Islamic Religious Authority in Cyberspace: A Qualitative Study of Muslim Religious Actors in Australia

The arrival of new technologies has always presented new challenges and opportunities to religious communities anchored in scriptural and oral traditions. In the modern period, the volume, speed and accessibility of digital technologies has significantly altered the way knowledge is communicated and consumed. This is particularly true for the way religious authority is constructed online. Using in-depth fieldwork interviews and survey findings of Australian Muslims, this article examines the way religious actors, including imams/sheikhs, educators and academics in the field of Islamic studies, perceive and use online platforms to convey their religious knowledge. The findings suggest Muslims value the benefits of accessing knowledge, communicating ideas and facilitating religious pluralism via digital platforms. By the same token, participants warned against the dangers of information anarchy, “Sheikh Google” and the limitations of “do it yourself Islam”. Importantly, the article shows imams, educators and Muslim scholars largely prioritise face-to-face learning as a more reliable and effective method of teaching and establishing rapport among Muslims compared to eclectic internet-based information dissemination. At the same time, religious actors are not averse to Muslims using digital platforms so long as they possess the skills to cross-examine online content and verify the credentials of religious actors. For more complex and circumstantial issues, participants encouraged Muslims to consult a local imam or trusted religious scholar from the community.

Komodifikasi Al-Quran

Religion commodifications, including the issue of the Quran, are not a real breakthrough in socio-religious studies. Various studies have been carried out. However, the current studies are still limited to descriptions of the variety of commodification and problems that occur and have not reached yet the aspect of dismantling the social intrigues in them. For this reason, this study intends to read the commodification of the Quran as a social phenomenon and at the same time expose the hidden aspects in it. This study uses the social theory of The Consumer Society, initiated by Jean Baudrillard which includes aspects of commodification, media shaping, and social shifting paradigm: needs towards desires and lifestyles, by adopting relevant disciplines of the Quran such as riwayat, qira ah and tajwid. The object to be studied is Mushaf Al-Quran Grand Maqamat or known as Al-Quran Digital Talking Pen Grand Maqamat. After conducting the study, it was found that the commodification of the Quran that occurred was part of the industrialization effort of the Qur’an by using religious actors as an excuse and as a marketing medium. Commodification that occurs is also not in line with the spirit of necessity which refers to the concepts of riwayat, qira ah and tajwid in the Quran.

Religion and the United Nations

This chapter is concerned with religion at the United Nations (UN), and in particular how it relates to the activities of the UN at its Geneva office. In recent years, the UN has experienced growing concern about religion, including a higher profile in the General Assembly, the Security Council, and several of the UN’s specialized agencies, among them the Human Rights Office, the Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, the Population Fund (UNFPA), and the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations. For many, this was unexpected given that it followed decades of religion’s apparent marginalization at the UN. The increased presence of religious actors at the UN reflects a wider phenomenon: the deepening problems of global governance and increased calls for the UN to be ‘democratized’ by drawing on an array of, mainly non-state voices, both secular and religious, to supplement those of states.

ROLE OF RELIGION IN PEACEBUILDING AND SOCIAL COHESION IN BORNO STATE, NIGERIA

One basic component that represents a genuine danger to International Peace and Security was and is Ethno-Religious situated clashes in a profoundly divided society. Ethno-Religious clashes in Iraq, Syria, the Central African Republic, Myanmar, Nigeria, South Sudan and Ukraine among others pull in worldwide consideration and present horrible situations of mass abominations in the influenced state. This paper explores a critical question, what can religious actors do to help deeply divided societies rediscover a sense of living together and building long term peace in the wake of identity-based violence? The objective of this paper is to examine the role of religion in peacebuilding and social cohesion. This paper employs the multidimensional approach of research which is in pursuit of truth, and also the paper relies mainly on research works such as thesis, dissertations, research journals, newspapers and magazines. The finding reveals that religious actors play a critical role as a stakeholder in peacebuilding in deeply divided societies to rediscover a sense of living together and building long term peace in the wake of identity-based violence and should be involved at all stages of the peace process. The study recommends that the Borno State Government should engage religious actors or faith-based organisations in formulating a policy program that is directed towards promoting social coexistence in a deeply divided society like ours to improve social well-being as well as critical drivers of sustainable development, peace and security.

On Secular and Religious Politics of Belonging

This chapter focuses on the search for meaning and belonging of the Arab-Palestinian minority in Israel by discussing how belonging is framed in Arab politics in Israel. More specifically, the chapter maps and analyzes three narratives in the Arab politics of belonging: the romantic, the practical, and the visionary. The first advocates belonging to what the authors term a “lost paradise” of Palestine and Islam. This nostalgic type of belonging yearns for idealized places, times, and characters in the history of Palestine and Islam. The second narrative, the practical, defines belonging first and foremost as a developmental act, practiced at the community level through voluntary and charity programs. The third, the visionary, promotes belonging as an ideological position to be articulated and educated for at the national level. These three concepts are circulated and mobilized by both secular Arab political and Muslim religious actors but in different versions and to different extents.

