Religious clerics, medical authorities, and sexuality in Islamic interpretations of reproductive health technologies in Egypt. Taking reproductive health in Egypt as a case study, this research investigates how religious and secular authorities interact to shape access to and availability of medical technologies. The resulting ethnography and research articles will broaden international understandings of the relationship between Islam, sexuality, and modernity.
Reconfiguration of Islam by Muslims in Australia. How - and whether - Muslims who have grown up in a secular Western democracy reconfigure normative Islam so as to facilitate active membership in the wider society is a vital issue. This project is the first to research this in Australia. It will focus on how Islam and Muslim identity are re-configured by long-term Muslim residents and local converts, in contrast to those whose Muslim identity was largely shaped outside of Australia. Understandin ....Reconfiguration of Islam by Muslims in Australia. How - and whether - Muslims who have grown up in a secular Western democracy reconfigure normative Islam so as to facilitate active membership in the wider society is a vital issue. This project is the first to research this in Australia. It will focus on how Islam and Muslim identity are re-configured by long-term Muslim residents and local converts, in contrast to those whose Muslim identity was largely shaped outside of Australia. Understanding how Muslims reconcile Islamic identity with active membership in the wider society has important implications for the future of Australia as one of the most successful multicultural democracies.Read moreRead less
ISLAM AND ISLAMIC LAW IN REGIONAL INDONESIA. This project is the first qualitative and quantitative analysis of the interpretation of Islamic law in a range of non-metropolitan areas of Indonesia. It will identify key issues of concern and analyse the directions and advice being provided by local religious leaders. The analysis of the relationship between definitions of Islamic law in the regions with State definitions will provide the basis for a more accurate assessment of the process and d ....ISLAM AND ISLAMIC LAW IN REGIONAL INDONESIA. This project is the first qualitative and quantitative analysis of the interpretation of Islamic law in a range of non-metropolitan areas of Indonesia. It will identify key issues of concern and analyse the directions and advice being provided by local religious leaders. The analysis of the relationship between definitions of Islamic law in the regions with State definitions will provide the basis for a more accurate assessment of the process and degree of syariah implementation in Indonesia. Only when this is understood can meaningful assessments be made about the nature of Islam in the world's largest Muslim nation.Read moreRead less
Islam and Secular Urban Culture in Early Modern Middle East. Australia is the homeland of a growing Muslim community, and Islam is an important feature in Australia's religious and cultural landscape. The project contributes to expanding Australia's knowledge of Islam, to developing its ability to engage and interact in constructive and enabling ways with the Muslim communities locally, regionally, and internationally, and to heightening the Muslims' respect for the modern secular culture by mak ....Islam and Secular Urban Culture in Early Modern Middle East. Australia is the homeland of a growing Muslim community, and Islam is an important feature in Australia's religious and cultural landscape. The project contributes to expanding Australia's knowledge of Islam, to developing its ability to engage and interact in constructive and enabling ways with the Muslim communities locally, regionally, and internationally, and to heightening the Muslims' respect for the modern secular culture by making them aware of their creative role in its making. It addresses a prevailing misunderstanding about secular culture in Islam and enhances Australia's international reputation as a centre of cutting-edge research in the fields of Islamic studies.Read moreRead less
Islam, Modernity and the Enlightenment: A New Perspective. Australia's encounters with Islam have never been as politically, militarily and emotionally demanding as the events of the last few years have revealed. In the current climate of tension and conflict a deeper understanding of Islam - its socio-religious and intellectual history, its systems of thought, and its attitude towards modernity and the modern world - is vital to enhance Australia's capacity to interpret and engage with its regi ....Islam, Modernity and the Enlightenment: A New Perspective. Australia's encounters with Islam have never been as politically, militarily and emotionally demanding as the events of the last few years have revealed. In the current climate of tension and conflict a deeper understanding of Islam - its socio-religious and intellectual history, its systems of thought, and its attitude towards modernity and the modern world - is vital to enhance Australia's capacity to interpret and engage with its regional and global environment. This project contributes to enhancing Australia's ability to engage and interact in constructive and enabling ways with the Muslim communities locally, regionally and internationally.Read moreRead less
Institutional Configurations, Religioisty and Public Influence of Religious Institutions Muslim Societies: A Comparative Study. Religious fundamentalism is a growing and important part of social change in Muslim countries. Using current religious, political, and social conditions as contrasting environments the proposed research will investigate the competing theories of Islamic fundamentalism, sociological correlates of Muslim religiosity and public influence of religious institutions in contra ....Institutional Configurations, Religioisty and Public Influence of Religious Institutions Muslim Societies: A Comparative Study. Religious fundamentalism is a growing and important part of social change in Muslim countries. Using current religious, political, and social conditions as contrasting environments the proposed research will investigate the competing theories of Islamic fundamentalism, sociological correlates of Muslim religiosity and public influence of religious institutions in contrasting institutional configurations by focusing on the Islamic Republic of Iran, Turkey and Nigeria. This will be achieved through a study of random/purposive samples of respondents in the three countries using survey methodology. The objective is to develop a theoretically and empirically grounded model of social, political and religious trajectories of Muslim societies.Read moreRead less
