Studying Islam and Its Adherents in Australian Universities

Islamic Studies is a relatively new, yet growing phenomenon in Australian universities. With an increased focus on Islam and Muslim in the age of War on Terror and with Australian Muslim population fast increasing, Islamic Studies is an important intellectual tool to better understand, Islam and Muslims and many challenges facing them. This paper is an investigation of the recent trends and developments in Islamic Studies as an academic discipline in Australian universities. This is an important intellectual task because Islamic Studies continues to play a significant role in Australian academia. The data were collected from literature review and are analysed descriptively. The findings of the study show that the intellectual tools developed in Islamic Studies can be deployed to build relationship between fragmented Muslim communities and between Muslims and non-Muslims particularly in multicultural Australia. Islamic Studies draws on a variety of fields making it a crossdiscipline. As such, it offer a rich and analytic investigation of world’s second largest religion and its multiple expressions. Australian universities offer Islamic studies ranging from undergraduate to postgraduate program. The topic studied include Islamic philosophy, jurisprudence, education, history, and Arabic.

Discourse of the Securitization of Migration in France: from Republican Integration to Alarmism

Modern migration discourse contributes to the securitization of migration in France: it is transferred to the security field, endowed with threat connotations, and thus is becoming the direct cause of the security deficit. The agents of securitization (representatives of the country’s supreme power or right-wing political movements, or writers and essayists who recognize themselves as independent from any political party’s influence and who, however, still share the anti-immigration mood of the right-wing political movement. They use elements of the discourse of fear to achieve their own political goals; they present immigrants as a mortal threat not only to the national identity of the state and the integrity of its society, but also to its public and national security. In the discourse of these agents, there is a clear tendency to create an image of a France “abandoned” by the government and “besieged” by immigrants, a France as a subject to “colonization” by Islam that is incompatible with the secular principle the country that supports republican ideals. Analysis of the migration discourse of securitization agents reveals bold metaphors and emotionally charged expressions that generate a sense of fear in society and give rise to misconceptions about the scale of immigration and the size of the Muslim population in the country.

Budzhak Population: an experience of a fugitive review of 18th-century observations

Budzhak (in modern Moldova and Ukraine) is the western part of the Eurasian steppe, the natural character of which had determined the ways of the local life for centuries. The Ottoman and the Russian Empires had clashed here in the eighteenth century, on the eve of the European Enlightenment. This fight was to determine further prospects for development, while many contemporaries and eyewitnesses tried to guess any signs of these prospects. A profound social crisis in south-eastern Europe contributed to political and ethnic and confessional changes and was changing the natural landscape. The Turkic Muslim population had to leave these lands under the growing pressure of these changes, and the new population was predominantly Christian. Now the Christians determined the way of life in Budzhak, even its flora and fauna.

Covid-19 Dan Pengaruhnya Terhadap Perilaku Hidup Bersih Masyarakat Muslim

Coronavirus disease also known as Covid-19 forces society to adapt and change to encounter and stop its spread. Maintaining personal and environmental cleanliness is the method suggested by WHO and the government for dealing with the pandemic. Islam has taught about the virtue of cleanliness in the Quran and hadith long before the Covid-19 pandemic. Likewise, religious authorities such as the MUI issued a fatwa on the topic long before the coronavirus arrived in Indonesia. This research used the literature review method to understand Muslim society's awareness of cleanliness and the impact of Covid-19 on its behaviors. It discovered that the ideal expected of Islam to be aware of cleanliness still showed a gap over the reality that occurred, particularly in Indonesia, which has the world's largest Muslim population. However, the arrival of the Covid-19 pandemic in Indonesia has had a positive impact on personal cleanliness. According to a BPS survey, the majority of respondents are more likely to adopt hygiene behavior. Furthermore, Islamic organizations such as MUI, Muhammadiyah, and NU have long emphasized the importance of maintaining personal and environmental cleanliness. One of the lessons of the Covid-19 pandemic is the importance of cleanliness, particularly in daily life.

