We extend the literature by providing evidence that a cultural variable, intrinsic Islamic religiosity is important in understanding auditors’ judgement in the Islamic context of Pakistan. The intrinsic Islamic religiosity theoretical construct examined is Islamic Worldview which represents deeply held enduring and stable values which are likely to be dominant in influencing professionals’ judgements. Moreover, theoretical underpinning and empirical evidence in social psychology and organisational behaviour have established the critical role of intrinsic religiosity (...) in influencing behaviour. Our first objective is to examine whether IW impacts auditors’ judgements in the context of their acceptance of uncorroborated low-reliability client-provided evidence. Understanding the potential impact of cultural factors on auditors’ acceptance of client-provided information is an essential factor in improving audit quality. Our findings support the hypothesis that auditors with high IW scores are more likely to accept uncorroborated low-reliability client-provided evidence. Our second objective is to examine the relationship between IW and auditors’ preference for exercising more or less judgements. Examining this topic is important because auditing is a judgement-based process: auditors’ judgements determine audit quality and, by extension, the quality of associated financial reports. Our findings provide overall support for the hypothesis that auditors with high IW scores have a preference for exercising more judgement. Our findings have implications for global and national standard setters, regulators, practitioners, and researchers. The results are also relevant to global audit firms and their affiliates, particularly networks operating in Islamic countries, in ensuring global consistency of audits. (shrink)

In recent years, researchers have paid special attention to religiosity and the practice of religious beliefs. If people put religiosity at the forefront of their affairs and maintain the roots of religion in various aspects of work and family life, they will see God present and watchful in doing all things, and the result of such a vision will be the successful performance of deeds and walking the path of perfection. Having a heartfelt belief in the value of (...) work and adhering to it will result in a greater desire to work. Religiosity is a variable that can be related to job variables. In addition, it can play an important role in the behaviours of employees. In Islam, work is a virtue and is necessary to balance the personal and social life of the individual. Given the importance of this issue, the present study aimed to evaluate the relationship between Islamic religiosity and job satisfaction of Muslim teachers in Malaysia. In total, 2200 Muslim teachers of Kuala Lumpur and Penang were selected for the study by simple random sampling. Data were collected by using standard questionnaires and analysed by Pearson's correlation coefficient in Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). According to the results, there was a significant and positive relationship between teachers' Islamic religiosity and job satisfaction as P = 0.784 and T = 0.000 which was less than the Sig level of 0.05. CONTRIBUTION: According to Islamic teachings, working for a Muslim is like worship. Based on the findings of this research, teachers with higher Islamic religiosity enjoy higher job satisfaction. (shrink)

Departing from the debate about the importance of gender ideology in the integration of Muslim minorities in Western Europe, this article studies the association between Islamic religiosity and gender ideology among second-generation Turkish and Moroccan men and women in Belgium. Islamic religiosity is conceptualized as consisting of religious identification, religious practices, and belief orthodoxy. The comparability of this model across genders and national origin groups is tested with recently collected survey data. The association between Islamic (...) religiosity and gender ideology is analyzed with regard to gender and ethnic differences. Taking a number of control variables into account, the analysis reveals no significant differences between national origin groups. More importantly, Islamic religiosity is found to be only weakly negatively associated with gender egalitarianism; this association is somewhat stronger for men than for women. These results challenge the alleged strong connection between Islamic religiosity and traditional gender ideology and highlight the importance of taking gender differences into account when studying religiosity among Muslim minorities in Europe. (shrink)

The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between the Islamic religiosity of the local community and the level of corporate environmental responsibility disclosure (CERD) in Iran, an example of an Islamic country. This paper also examines the moderating role of firm size, family ownership, and state ownership. This study is conducted using a sample of 952 observations across firms listed on the Tehran Stock Exchange. The results indicate that CERD increases with an increase in (...) the level of Islamic religiosity of the province where the firm is located. In addition, findings reveal that firm size and family ownership strengthen the aforementioned relationship. However, we provide evidence suggesting that state ownership weakens the positive relationship between the Islamic religious atmosphere and CERD. The results of this research present a new insight suggesting that the Islamic values governing a local community can significantly affect executives’ decisions regarding disclosures, particularly resulting in a decrease in executives’ selfishness and encouraging them to disclose more information about environmental responsibilities. (shrink)

The study assessed the role of childhood religiosity in adult religiosity and learning motivation in university participants. Participants were 338 university students (mean age = 20.42, SD = 1.53, 47% men) selected from Islamic (50%) and general universities (50%). The findings showed that participants from Islamic university compared to those from general universities scored higher on religious altruism among religiosity outcomes and on self-efficacy and active learning strategies among learning motivation outcomes. The hypothesized associations between (...) childhood religiosity, religious altruism, religious practice, and specific learning motivation outcomes were significant. Childhood religiosity predicted two learning motivation outcomes, self-efficacy and active learning strategies, and only religious altruism in the presence of religious practice mediated these associations. In addition, university status moderated these mediated associations with stronger indirect effects for participants from Islamic universities compared to those from general universities. (shrink)

