRH service utilization by this investigation warrants urgent attention from the government to impart knowledge about this phenomenon to men. Full article