Digital Commons Network^™

Orientalism: The Constructed, Violent Muslim “Race”, Clarissa Stephenson

Eddie Mabry Diversity Award

No abstract provided.

Addressing Islamophobia In Greene County, Virginia, Kayla Barker

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

This paper provides a summary of a day-long seminar organized in a rural community following another local seminar endorsed by the community’s Sheriff concerning the “Muslim Threat.” The Sheriff’s event was held just days before the 2016 U.S. presidential election. During the campaign and in the aftermath of the election, many politicians employed anti-Muslim rhetoric. This seemed to bring to the surface many Islamophobic opinions of elected officials and their electorates which were grounded in fear and misinformation.

A report published by the Pew Research Center states, “Older Americans and those with relatively low levels of educational attainment…tend to be …

The Impact Of Islamophobia On The Muslim American Community : Accounts Of Psychological Suffering, Identity Negotiation, And Collective Trauma, Areeza Ali

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

The rise of Islamophobia has undoubtedly disrupted the identity and way of life of Muslim Americans in the last decade and half. This study centers the voices of eight Muslim Americans discussing the mental health impact of anti-Muslim discrimination and prejudice, the pervasiveness of xenophobic and Islamophobic perspectives in the U.S., and the normalization and acceptance of discrimination as evidenced by the presidential victory of Donald Trump.

The major findings of this study indicate that the marginalization and othering of Muslim Americans have manifested in adverse psychological symptoms including fear, stress, worry, isolation, numbness, desensitization and insecurity. In addition, this …

Youth Witnessing Violence In Thailand: The Cultural And Political Influences, Penchan Pradubmook-Sherer, Moshe Sherer

Asia-Pacific Social Science Review

The aim of this study was to learn about rates of witnessing violence among high school students in Thailand, with special emphasis on the country’s Southern Muslim provinces where ongoing terror reflects their struggle for independence. Seventh to 10th grade students were randomly sampled from three areas of Thailand, representing inner cities, rural areas, and the Muslim-dominated South. The sample consisted of 1,305 youths: 763 (58.5%) females. Rates of witnessing violence are high among Thai youths, and are similar to those reported in the USA. The highest rates were found in the Southern Muslim provinces, especially in their homes and …

Resilience In Seeking Refuge: Religious Coping Strategies In Muslim Refugees From Syria, Nabiha Hasan

Social Work Theses - Archive

The recent shift of attention onto Syrian refugees has resulted in much media coverage and discussion regarding this population. This study delved into the religious coping strategies of Muslim refugees from Syria. Participants were derived through a DFW-based nonprofit organization. Questions asked of participants were including but not limited to resiliency and religious coping mechanisms. Major themes developed from this study included: religious ideologies, challenges as new religious minorities in the United States, resettlement issues, and benefits of resettlement. Results showed high correlation between resilience and religious beliefs.

Isu Semasa Terhadap Hubungan Sosial Dengan Non Muslim Di Malaysia Daripada Perspektif Hukum Islam / Khairul Azhar Meerangani, Azhar Meerangani Khairul

Student Works (2010-2019)

This study describes current issues in social relations between Muslims and non-Muslims in Malaysia according to Islamic law, focusing on issues that occurred after the 12th general election involving religious issues, social, legal and business. The aim of this study is to identify and analyze the issues that underlie the relationship between this two groups based on the rule of Islamic law. Three main methodologies have been applied in this study : Firstly, documents analysis methods for obtaining data pertaining to the rights of non-Muslim citizens of the Islamic perspective and the Federal Constitution. Secondly, current issues were identified through …

Religiosity Among Muslims: A Scale Development And Validation Study, Nor Diana Mohd Mahudin, Noraini Mohd Noor, Mariam Adawiah Dzulkifli, Nazariah Shari’E Janon

Makara Human Behavior Studies in Asia

While religiosity as a field of inquiry has been gaining research interest in recent years, a central issue about its conceptualisation, measurement, and relationships with work outcomes remains unresolved. The aims of this paper are: (1) to introduce a new scale designed to measure religiosity among Muslims, based on an Islamic perspective that centres on the bodily action or human activity (Islam), the mind or understanding of God (iman), and the spirit or actualisation of virtue and goodness (ihsan); and (2) to demonstrate how religiosity relates to various work outcomes. We followed a rigorous multi-steps scale development procedure using four …