Climate change has increasingly been recognised and associated with consumer behaviour: Practitioners are developing their strategies to reduce environmental degradation while increasing the management of sustainable consumption; it needs to better understand consumer attitudes and eco-friendly factors about the issue. Therefore, the current study focused to understand the effects of pro-environmental factors on individuals’ environmental attitudes through the lens of theory of planned behaviour in a cross-cultural setting. Moreover, present research focuses on the moderating role that religiosity plays in (...) causal pathways between certain determinants and intentions in this context. A multi-wave time-lagged research design was employed in this study, and university students from two developing countries were surveyed. The findings revealed pronounced similarities between the two examined countries. Overwhelmingly, pro-environmental factors examined were found to be positively related to attitude formation. Further results showed that attitude and subjective norms are significant predictors of the intention to purchase products with recycled packaging. Moreover, with the exception of perceived behavioural control, religiosity moderates the relationships between all the determinants of TPB and intention to purchase recycled packaged products. Present study offers insightful implications to management of these emerging and/or similar cultural markets regarding customer value for green products. Using TPB, present study broadened and deepen extant stream of literature on consumption of recycled packaged products in two highly emerging markets; Pakistan and Malaysia. (shrink)

This research aims to examine the impact of intrinsic religiosity on counterproductive work behavior directed toward the organization (CWB‐O) and the mediating role of Islamic work ethic in this impact. The data were collected from employees working in the hotel and restaurant industry (n = 684). The findings revealed that intrinsic religiosity had a positive and significant effect on Islamic work ethic. It was found that Islamic work ethic also had a negative and significant effect (...) on CWB‐O. Similarly, intrinsic religiosity had a negative and significant effect on CWB‐O. In addition, it was identified that the Islamic work ethic had a mediating role in the impact of intrinsic religiosity on CWB‐O. Taking into consideration that the relationship between intrinsic religiosity and CWB‐O and the role of Islamic work ethic in this relationship has not yet been examined in literature, the theoretical contribution of the current research can be better understood. From the perspective of practical contribution, this research may help and guide managers to understand how intrinsic religiosity affects CWB‐O. (shrink)

This study investigates how Islamic religiosity affects ethical decision making. The study was conducted in the Malaysian workforce across the public and private sectors with a sample of N = 160. Five factors are tested to determine if they mediate the relationship between Islamic religiosity and ethical intention. These factors are: perceived importance of the ethical issue, moral judgment, ego strength, spiritual intention, and conscience. A parallel mediation design was chosen to test six hypotheses derived from (...) the theoretical literature. The findings indicate that only the variable conscience mediates the relationship between religiosity and ethical intention. This study gives insights into the role of Islam in ethical decision-making, especially for Muslims in Malaysia, an area which has limited exploration. More generally, it contributes to the ongoing discussion in the literature on the relationship between religiosity and ethical decision-making. (shrink)

The need for religious moderation in North Sumatra province arises as a result of burning worship [Vihara and Klenteng], exploding bombs and stabbing attempts at churches during worship. This study examines the effect of Islamic education, depression and religiosity on religious moderation in students at state Islamic universities. This study used a cross-sectional design in North Sumatra province with 1125 Muslim students over a period from February 2023 to May 2023. This study used a closed questionnaire involving (...) Islamic education, depression, religiosity and religious moderation using linear regression with 95% CI using JASP version 19. With regard to the notions of depression, religious ideology, religious experiences and religious studies, this research demonstrates that students who have received education in Muslim schools affect religious moderation in students of state Islamic universities. Religious moderation among Islamic students will be improved by providing increased information on religious studies that contain religious moderation.Contribution: This article will provide new information about religious moderation carried out by Muslim students in Islamic universities that are often associated with intolerance, terrorism, fanaticism and religion-based violence. (shrink)

This study examines retail investors’ trading behaviour and its determinants in the Indonesian _Shari’ah_ stock market by mainly focusing on the religious practice-related factors in the form of _sadaqah_ or charitable giving on individual investors’ trading behaviour. Contextually, the Islamic moral economy (IME) assumes a direct relationship between religiosity and _sadaqah_ giving due to the _falah_ (salvation) oriented individual objective function, which can be reached through doing _ihsan_ (beneficence for equilibrium). The findings based on a questionnaire survey distributed (...) to individual investors on _Shari’ah_ Online Trading System (SOTS) delineate that religiosity, accounting information, neutral information, personal financial needs, and the _sadaqah_ feature have significantly affected investors’ trading behaviour in which the _sadaqah_ feature is positively correlated, while religiosity factors are negatively correlated. Thus, despite the theoretical expectation through IME, this study evidences that Islamic logic is not the main determining factor, as market logic related factors seem to be more dominant in the behaviour of investors in the Indonesian capital market. (shrink)

The viability of an organization hinges upon the effectiveness of its workforce. Enhanced performance among employees directly correlates with heightened organizational efficacy. Consequently, this study endeavours to investigate the influence of religiosity, perceived social support, and religious work ethics on both career commitment and career success. Moreover, it seeks to scrutinize the mediating impact of career commitment and the moderating role of Islamic workplace spirituality. Data were gathered from employees engaged in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) situated in (...) the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) through purposive sampling, yielding 210 valid responses. SPSS 26 served as the analytical tool for data examination. Results underscored the positive relationships between religious work ethics, perceived social support, and religiosity with career commitment, alongside the favourable impact of career commitment on career success. Additionally, the statistical validation of the moderating influence of Islamic workplace spirituality was evident. This research contributes valuable insights for policymakers and scholars, guiding future endeavours in employee-related studies. (shrink)

Business Ethics, the Environment &Responsibility, Volume 31, Issue 3, Page 809-822, July 2022.