Who are the Patani Peace Influencers? Exploring from Perspectives of Civil Society in Southern Thailand

This research explores local civil society organizations’ (CSOs) view on peace influencers in southern Thailand. Its key puzzle is, according to the CSOs, who are considered to be Patani Peace Influencers? Because there is a lack of reliable resources to support peacebuilding on key peacemakers, this project uses exploratory research to collect data from Buddhists and Muslims in southern Thailand. The exploratory survey was launched from January-May 2021; it received 59 nominees from 48 nominators. The dense ranking was used to generate the updated list of 10 peace influencers in Patani. The result unveils that the top three peace influencers include Ismail Lutfi Japakiya, Rukchart Suwan, and Srisompob Jitpiromsri, respectively. The list suggests that although non-religious actors have primarily been nominated, the most influential actor in the area remains the religious scholar.

Promosi Inklusi Sosial di Indonesia; Studi Kasus Pada Organisasi Masyarakat Sipil di Kuningan Jawa Barat dan Bulukumba Sulawesi Selatan

This research aims to discuss the success of Lakpesdam PCNU Kuningan and Bulukumba community organizations in promoting and realizing an inclusive society. This research method applies qualitative type and content analysis. These results and discussions show how actors have a shared awareness to promote inclusive policy. The conclusion of this study is the success of community organizations Lakpesdam NU Kuningan and Bulukumba in encouraging inclusive policies, influenced by the skills of actors in inventorying the issues that are key to be invited to cooperate in encouraging the implementation of inclusive policies. The success of both organizations, due to political actors, received full support from religious actors. This study recommends that the paradigm of social inclusion can be a handle for policy makers in designing government development plans and strategy.keywords : Actors, Social Inclusion, policiesAbstrakPenelitian ini bertujuan untuk membahas keberhasilan ormas kemasyarakatan Lakpesdam PCNU Kuningan dan Bulukumba dalam mendorong dan mewujudkan masyarakat yang inklusif. Metode penelitian ini menerapkan jenis kualitatif dan analisis isi. Hasil dan pembahasan ini mengemukakan bagaimana aktor-aktor memiliki kesadaran bersama untuk mendorong kebijakan inklusif. Kesimpulan penelitian ini adalah Keberhasilan organisasi kemasyarakatan Lakpesdam NU Kuningan dan Bulukumba dalam mendorong kebijakan inklusif, dipengaruhi oleh keterampilan aktor-aktor dalam menginventarisir masalah yang menjadi kunci untuk bisa diajak kerja sama dalam mendorong implementasi kebijakan inklusif. Yang melatar belakangi keberhasilan kedua organisasi tersebut, karena aktor-aktor politik, mendapatkan dukungan yang penuh dari aktor agama. Penelitian ini merekomendasikan, agar paradigma inklusi sosial dapat menjadi pegangan untuk para pemangku kebijakan dalam merancang rencana dan strategi pembangunan pemerintahan.Kata Kunci: Aktor, Inklusi Sosial, kebijakan

THE ROLE OF INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS IN THE PROCESS OF RELIGIOUS LEGAL RELATIONS

Both legal and religious responsibilities have a positive and a negative aspect of implementation. The reasons for the contradictions between the norms of religion are due to the following factors: uneven development and change of legal and religious norms, the lack of religious regulation of radical ways to change existing religious rules of conduct; features of the content of the legal norms themselves. The norms of religion are more related to the requirements of duties and prohibitions, and to a lesser extent to permission. The definition of religious actors is given and the existing religious actors and their role in the regulation of religious relations are considered. Also, when studying the spheres of activity of one or another, the following characteristics are identified: religious actors in defending their interests are sometimes not able to directly influence the adoption of specific political decisions; they achieve a systemic effect, which consists in “the dissemination of certain knowledge and values, raising awareness of the problem and changing the mass attitude to it, the development of public institutions”. As intercultural, intercivilizational and interreligious interactions intensify, such actors of world politics as representatives of traditional world religions begin to play a special role. Transnational religious actors are often the most authoritative participants in world processes. Religious actors are able to influence the values, behavior and collective choices of large groups of people.

Situating the Religious Market Theory in Ghanaian Religious Context : Merits and Demerits

This study reviewed the religious market theory in relation to the religious economy of Neo-Prophetic Pentecostal-Charismatic churches in Ghana. Using unstructured qualitative interviews and focus group discussions, the study discovered that the theory in its present western context ignored Ghanaian religio-cultural sensibilities that affect decision-making in every aspect of the Ghanaian's life. It also ignored ethical and human rights cases such as flogging or at times stepping on pregnant women for alleged involvement in sinful acts. In other cases, prophets/pastors touch women's private parts for alleged claims of casting out demons. These missing links in the theory appear to produce a distorted view of the realities of religious actors in Ghana. Thus, the analysis implicates the widening of the theoretical framework to encompass the missing links that significantly influence the behavior of religious actors in Ghana.