Ilhan & Family, Ilhan, Tsos

TSOS Interview Gallery

Ilhan, his wife Nura, and their children resided near Kabul, in a region where both the Taliban and ISIS were active. As Shias, Ilhan’s family faced numerous menaces, including threatsfrom ISIS that they would be beheaded if they did not display ISIS flags. Ilhan’s sister Radwa, who is deaf and mute, was forced to marry a regional leader. In addition to being threatened on religious grounds, Ilhan’s family was also threatened by anelder of their town. Out of desperation, Ilhan’s family sold their house appliances, escaped Afghanistan, and arrived at the Oinofyta refugee campin Greece. Ilhan’s family fled with Radwa, …

The Motivations Behind Westerners’ Obsession With The Islamic Veil, Claire K. Alexander

What All Americans Should Know About Women in the Muslim World

In a world where we are constantly bombarded with countless images of Islamic terrorism, violence, and danger, it is not surprising that we have come to associate all aspects of Islamic society with malevolence. This destructive way of thinking has impacted the way we—as Westerners— think about, portray, and perceive Muslim men and women. While Muslim men are often depicted as hostile, cruel, and savage-like, on the other hand, Muslim women are usually depicted as powerless, obedient, and docile. These stereotypical representations of Muslim men and women have harmful consequences—consequences that not only promote Western ignorance, but also tarnish the …

To Be Human, Adiba Hasan

Op-Ed Pieces

Op Eds, or opinion editorials, are typically published in daily newspapers and can raise awareness about a particular topic or aim to persuade others. For this project each student wrote an op-ed in which they presented their opinion or thoughts about the issue of islamophobic discourse coming from Republican candidates, especially Donald Trump.

Ilhan, Nura, Radwa, Ziagull And Children, Ilhan, Tsos

TSOS Interview Gallery

Ilhan, his wife Nura, and their children resided near Kabul, in a region where both the Taliban and ISIS were active. As Shias, Ilhan’s family faced numerous menaces, including threats from ISIS that they would be beheaded if they did not display ISIS flags. Ilhan’s sister Radwa, who is deaf and mute, was forced to marry a regional leader. In addition to being threatened on religious grounds, Ilhan’s family was also threatened by an elder of their town. Out of desperation, Ilhan’s family sold their house appliances, escaped Afghanistan, and arrived at the …

Tracing Islamic Extremist Ideologies: The Historical Journey Of Jihad From The Late Antique Period To The 21st Century, Nikhil Kanade

CMC Senior Theses

Popular interpretations and academic scholarship tends to emphasize the relationship between jihad, military action, and communal violence. These reinforce a sense that violence is inherent to Islam. Investigations into the contexts where jihad has been deployed highlight how its use is often a call for unity believed to be necessary for political goals. Therefore, in order to deconstruct this belief, this thesis tackles instead the relationship between textual interpretations and historical actions, and how these varied across specific moments in time. The case studies examined range from the initial evolution of a theory of jihad in the late antique world, …

Islam Enligt Den Islamiska Staten - En Islamologisk Kommentar, Leif Stenberg

Faculty & Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

The Muslim Mystique: The Use Of Rushdie’S Imaginary Homeland To Combat Prejudice Against Muslim Peoples Explored In Three Semi-Autobiographical Works Of Popular Fiction By Muslim Authors Of An American Immigrant Background, Lauren E. Nadolski

Selected Honors Theses

There is a largely unexplored trend in recent popular fiction that regards the semi-autobiographical work of authors of an immigrant or refugee background. These works seldom fall into the trap exposed by Said’s Orientalism, but instead present the author’s native country and culture through a lens similar what Salman Rushdie described as “imaginary homelands.” This thesis examines three primary texts that fit that description: The Kite Runner by Kahled Hosseni, The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Moshin Hamid, and Habibi by Naomi Shihab Nye for their inclusion of the Islamic faith and their portrayal of America. The texts are analyzed and recommended …

The Bosnian Muslims And The Irish Perspective, Gabriel C. Kelly

Student Publications

The conflict in Bosnia-Herzegovina can be understood in multiple ways, however, the focus of this paper is to examine the perspective of Ireland on the Bosnian Muslims at different levels of society--ranging from the population to international level--from June 01, 1992 to January 31, 1996. Through an analysis of letters to the editor in "The Irish Times," parliamentary debate transcripts, and the Barbara Sloan European Union Document Collection located at the University of Pittsburgh's Hillman Library, I have been able to reveal how complex perspectives within a state on a particular issue can be, and how they can vary between …