Measurements play a significant role in the scientific investigation of religious phenomena. The study of religion, in general, has attracted considerable attention from academia and literature. The aim of this study was to conduct a systematic analysis of the literature regarding scales that have been developed for measuring variables with Islamic relevance and importance, having a theoretical framework embedded in the primary sources of Islamic literature (the Quran and hadith) and validated on Muslim samples. Six well-known databases were (...) selected—ScienceDirect, Web of Science, Springer, Taylor & Francis, Emerald Insight, and Google Scholar—to conduct an in-depth search of existing literature on the topic. Results revealed three broad concepts that have been the focus of measurement: religiosity, spirituality, and morality. Based on our analysis, it can be suggested that although there has been an increase in measuring Islamic religiousness in recent years, there is scope for improvement. This analytical review can be a valuable resource for researchers interested in selecting a valid and trustworthy scale that meets the criteria of their study settings. (shrink)

Zusammenfassung Dieser Beitrag beschäftigt sich am Beispiel des islamischen Diskursfeldes mit der metasprachlichen Beschreibung objektsprachlicher Ab- und Ausgrenzungsdiskurse. Dies bringt zwangsläufig eine Auseinandersetzung mit den Dynamiken zwischen objekt- und metasprachlicher Begriffsebene mit sich. Der Artikel diskutiert in einem ersten Schritt Talal Asads Konzeption islamischer Orthodoxie und den ihr zugrundeliegenden Traditionsbegriff. In einem zweiten Schritt werden anhand von Beispielen aus dem nordamerikanischen Sufidiskurs und dem modernen türkischen Religionsdiskurs objektsprachliche Grenzziehungsdynamiken innerhalb des islamischen Diskursfeldes analysiert. Der letzte Teil des Aufsatzes widmet sich (...) der Metaebene und führt, in Abgrenzung zum statischen Stammbaummodell, einen dynamischen Begriff von religiöser Tradition ein, der es ermöglichen soll, Überlagerungen zwischen religiösen Formationen niedrigen Verdichtungsgrades sowie Prozesse der Religionisierung ins Blickfeld zu nehmen. (shrink)

Drawing on the emerging research on Islamic work ethic (IWE) and informed by the social cognitive theory (SCT), this study seeks to examine how IWE influences employees’ behaviors through employees’ moral identity internalization, with religiosity moderating the IWE-moral identity Internalization nexus. To examine this moderated mediation model, we collected time-lagged data (_N_ = 427) from employees working in two public organisations in a Muslim majority country in the Middle East, e.g., Jordan. We used a partial least squares structural (...) equation modelling to examine our hypotheses. Our findings suggest that IWE encourages employees’ moral identity internalization, which subsequently prompts refraining from unethical pro-organisational behaviors (UPOB) and unethical pro-family behaviors (UPFB). The findings also show that employee religiosity plays an important role in the relationship between IWE and employees’ moral identity suggesting that IWE is more prone to influence employee disengagement in UPOB and UPFB through moral identity internalization when employee religiosity is higher. At the end, implications for theory and practice are offered as well as suggestions for future research. (shrink)

This research explores the concept of religious universalism and its potential impact on expressions of Islamic devotion within Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. The study aims to investigate how Islamic practices and beliefs can serve as a deterrent against the proliferation of religious extremism. By examining various dimensions of Islamic religiosity in these countries, this research seeks to uncover the ways in which a broad and inclusive interpretation of religion can contribute to countering the influence of radical (...) ideologies. Through an analysis of religious rituals, educational frameworks, and cross-faith engagements, this study offers insights into the capacity of religious universalism to mitigate the advancement of religious extremism across diverse cultural and social contexts. Contribution: This research enhances our understanding of how universality of religion can serve as a deterrent against religious extremism by examining its manifestations within the contexts of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. The findings offer practical insights and recommendations that can inform policies and initiatives aimed at fostering tolerance, inclusivity, and harmony within diverse religious societies. (shrink)

We examine the role of religiosity on the financing activities in both Islamic and conventional banks in Indonesian provinces by using five different measures of religiosity: number of Islamic schools, hajj application, number of Islamic seminary schools, number of Mosques, and number of certified halal products. Based on regression analysis, the results show that both Islamic and conventional banks provide more financing in religious provinces. Religiosity also helps in reducing the volume of non-performing (...) financing. Our the results are still qualitatively valid after taking into account endogeneity issue that emanates from omitted variables (i.e., unobservable beliefs, ideas, and attitudes), and possible reverse causality between religiosity and the total amount of financing at the province level. (shrink)

Substantial literature has investigated the relationship between religiosity and ethical decision-making (the what), while lesser consideration has been given to exploring why decisions are made. As part of a larger study, this paper aims to delve beyond the descriptive relationship between religiosity and ethical decision-making of Muslim employees in Malaysia. We analyse the qualitative data received from 160 employees by using thematic analysis. Our results reveal that, while religious values are important for Muslims in Malaysia, there are other (...) factors that are also pertinent when making decisions at work, namely the organization’s interest and the context of the decision. We also found that individuals’ reasoning based on Islamic teachings is embedded in rules and regulations, which suggests lower levels of ethical reasoning. This study extends the current understanding of the processes of ethical reasoning in highly religious contexts by individuals at their workplace. Implications and suggestions for future research are discussed. (shrink)