Pengaruh Literasi Keuangan Syariah, Persepsi Imbal Hasil, dan Motivasi terhadap Minat Investasi di Pasar Modal Syariah

The increase in the number of Indonesians Muslim population, sharia shares and the growth of sharia capital market assets are inversely proportional to the level of Islamic financial literacy and the Islamic capital market of the Indonesian population which is still very low than conventional based on the 2019 National Survey of Financial Literacy and Inclusion. This research aims to investigate the influence of Islamic financial literacy, perception of return, and motivation on investment interest in the Islamic capital market. The research method is quantitative with a sample of 150 Jabodetabek people who know about the Islamic capital market. Data was collected by questionnaire through google form. Analysis of the data used is multiple linear regression using SPSS version 25. The results of the research found that simultaneously there is an influence between Islamic financial literacy, perception of return, and motivation on investment interest. Partially, perception of return and motivation have a positive and significant effect, while Islamic financial literacy has no effect on investment interest. The results of the coefficient of determination test explained that the three independent variables influenced investment interest as much as 22%, the remaining 78% was the influence of independent variables outside the modelAbstrak Peningkatan jumlah penduduk muslim Indonesia dan jumlah saham syariah serta pertumbuhan aset pasar modal syariah berbanding terbalik dengan tingkat literasi keuangan syariah dan pasar modal syariah penduduk Indonesia yang masih sangat rendah daripada konvensional berdasarkan Survei Nasional Literasi dan Inklusi Keuangan tahun 2019. Kajian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui pengaruh literasi keuangan syariah, persepsi imbal hasil, dan motivasi pada minat investasi di pasar modal syariah. Metode penelitian adalah kuantitatif dengan sampel 150 masyarakat Jabodetabek yang mengetahui tentang pasar modal syariah. Data dikumpulkan dengan kuesioner melalui google form. Analisis data yang digunakan yaitu regresi linier berganda menggunakan SPSS versi 25. Hasil kajian ditemukan bahwasanya secara simultan terdapat pengaruh antara literasi keuangan syariah, persepsi imbal hasil, dan motivasi pada minat investasi. Secara parsial, persepsi imbal hasil dan motivasi berpengaruh positif dan signifikan, sedangkan literasi keuangan syariah tidak berpengaruh pada minat investasi. Hasil uji koefisien determinasi dijelaskan bahwa ketiga variabel independent memengaruhi minat investasi sebanyak 22%, 78% sisanya merupakan pengaruh variabel independent di luar model.

Opportunities and challenges halal marketplace in Indonesia

The development of information technology encourages the emergence of various online transaction activities, one of which is online trading transactions through the marketplace. Currently, Indonesia has the largest Muslim population, which is 87% of the total population who also takes part in buying and selling activities and online transactions. Muslim awareness and interest in halal products is increasing, but there is a need of understanding regarding transactions according to Sharia. The purpose of this study: to analyse the potential and challenges of the halal marketplace in Indonesia using a literature study research method. The results of this study indicate that in Indonesia the halal marketplace has a large market potential and is an innovation in the development of the existing marketplace. Besides this potential, the halal marketplace also has challenges in its development, including the low level of Islamic economic literacy among the public, low inclusion of Islamic finance, and the lack of utilization of the halal marketplace platform by halal MSMEs. It is hoped that these potentials and challenges can become views in determining and developing policies.