Muslim Women And United States Healthcare: Challenges To Access And Navigation, Dayna M. Seeger

What All Americans Should Know About Women in the Muslim World

This paper offers an analysis of the interactions of Muslim women in the US healthcare system in order to unpack challenges and propose potential accommodations. Islam may inform values or considerations in the context of other cultural factors or present Muslim women with specific challenges in seeking healthcare based on Islamic teachings or social constructs. This paper examines these factors by elaborating on an overview of Muslim interpretations of healthcare using religious authorities, text from the Qur’an, and social norms. It then delves into challenges faced by Muslim women in the US healthcare system and the implications of those challenges …

Operating Islamic Jurisprudence In Non-Muslim Jurisdictions: Traditional Islamic Precepts And Contemporary Controversies In The United States, Mustafa R. K. Baig

Chicago-Kent Law Review

With the recent public furor in the United States regarding “Shari‘a,” studies into the content of Islamic jurisprudence concerning Muslims living under non-Muslim jurisdiction are more pertinent than ever in the U.S. context. As “anti-Shari‘a” rhetoric has increased in fervency, informed input into the debates could go some way in correcting the peddled misconceptions. The paper begins by assessing how Muslim scholars viewed a Muslim’s travel to and residence in non-Muslim lands, and the obligation to abide by the laws of the land. It will focus on the jihad (siyar) section in Islamic jurisprudence and the section on …

Kajian Pengalaman Dialog Kehidupan Masyarakat Cina Muslim Terengganu Sebelum Dan Selepas Konversi / Azarudin Bin Awang, Azarudin Awang

Student Works (2010-2019)

Hubungan yang tegang yang kadang kala berpanjangan hingga tiada penyudahnya dalam kalangan komuniti Saudara Baru dengan keluarga asal dan masyarakat Muslim asal di sekeliling adalah berpunca daripada salah faham dalam beragama. Permasalahan hubungan agama sedemikian juga turut berlaku dalam kalangan komuniti Cina yang memeluk agama Islam di negeri Terengganu. Justeru itu, dialog kehidupan dilihat sebagai satu wahana bagi menjelaskan kekaburan, menghapuskan salah faham dan menghindarkan sebarang bentuk konflik. Dialog kehidupan merupakan salah satu bentuk dialog agama yang dimanifestasikan secara spontan dalam kehidupan masyarakat awam yang berbeza agama atau budaya. Skop kajian ialah ke atas masyarakat Cina Muslim di negeri Terengganu …

Reconsidering The Influence Of Islam On Yoruba Cultural Heritage, 1930-1987, Akeem Abiodun Oladiti

Khazar Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

Previous studies on the activities of Islam have focused on the contribution of the religion to state building (Last, 1967, p. 4 ), the nineteenth century jihad (Smith, 1961, p. 45) and the phenomenal growth of Islam during the colonial period (Gbadamosi, 1978, p. 77). However, no specific attention has been paid to how Islam affected Yoruba culture negatively with specific focus on the area of religion education and language. This study intends to fill this obvious gap in the historiography of influential cultural invasion of Islam from 1930, when colonial political structures allowed the Muslims to maintain a physical …

The Santa Clara Strength Of Religious Faith Questionnaire (Scsorf): A Validation Study On Iranian Muslim Patients Undergoing Dialysis, Amir H. Pakpour, Thomas G. Plante, Mohsen Saffari, Bengt Fridlund

Psychology

The Santa Clara Strength of Religious Faith Questionnaire (SCSORF) is an often used and validated scale that is uncommonly utilized in culturally diverse populations. The purpose of this research investigation was to adapt the SCSORF for use among Iranian Muslim patients undergoing dialysis and to examine the reliability and validity of the scale among this population. A total of 428 patients (228 females, 200 males, M age = 52.2 years, SD = 10) were selected from five dialysis center in Tehran and Qazvin, Iran. A comprehensive forward–backward translation system was used for cross-cultural translation. Patients completed a baseline questionnaire obtaining …

Entrepreneurial Challenges Of Muslim Women In Malaysian Smes, I.A.G. Azmi, S.A. Basir, R. Che Hashim, H.A. Mohamed

Research Publications (2011 to 2015)