Most literature on religious beliefs and disagreements among traditions focuses on a bit of mainstream assumptions: religions should be construed in substantive terms; religions are to be individuated by their core belief systems; adherents to a single tradition assent to the same belief system; religious beliefs have factual content; incompatible religious beliefs cannot be both true; and so on. In my work I question all these claims in order to defend a non kantian approach to deep pluralism. In the first (...) part I develop a narrative theory of doxastic practices. My fundamental intuition is that ambiguity, vagueness, and indeterminacy of meaning are non amendable features of any ordinary belief. Consequently, no proposition has a definite meaning, and there is no a priori reason to assume that if two believers assume the same belief, they both hold the same content. What I'm trying to do is to argue in support of a realist epistemology, without assuming a normative and rationalist stance. My evidential body is mainly drawn from psychology and psychoanalysis. In the second part I apply such a narrative theory to the study of the doxastic character of religions. I reject both functionalist and substantive approaches to religion, and I defend my own viewpoint which I label experentialism. After providing a characterization of religious beliefs, I refute how Alston, Ward and Hick account for the the doxastic features of religions. I then propose a definition of religious diversity which turns out to be alternative to the mainstream one. I work by empirical evidence from semiotics, sociology of religion and history of religions. In the third and conclusive part of my book, I give reasons against the mainstream approach to religious diversity, and I explain how my definition can be more appropriate to the sociological study of religious beliefs than the mainstream one. Finally, I provide an account of deep pluralism, I show that my approach to religious epistemology and religions is compatible with (and recommended by) deep pluralism, I differentiate kantian from non kantian pluralism, and I explain why non kantian deep pluralism resists the traditional objections to pluralism. Throughout the book I discuss relevant materials from Hinduism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. (shrink)

If Islam continues to evoke skepticism, as it has done most intensely since 9/11, then it stands to reason that its tenets and education are viewed with equal mistrust, and as will be highlighted in this special issue, equal misunderstanding. The intention of this special edition is neither to counter the accusations Islam stands accused of, nor to offer solutions to the myriad challenges facing Muslims in majority and minority Muslim countries. As will be evidenced in the diverse offering of (...) this compilation, the intention is to offer a different perspective, an opportunity, perhaps, to glance at both the tensions and the possibilities that Islam and Muslims have to offer not to only others, but, perhaps, more importantly, to themselves. As such, in many instances the edition, while attempting to encompass as broad a spectrum as possible in terms of multiplicity of religiosity and lived experiences of Muslims and Muslim society, is at once also a critical refection on what Muslims themselves often neglect. This means, that perhaps the tensions inherent in Islam are not so much externally constructed, as they are shaped by the reluctance of some Muslims to critically engage with their own Muslimness and way of being. (shrink)

Intrinsic religiosity drives ethical consumer behavior; however, previous studies regarding this connection are limited solely to a Christian cultural context. This comparative study instead includes Christian Consumers from Germany and Moslem Consumers from Turkey to determine if a specific religious community moderates the connection between intrinsic religiosity and consumer ethics. The results show that Consumers in the Turkish, Moslem subsample, exhibit an even stronger connection between religiosity and ethical consumer behavior than Consumers from the German, Christian subsample.

As access to the internet continues to grow, so do concerns about its effects on individuals. This digital revolution is not without its religious implications, and it appears that opinions are divided on how religiosity is being affected. On the one hand, it is possible that the emergence of virtual Islam could lead to an increase in extremism. On the other hand, with more exposure to diverse perspectives, religious tolerance may be bolstered. This article examines the potential effects of (...) the internet and social media on religious thought, drawing upon insights from the contemporary philosophy of technology, specifically postphenomenology. In this framework, technology is seen as an active agent, influencing both the subject and the object. Additionally, this article seeks to explain the logic underlying the conflicting views in the literature. (shrink)

Why has the Islamic economy, as a model of socioeconomic development, gained traction as a viable option? The existing literature suggests that the Islamic economy has been popularized by a combination of factors, including anticolonial movements, a global renewal of religiosity, and the activities of new social strata who merge piety with capitalist orientations. These approaches, however, tend to homogenize social actors, subsuming them under the overarching label of Islamism. In contrast, this article employs the lens of (...) “intra-hegemonic struggles” to identify three competing orientations of Islamism and their manifestation in the economy. Drawing on eighteen months of fieldwork in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, it argues that this contestation motivates diverse segments of the society to create and engage in the Islamic economy, rather than any single state-driven or identity-based movement. The article synthesizes three otherwise isolated bodies of work: the political sociology of articulation, new theories of Islamism, and the concept of imaginaries from economic sociology. (shrink)

Muslim youths must shun free sexual behaviours. However, these actions are highly prevalent, especially among the Muslim youth. This study aimed to determine the effect of qanun (local regulations based on Islamic law), religiosity and religious education on the sexual activity of Muslim youth. The study used a case-control design carried out in the province of Aceh, which applies the qanun, and in the province of North Sumatra, which does not apply the qanun. Researchers interviewed 552 Muslim youths (...) using the snowball method and disseminating online questionnaires; data were analysed through logistic regression using Jeffeys’s Amazing Statistics Program 16 (JASP) with a confidence interval (CI) of 95%. The results of this study indicated that qanun ( p < 0.001; Exp B = 4.628), always prayed five times every day in the last 3 months ( p = 0.027; Exp B = 1.616), and looking for various information about Islamic topics ( p = 0.01; Exp B = 1.747) is associated with the prevention of sexual activity of Muslim youth. Qanun affected the prevention of sexual activities among youth; these activities were 4628 times higher in areas that do not have qanun for preventing sexual activities in Muslim youth. Muslim youth looking for various information about Islamic topics also affected the prevention of sexual activity among youth – it was 1747 times higher than those who did not seek information about various Islamic topics on preventing sexual activity in Muslim youth. Muslim youth in qanun areas were proven to have a lower sexual activity. Furthermore, Muslim youth with high religiosity (those who pray diligently and look for various information about Islamic topics) were proven to be able to prevent sexual activity. Therefore, it is necessary to increase the religiosity of Muslim youth. Contribution: This article is expected to explain the impact of qanun, religiosity, religious education and the prevention of sexual activity among Muslim youth. This research is expected to be one of the solutions that can be applied to prevent sexual activity in Muslim youth, which is occurring increasingly. (shrink)