Captivity Remembered: Slavery, Islam and Identity Formation in the Sulu Zone, 1768-1898. This project will promote collaborative and comparative research on slavery and other forms of unfree labour, Islam and cultural hybridity. It will provide knowledge to governments, educators and religious leaders concerned with ending Muslim-Christian conflict in the Philippines, about the more socially inclusive nature of Islam and the process by which Muslim states and societies changed the ethnic identit ....Captivity Remembered: Slavery, Islam and Identity Formation in the Sulu Zone, 1768-1898. This project will promote collaborative and comparative research on slavery and other forms of unfree labour, Islam and cultural hybridity. It will provide knowledge to governments, educators and religious leaders concerned with ending Muslim-Christian conflict in the Philippines, about the more socially inclusive nature of Islam and the process by which Muslim states and societies changed the ethnic identities and spiritual beliefs of captives. It will also reveal the paradoxes of the historically conditioned response to the trauma and difference caused by Muslim slavery in the Sulu Zone that has governed the thinking and social practise of the Philippine community and other nations. Read moreRead less
Religion, Finance and Ethics: Islamic and conventional perspectives on shared principles, practices, and financial institutions and instruments. By linking together specialists in finance, banking and religious history, with the Muslim Community Cooperative (Australia), this project explores communication and mutual benefit between international Islamic finance and conventional Western finance. It will propose new financial structures and instruments to expand the scope of Islamic finance, to m ....Religion, Finance and Ethics: Islamic and conventional perspectives on shared principles, practices, and financial institutions and instruments. By linking together specialists in finance, banking and religious history, with the Muslim Community Cooperative (Australia), this project explores communication and mutual benefit between international Islamic finance and conventional Western finance. It will propose new financial structures and instruments to expand the scope of Islamic finance, to maximise lending and investment opportunities in Australia, and to promote interaction between the Islamic and conventional financial sectors. The project will enable Australian researchers to work with international authorities in Islamic finance, promoting dialogue between Islamic and other groups, and increase investment and development within the Australian financial market.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE190100230
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$377,402.00
Summary
Transnational networks of Salafi Clerics. This project aims to provide a comprehensive examination of the transnational networks of the ultra-orthodox Salafi Sunni Muslim clerics. The project expects to generate new knowledge in the areas of Islamic studies and religion in society by studying transnational religious actors. This project offers new insights on the workings of Salafi clerical networks, and how these clerics attempt to influence and operate in Muslim societies. Since Salafism is bl ....Transnational networks of Salafi Clerics. This project aims to provide a comprehensive examination of the transnational networks of the ultra-orthodox Salafi Sunni Muslim clerics. The project expects to generate new knowledge in the areas of Islamic studies and religion in society by studying transnational religious actors. This project offers new insights on the workings of Salafi clerical networks, and how these clerics attempt to influence and operate in Muslim societies. Since Salafism is blamed for providing the ideological foundations for extremism, the project provides significant benefits to the scholarly community as well as for policy makers, intelligence professionals and the general public in Australia and worldwide.Read moreRead less
Interreligious Relations between Muslims and People of other Faiths. Traditional Islamic law and theology developed a wide range of negative positions about people of other faiths. Based on extensive fieldwork, this project aims to understand how and to what extent prominent Muslim religious leaders are transforming these negative positions to positive ones today in Australia, Indonesia, Pakistan and Singapore. The project will lead to an evidence-based understanding of the potential for future ....Interreligious Relations between Muslims and People of other Faiths. Traditional Islamic law and theology developed a wide range of negative positions about people of other faiths. Based on extensive fieldwork, this project aims to understand how and to what extent prominent Muslim religious leaders are transforming these negative positions to positive ones today in Australia, Indonesia, Pakistan and Singapore. The project will lead to an evidence-based understanding of the potential for future interreligious harmony in these countries. Since positive interreligious relations are of domestic, regional and global concern for social cohesion and peace and security, the outcomes of this project will be of significant interest to both scholars and policymakers in Australia.Read moreRead less