Employment Problems of Muslim Migrants in France (Exemplified by Paris). Part 1

The first part of the article briefly covers the history of immigration to France, social conflicts associated with migrants, and the results of French research on discrimination of immigrants in employment. In spite of the high unemployment rate, compared with other European Union countries, France remains one of the centres of migration and receives a significant number of migrants and refugees every year. The origins of immigration to France go back to the mid-19th century. Initially, it was mainly for political reasons, in order to find a job or receive an education. Between the First and the Second World Wars, France accepted both political (e.g. from Russia, Germany and Spain) and labour migrants (from Africa and Indo-China). After World War II, the French government actively invited labour migrants from the French colonies, primarily, from North Africa (Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco). When the Algerian War ended, the Harkis – Algerians who served in the French Army – found refuge in France. By the late 1960s, the Moroccan and Tunisian communities were formed. Up to the 1980s, labour migration was predominant. However, with time, the share of refugees and those who wanted to move to France with their families started to increase. This caused a growing social and political tension in French society resulting in conflicts (e.g. the 2005 riots in Paris). Moreover, the numerous terrorist attacks and the migration crisis of 2014–2016 had a particularly negative impact on the attitude towards migrants. All these issues have to a certain extent affected the employment of the Muslim population in France.

Improving Halal Traceability Process in the Poultry Industry Utilizing Blockchain Technology: Use Case in Indonesia

Demand for Halal food has significantly increased with the growing Muslim population and society’s interest in sustainable food production. However, there has been an increase in concerns regarding the Halal food labeling transparency process, with misleading labels found across the world. Blockchain-based traceability systems are a potential solution for current limitations in monitoring the production process of food due to its inherent decentralization and immutable nature. The technology allows stakeholders, including consumers, to promote farm-to-fork transparency, where traceability is a core component. This paper will explore the blockchain-based traceability system use case implemented by the Indonesian poultry player PT Sreeya Sewu Indonesia Tbk. Utilizing a blockchain-based system as a foundation for traceability shows promising results: data throughout the process is recorded permanently and difficult to tamper. Although the system does not eliminate the possibility of incorrect information being recorded, the same immutability characteristics will keep the new knowledge of fraud permanent if found during the audit. This layer of accountability contributes to the transparency that benefits both the consumers and stakeholders of the value chain.

Mohamed or Adam?

A name is one of the essential elements of identity. The choice of a name reflects personal as well as ethnic or religious identity. It is a reflection of individual preferences, cultural traditions and family ties, the social environment. These processes are also evident in a minority environment. The subject of interest of this study are strategies for granting names in Muslim families living in Slovakia. Our aim is to find out how and why parents choose names for their children. We will try to identify the role of individual feelings of parents as they are influenced by customary traditions of the countries from which the child’s parents come. We will be interested in the extent to which the fact that the partners live in Slovakia (mostly a Christian country with a minimal proportion of the Muslim population) contributes to the decision on the name, how it is determined by the existing public opinion about foreigners and Muslims. We present findings of a questionnaire survey with Muslims living in Slovakia or their partners. The participants were mainly people living in ethnically or religiously mixed partnerships, partly homogeneous partnerships or people who lived without a partner.

Muslim Population in the Siberian Cities according to the Census of 1897

Processes of urbanization and modernization created preconditions for qualitative changes in the demographic, social and professional structure of the cities, as well as for the formation of specific socio-professional groups. Meanwhile the active region development contributed to the individual ethno-confessional communities and diasporas formation and institutionalization in cities. The main authors’ task in to identify the ways of forming and the role of the Muslim community in the Siberian cities, based on the analysis of aggregated and nominative materials of the First General Census of the Russian Empire in 1897. The use of census lists makes for the specificity and novelty of the study. On the one hand, the data allow to obtain the most complete list of Muslim persons who were in the cities at the time of the census; on the other hand, it helps to undertake a comprehensive analysis of the demographic, social and occupational characteristics of the Muslim population. We present the socio-demographic characteristics of Muslims who lived in Siberia at the late 19th century including the map of the Muslims’ location in the counties, as well as their number and gender composition in the Siberian cities. The general portrait of the Muslim in the Siberian cities was shaped based on the aggregated data of the 1897 census. The information taken from the census lists made it possible to surmise on about the formation of the Muslim community in individual cities, and to characterize the Muslim society structure in the Tobolsk province cities. The article is intended for specialists-historians, ethnographers, social anthropologists and a wide range of readers.