Counterfeiting has become a prevalent business worldwide, resulting in high losses for many businesses. Considerable attention has been paid to research an individual attitude toward purchasing luxury counterfeit products in the offline context. However, there is currently lesser-known literature on the given phenomenon in the context of social commerce. Moreover, researchers observed that counterfeiting consumption is associated with consumer ethical values or beliefs. Practitioners and researchers are keen to find those factors that affect consumers’ ethical consumption behavior to reduce pirated (...) products’ demand. However, the role of religion in shaping ethical behavior is less documented in the counterfeiting context. Therefore, this study investigated the effect of religiosity on the counterfeiting of luxury products in Pakistan. A five-dimensional Islamic religiosity model was adopted to understand the consumption phenomena. For quantitative research, cross-sectional data were collected from the generation M of Pakistan through self-administrative questionnaires. A total of 394 valid responses from active online users were collected to empirically examine the conceptual model by employing the partial least square structural equation model. The results reveal that all five dimensions of religiosity negatively affect the attitude of generation M. Moreover, it is found that knowledge has the highest negative effect on attitude, followed by orthopraxis, experience, central duties, and basic duties. The study also explains the theoretical and practical implications of the research. Finally, limitations and future research were also discussed. (shrink)

In der aktuellen Diskussion um den Islam zeigt sich oft große Unsicherheit; der Charakter dieser Religion wird vielfach verkannt. Ausgehend von grundsätzlichen Erwägungen über das religiöse Bewusstsein und seine soziale Funktion untersucht dieses Buch den zivilisatorischen Hintergrund der Entstehung des Islam, die Geschichte dieser Entstehung und seine daraus erwachsenen wichtigsten Grundzüge: seine Weltzugewandtheit, seine Betonung rechtlicher Fragen und den „formalen Charakter" des islamischen Dogmas, der den Gläubigen, wenn sie nur Gottes Allmacht im Prinzip anerkennen, erhebliche Freiheit bei der inhaltlichen Ausfüllung (...) ihres Glaubens lässt. Diese Freiheit hat zur historischen Blüte der arabisch-islamischen Zivilisation beigetragen bzw. sie ermöglicht und ist auch heute noch von großer Bedeutung für das politische und soziale Handeln der Muslime. Dieses Buch, dessen Autor, der syrische Philosoph Nayef Ballouz (1934-1998), einer der bedeutendsten arabischen Denker seiner Zeit war, kann verbreiteten Vorurteilen über den Islam entgegenwirken und einen erheblichen Beitrag zur Versachlichung der aktuellen Auseinandersetzung um diese Religion leisten. (shrink)

© The Author. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: [email protected] important collection of essays began life as a collaboration that arose from a workshop titled ‘Forms and Elements of Muslim Religiosity in Europe’ held at Leiden University. Jointly funded by Leiden University Centre for the Study of Islam and Society and the Dutch Organisation for Scientific Research NWO, the project enabled a number of (...) early career scholars working on lived Islam in Europe to plan the possibility of a volume on the topic. In March 2011, a seminar was held in Copenhagen, funded and convened by the Centre of European Islamic Thought, University of Copenhagen and the AHRC/ESRC Religion and Society Programme based at Lancaster University, to plan out the contents of the book. Although the completed project brought together... (shrink)

In der Forschung wird der Koran viel zu oft als ein sich selbst genügender Text betrachtet. Von dieser Sicht machten sich die Teilnehmer des im Mai 2006 am Historischen Kolleg veranstalteten Kolloquiums über den Koran frei. Die in diesem Band veröffentlichten Beiträge zeigen auf bisweilen überraschende Weise, dass der Koran als ein erstrangiges Zeugnis der vorderasiatischen Religionsgeschichte der Spätantike zu gelten hat. Sie eröffnen hiermit neue Wege der Erforschung der frühesten Geschichte des Islams. Die Autoren zeigen die unterschiedlichsten Perspektiven auf, (...) widmen sich etwa Engelsdarstellungen in der frühchristlichen Kunst ebenso wie dem "Höllenbaum" oder den "rätselhaften Buchstaben" am Beginn einiger Suren. Beiträge von: Achim Arbeiter, Dieter Ferchl, Johannes Koder, Tilman Nagel, Mathias Radscheit, Bertram Schmitz, Jean-Michel Spieser, Harald Suermann, Martin Tamcke. (shrink)

This volume offers interreligious and interdisciplinary insight into the cinematic-serial and literary narration of evil. Evil is an important motif in literature, film and series. We encounter it in the most diverse forms - be it the Joker from The Dark Knight, Goethe's Mephisto or in the Shiite theatre ritual of the Taʿziya. This volume attempts a closer exploration of what we know as evil, and yet find difficult to comprehend. In addition to Christian and Islamic perspectives, philosophical and (...) mystical considerations are also addressed. Evil, its aesthetic reception and the resulting perspectives on its reality are the focus of the multidisciplinary contributions. With contributions by Prof. Dr. Thomas Jürgasch, Prof. Dr. Ahmad Milad Karimi, Prof. Dr. Walter Lesch, Prof. Dr. Konrad Paul Liessmann, Dr. Maryam Palizban, Iyad Shraim and Prof. Dr. Reinhold Zwick. (shrink)