This paper tries to study the challenges faced by the Muslim women entrepreneurs in Malaysian SMEs. At present, only 15.9% of businesses are owned by them. This is far way behind of what has the Government of Malaysia targeted in 2011 that is 30%. The finalized questionnaires were distributed by post to 250 Muslim women entrepreneurs in Malaysian SMEs by using simple random sampling technique. The response rate is 44% which is good. It is found out that the most frequent types of challenges faced by the respondents are lack of finance (79.2%), lack of demand (50.9%) and location problem …

Religion And Relationships In Muslim Families: A Qualitative Examination Of Devout Married Muslim Couples, Zahra Alghafli, Trevan Hatch, Loren Marks

Faculty Publications

Since 11 September 2001, Islam has been the center of many debates, discussions, parodies and publications. Many Muslims feel that their religion has been portrayed unfairly in Western media. The topics that seem to generate the most criticism relate to gender roles and the treatment of women, both inside the home and in society. The purpose of this paper is to examine the perceived role of Islam on marital and familial relationships from an insider’s perspective and to present participants’ reflections on sensitive issues, including gender roles, women’s rights and marital unity. Content analysis of in-depth interviews of twenty diverse …

African American Muslim Fathers And The Factors That Influence Their Notion Of Fatherhood, Usama M. Hussein

College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences Theses and Dissertations

This is a qualitative study that explores African American Muslim father notion of fatherhood. Sixteen African American Sunni Muslims participated in the study. Over 90 percent of the research respondents are converts to Islam. These men perceive their conversion as a reclaiming of their heritage stripped from them when their African ancestors were forcibly taken from Africa and brought to America as slave. While this group of father have been omitted from researchers attention, they are integral members of the African American community. By making Islam the center of their lives these African American Muslim fathers see an active relationship …

Apples To Apples Or Apples To Dates? The Muslim Critique Of Christian Scriptures, David D. Grafton

Consensus

No abstract provided.

Conquest And Violence: The Christian Critique Of Muhammad, David D. Grafton

Consensus

No abstract provided.

Anchoring Identity In Faith: Narrative Of An Anglo-Asian Muslimah In Britain, Imran Mogra

The Qualitative Report

This article is based on a narrative of an Anglo-Asian Muslimah, studying in a prominent university in the city of Birmingham, England. The trainee teacher was a suitable candidate for my research for the additional characteristics, which she had. She was born as a Muslimah in England, she was neither totally Asian nor English in reality; she was the daughter of a Pakistani mother and an English father. Using narrative analysis, several key themes, such as family, friendship, and cultural practices, emerged. These themes shed light about her life experiences. Significantly, she reveals the important influence of Islam and faith …

Assimilation, Acculturation, And The Law: Solving A “Problem” Like Shar’Ia, Kristina E. Benson

LUX: A Journal of Transdisciplinary Writing and Research from Claremont Graduate University

An unexpected development in the English legal system involves Muslim women’s use of legally binding Shar’ia councils to protect their autonomy, marital security, and property rights. Although scholars and political commentators alike have voiced concerns that Muslim women will be treated unfairly in these councils, there is some indication that women have become adept at navigating this plural legal landscape and that they have often managed to secure better outcomes from Shar’ia family law than from English courts. Over 80 Shar’ia tribunals have been established to issue legally binding decisions on divorce, child custody, inheritance, and other areas of family …

Islamic Da'wa In Korea: A Study Of Koreans' Religious Conversion To Islam Taking Place In The Twenty-First Century, Sungsu Park

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Women Career Advancement In Public Service: A Study In Indonesia, I. Abdul Ghani Azmi, S.H. Syed Ismail, S.A. Basir

Research Publications (2011 to 2015)

There are lots of facilities provided by the Indonesian public service to the Muslim women public servant to ease the effect of working on their families such as child care, job sharing, flexible hours, longer maternity leave and working from home. On top of that, policies available that support the women are treating them with the same trust and confidence, giving them the same assignment, paying them comparable salaries as men and not to relocate them for the sake of career advancement. It is found out that the factors that contribute to their career success were experience, education, seniority, interpersonal …

Female Genital Mutilation: Policies To Encourage Abandonment, Melissa Arneson

Political Science Theses and Capstones

Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) also known as Female Genital Cutting (FGC) captured my interest the first time I heard about the practice. I assumed, wrongly, that it was only practiced in remote areas of Africa where educational opportunities were few and outside influences were nil. After researching the topic it is clear that is not the case. FGM is practiced in many countries in Africa, the Middle East, and around the world. It is a barbaric practice that has no religious significance and is incredibly harmful to women and their health, both mentally and physically. I focused my research on …