Despite the obvious link between spirituality, religiosity and ethical judgment, a definition for the nature of this relationship remains elusive due to conceptual and methodological limitations. To address these, we propose an integrative Spiritual-based model derived from categories presumed to be universal across religions and cultural contexts, to guide future business ethics research on religiosity. This article aims to empirically test in the context of Islam. It examines how different Muslims' views of God influence their ethical judgments in (...) organizations, and how this process is mediated by their religious practice and knowledge. Comprising focus group and vignette designs, the study was carried out with a random sample of 427 executives and management professionals from Saudi. After data collection, the study hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling. The findings confirmed that a view of God based on hope might be more closely associated with unethical judgments than a view based on fear or one balancing hope and fear. Furthermore, religious practice and knowledge were found to mediate the relationship between Muslims' different views of God and their ethical judgments. These results provide unique theoretical insights into religiosity's influence on ethical judgment, with important implications for management. (shrink)

: Skepticism as doubts about religious knowledge played a significant role in the intellectual reflection of the fourth and fifth Islamic centuries, a period of considerable plurality within Islam on many levels. Such skepticism was directed at revealed knowledge that spelled out the customs and norms particular to the Islamic way of life. Doubts were pushed by theologians who, themselves caught within a web of "parity of evidence" between the various schools of Islam, saw little hope of verifying (...) the superiority of Muslim ways over those of other communities, and Muslim intellectuals who viewed the particular religio-moral practices of Islam as shamefully atavistic and primitive, seeking instead to table "visible" religion for an esoterically conceived one. Against such detractors, a significant scholar of the period, Abū l-Hasan al-'Āmirī, constructed a philosophical defense of exoteric Islam, arguing in Aristotelian terms for the superiority of religio-moral knowledge over philosophical knowledge in light of the greater benefit of the former to the welfare of society and the superiority of Islamic religio-moral knowledge, since, he claims, it squares with logic more than any other communal way of life. The argument, one of many seeking to come to terms with the intellectual vagaries of the day, demonstrates how skepticism pushed scholars to explore more profoundly the nature of religion. In al-'Āmirī's case, his argument, metaphysically based with mystical inclinations, set the stage for later articulations of Islamic religiosity that integrated the human mind into the arena of Islam's revealed way of life. (shrink)

Despite the fact that bioethics is, basically, an interdisciplinary scientific field, it is deeply intertwined with less objectivistic, yet important, threads of morality and religion. From the beginning, in the United States, the language of bioethics has been shaped by theologians and people who do not neglect the religious approaches of particular scientific issues. This paper examines the possibility of using religious and nonreligious terminologies in the bioethical discourse, paying close attention to the American bioethical debate. I shall argue that (...) no democratic, pluralistic societies of today should favor only one jargon of a sole moral tradition, as this attitude leads to the discrimination of others that are also affected by such discourse. Mutual tolerance is the way that can provide a violence-free territory for the discussion about different value-based moral systems and traditions (such as Christianity and Islam or, in a broader perspective, religion and irreligious humanism). (shrink)

Egypt, a less affluent, predominantly Muslim country, suffers from numerous forms of environmental pollution, some severe. This study investigates pro-environmental behaviors of citizens in Cairo, Egypt’s largest metropolis, and studies the relationship between pro-environmental behavior and demographic variables, beliefs, values, and religiosity. Analysis shows that three types of pro-environmental behavior are present: Public Sphere, Private Sphere, and Activist Behavior, with the latter occurring less frequently. Importantly, the study identifies an ecocentric value among respondents which is correlated with Public Sphere (...) Behavior. It also confirms earlier research that characterized Egyptians’ perceptions of the environment as being set in the context of health and cleanliness. Religious teachings and religiosity are shown to be associated with pro-environmental behavior, thus lending support to the presence of an Islamic environmental ethic. (shrink)

This research examines the complex interplay of religiosity, sexuality, and infidelity. We adopted a case study approach in this research, and discourse was made central to the analysis. There were two participants; both identified as homosexuals. One participant, Fahrin, is married while the other, Muzz, is divorced at the time of the interview. The participants were subjected to an in-depth, semi-structured interview to gauge their experiences, perceptions, opinions, beliefs, and thoughts on their sexuality, Islamic faith as well as (...) relationship with their spouses. The data were then transcribed and analyzed using the Discursive Action Model and Discursive Psychology frameworks. From the analysis, two overarching themes were identified. They are the allocation of blame and accountability and the participants’ attachment to their Islamic identity. The discussion then revolves around the societal role that pressures gay men to marry women and contextualizes the position of Islam on Homosexuality. (shrink)

Despite the fact that Islam is the second largest religion in the world, empirical studies on Muslim religiosity have been very rare. The reason for this is seen in the lack of measurements applicable to Muslim samples. Nonetheless, the few empirical studies about Muslims, the role of Islam in terms of physical and psychological well-being, and comparative studies give rise to hope. The problems of application, adaptation and translation of religiosity and spirituality scales developed for Christian traditions is (...) an issue that the psychology of religion in Turkey is facing but has not yet solved. This article shall provide an overview of the religious landscape in Turkey that has to be considered when applying Turkish or Western measures of religiosity to Turkish samples. Further problems in cross-cultural/religious studies due to inappropriate measures are illustrated. Finally religiosity scales developed and/or applied within the psychology of religion research in Turkey are listed. (shrink)

Diese Publikation handelt von der Beziehung zwischen dem Staat und dem Islam im allgemein-politischen und im schulischen Kontext, wobei der Islam neben anderen islamischen Institutionen in erster Linie von der Islamischen Glaubensgemeinschaft in Österreich (IGGÖ) vertreten wird. Der IGGÖ - ebenso wie anderen Kirchen und Religionsgesellschaften (KuR) - werden im österreichischen Religionsrechtssystem weitreichende Autonomierechte eingeräumt, vor allem in der Schule in Form eines konfessionellen Religionsunterrichts (RU). Zur Erforschung dieser Beziehung in der Schule wird ein rechts- und politikwissenschaftlicher Blick auf die (...) rechtlichen Rahmenbedingungen und die soziale Wirklichkeit des Islams und des RU der IGGÖ (IRU) in Wiener Mittelschulen geworfen. Konsequenterweise wird auch auf die verschiedenen involvierten Akteur*innen geblickt, insb. auf muslimische Schüler*innen und Eltern, Religionslehrer*innen, Fachinspektor*innen und sonstige Autoritäten der IGGÖ sowie Schuldirektor*innen, Bildungsdirektionen und das Bildungsministerium. Dafür wurden im Rahmen einer qualitativen Sozialforschung sieben (Schul-)Autoritäten der IGGÖ (IGGÖ-SA) als 'Vertreter*innen des Islams' und sechs Wiener Mittelschuldirektor*innen (MSD) als 'staatliche Vertreter*innen' interviewt. Die Interviews verfolgten drei Zwecke: 1) die Ergründung negativer rechtlicher, politischer, gesellschaftlicher und religionsgesellschaftlicher Einflussfaktoren auf die allgemeine Beziehung zwischen dem Staat und dem Islam bzw. der IGGÖ (und den Muslim*innen); 2) die Erhebung von Herausforderungen, Spannungen und Konflikten sowie Idealvorstellungen in der schulpolitischen, -bürokratischen, -organisatorischen, individuellen und korporativen Beziehungsdimension, sowie 3) die Erforschung von persönlichen Einstellungen und Haltungen von IGGÖ-SA und MSD zum Islam und dem IRU in der Schule sowie - vonseiten der IGGÖ-SA - zum Staat und der Gesellschaft. Während der dritte Zweck in dieser Publikation nur eine untergeordnete Rolle einnimmt, liegt das Hauptaugenmerk auf den abstrahierten Spannungsfeldern des 'gelebten Rechts' im Sinne der sozialen Wirklichkeit in den entsprechenden Beziehungsdimensionen, die in einer rechtssoziologischen Analyse dem normativem Recht gegenübergestellt und entlang idealtypischer Einstellungen und Haltungen auf Ursachen, Wirkungen und Lösungen untersucht werden. Die Analysethemen umfassen mitunter die Einbeziehung von Fachinspektor*innen für Religion in die Bildungsdirektionen, den Streit über die Abkürzung der IGGÖ für die Eintragung in Zeugnisse, die Schwierigkeiten in der Organisation mit dem RU, das (religiöse) Verhalten muslimischer Schüler*innen und Eltern in der Schule sowie die Grenzen der Lehre im IRU im Rahmen der staatsbürgerlichen Erziehung. Diesbezügliche Idealvorstellungen zu den Herausforderungen ermöglichen abschließend aus einer sozialintegrativen und pluralistischer Perspektive der IGGÖ-SA die Konturierung eines Österreichischen Islams bzw. eines idealtypischen IRU. (shrink)

Despite its promises, the Islamic state of Iran has systematically prioritized political considerations over religious precepts, inadvertently generating a reformist religious discourse that challenges the very foundations of the Islamic state. This article conceptualizes the religious secularity discourse and the paradoxes ingrained in the Islamic state. The religious secularity discourse rejects the notion that Islamic holy texts offer a blueprint for governance and calls for the secular democratic state to realize the core principle of Islam: justice (...) [Adl]. Towards this end, inclusive secular democratic principles champion a socio-political polity conducive to the cultivation of genuine religiosity, whereby faith and religious practices are free of coercion by fellow citizens or state institutions. By blurring the boundary between the religious and the secular and challenging the religious secular dichotomy, religious secularity highlights the relevance and possibility of harmonizing Islamic and inclusive secular democratic principles. (shrink)

Goethe’s religiosity appears at the same time profoundly sincere yetescaping confessional labels. It has been claimed that Goethe was Christian,theist, mason, and even a pagan. Our work aims at studying Goethe’sreligiosity throughout his life, and in particular in his relationship with Islām.Of all religions Goethe studied and interacted with, Islām is remarkably absentfrom literary critic, yet he elaborated it throughout his life. We will proposea periodisation which divides his relationship with Islām into four stages, inwhich specific religious themes echo (...) in his letters and works, most of whichhave not been pointed out before, such as in the Faust. Finally, we will discussour findings in the context of religious studies scholarship, and approach theissue of what can Goethe suggest for the meaning of a European Islām today. (shrink)

Das Ergebnis unserer kurzen Untersuchung, die sich noch viel weiter ausdehnen ließe, ist folgendes: Die Lehre von der Seelenwanderung im Islam hängt aufs engste zusammen mit dem S e k t e n t y p u s : der Steigerung des Persönlichkeits- und Individualitätstriebes, wie sie sich einerseits in der Apotheose des verborgenen Imäm, andererseits in der Dramatisierung des Schicksals der menschlichen Seele kundtut. Die alten Religionen und Kulturen auf dem synkretistischen Boden Vorderasiens haben dazu ebenso das Material geliefert (...) wie der Ferne Osten, vornehmlich Indien, nicht zuletzt aber hat zu ihrer Ausbildung auch manche bedeutende Persönlichkeit der islamischen Theologie und das fromme Volksgemüt beigetragen in seiner Art, transzendente Zusammenhänge durch Glauben an die Wiederkehr des verehrten Heiligen zu erfassen, und so daran mitgewirkt, eine ursprünglich politische Sezession in eine religiöse zu verwandeln. Der Seelenwanderungsglaube gewährt seinen Anhängern eine wichtige Möglichkeit zur Deutung von Schuld und Sühne, der Theodizee und der Tatsache der Verschiedenheit der Religionen ; er vertieft das Gemeinschaftsgefühl durch die Theorie der seelischen Verwandtschaft und des Seelenaustauschs zwischen sich nahe-stehenden Personen, und er erklärt, wie ein Heiliger vergottet werden kann. Seine Rolle im Islam mag abseitig sein, aber sie ist nicht unerheblich. (shrink)

It is widely accepted that some characteristics and aspects of spirituality have been mentioned in the religious beliefs, teachings and practices of many divine religions, including Islam. This has recently drawn researchers’ attention, working in the fields of psychology and religion, towards the relationship between religion and spirituality. At present, research on industrial and organisational psychology seeks to shed light on the relationship between religiosity, intelligence and cognitive abilities. In addition, a healthy organisation is a place where individuals attend (...) their workplace with interest and are proud to work there. In fact, a healthy organisation can be achieved with regard to physical–mental health, security, belongings, meritocracy and the valuation of knowledge and expertise. Considering the significance of this study, it aimed to reflect on the relationship between workplace spirituality and organisational health in manufacturing and service companies in Malaysia. Hence, a total number of 30 trading companies in Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Langkawi were selected as the statistical population of the study and 3820 employees in these organisations were investigated by simple random sampling through questionnaires distributed to collect the data required for analysis in SPSS software. The results revealed that the given organisations had good levels of spirituality and health. Accordingly, it was concluded that WPS had a significant positive effect on OH.Contribution: This article contributes to the relationship between WPS and OH in manufacturing companies. (shrink)

Der Beitrag erkennt dem Religiösen eine bleibende Bedeutung auch in modernen Gesellschaften zu und legt diese auf die Dimensionierung religiöser Bildung und Kompetenz nach religiösen Grundkenntnissen sowie religiös-theologischer Deutungs- und Partizipationskompetenz aus. Untersucht werden Entwicklungsaufgaben und -probleme, vor denen die drei monotheistischen Weltreligionen in ihrer eigenen Konfession, in ihrem Verhältnis zu anderen Religionen und mit Blick auf die Kultivierung öffentlicher Religiosität stehen. Die Ausführungen plädieren dafür, die Möglichkeiten und Erschwernisse einer Perfektionierung der genannten Religionen in intra-, inter- und öffentlichen Religionsdiskursen (...) zu thematisieren und zum Gegenstand des öffentlichen Religionsunterrichts an Schulen zu machen. (shrink)

This study investigates the effect of individual auditors from more religious hometowns on audit quality, utilizing social identity and social norm theories via a sample of Turkish companies listed on the Borsa Istanbul and their associated individual auditors between the years 2010 and 2019. The sample includes a unique hand-collected dataset and secondary data gathered from various sources. The main findings demonstrate that individual auditors from more religious hometowns provide higher quality audit work in terms of the magnitudes of discretionary (...) accruals, audit reporting aggressiveness, and the presence of small profits. In order to overcome potential endogeneity and selection problems, this study employs the Heckman two-stage estimation procedure, instrumental variables, system generalized methods of moments regressions, and propensity score matching-difference and differences method. The results of these additional tests also support the main results. When controlled for the religiosity levels of the province where clients operate and the religiosity levels of the province where individual auditors attended and graduated from universities, the results remain similar. The employment of alternative audit firm size and quality proxies also provides additional supportive evidence. The findings are robust when alternative variables of interest and alternative audit quality measures, such as sanction and restatement, are employed in the main models. (shrink)

Corporate social responsibility has become a very common buzz word in the field of marketing since many years. This empirical paper assesses the attitude of devout and nondevout customers towards CSR in the context of a religious society. As making clear distinction between devout and nondevout customers may have associated measurement problems in a single-religion-dominated country, this paper initiates the discussion of peculiarity between two important religiosity measures, that is, observation based and solicited. A hypothetical story board with embedded (...) CSR information in a scenario supporting a religious cause is presented to the highly and less religious subjects in text written form. The scenario is followed by questions pertaining to their religious behaviors and attitude towards the company in question. The results illustrate that highly religious customers show slightly greater preference towards CSR as compared to less religious customers and the observation-based religiosity measure has a tendency of more reliability if the researchers have deep cultural and religious know-how about a specific society. Results of this study might help international marketers about choosing a particular cause under its umbrella CSR activities particularly when entering in a highly religious society dominated by a single religion. (shrink)