Search Results (1,571)

In recent years, Christian language and symbols have played an increasingly prominent role in right-wing populist rhetoric across many western countries. The form of religious expression in right-wing populist rhetoric corresponds to the kind of religiousness that characterizes the contextual factors under which rhetorical communication occurs. In making this case, this article analyzes salient themes found in speeches, interviews, and manifesto content to uncover dynamic similarities and dissimilarities between right-wing populist parties in two religiously different contexts: the Alternative für Deutschland (“Alternative for Germany”) and Fratelli d’Italia (“Brothers of Italy”). First, I discuss how the vertical and horizontal tensions within the populist framework combine with notions of civilizational identity and show the extent to which positive references to Christianity are combined with negative references to Islam. Next, I demonstrate how these parties differ in their treatment of the transcendent and doctrinal qualities of religious commitment. Lastly, I show the ways in which religion is used to help brighten symbolic boundaries, as well as the functions served by the dramatic and emotional elements that are embedded in the process of boundary formation. In light of the respective contextual factors that mediate the nature of religious expression, I discuss how understanding the social logic of this rhetoric can grant valuable insight into what has become such a critical feature of populism’s social character. Full article

This study investigates the perceptions of halal food among theology students from three culturally diverse cities: Istanbul, Berlin, and Kuala Lumpur. As individuals receiving formal religious education, theology students are expected to exhibit strong awareness of Islamic dietary principles. Utilizing a quantitative research design, data were collected from 210 participants via online surveys using validated Likert-type scales measuring halal awareness, halal literacy, religious commitment, social influence, perceived behavioral control, price value, hedonic motivation, and consumption habits. One-way ANOVA and post hoc Tukey tests revealed significant differences between cities in nearly all variables. Students in Kuala Lumpur consistently demonstrated higher scores, indicating a stronger alignment with institutionalized halal systems and collectivist cultural norms. Berlin participants reported lower awareness and influence levels, likely reflecting a more secular and individualistic environment. Istanbul students fell between the two, showing strong religious motivation but less structural support. The findings highlight how halal food perceptions are shaped not only by individual religiosity but also by cultural, political, and economic contexts. This study contributes to the literature by offering a cross-cultural perspective on halal consumption and underscores the importance of integrating structural and cultural factors into religious food behavior research. Full article

The first monographic exhibition dedicated to Vittore Carpaccio (ca. 1460–1525) in the US, and the first outside of Italy, was hosted at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, from 20 Nov 2022 to 23 February 2023 (from where it went to Venice). Building on the research of art historians and experts on Venice and the larger Mediterranean region in the early modern period, this paper examines Carpaccio’s depiction of various “Turks” in some of the large narrative painting cycles (teleri) commissioned by the devotional confraternities (scuole) in Renaissance Venice. While Carpaccio’s and the larger Venetian familiarity with Islam, including Turks, has been studied, this paper compares various female figures in the St. Stephen cycle with those in his St. George cycle, situating them in the larger historical context of the commissioning scuole (Scuola di Santo Stefano and Scuola di San Giorgio degli Schiavoni, respectively). While attempting to uncover the significance, if not the identities, of a few individuals who stand out from the crowd, this paper urges caution when attempting to discern social history from a painting, much as we take literary texts (particularly those written well before our own times) with a grain of salt. Full article

This article offers a comparative analysis of authoritarian governance in Egypt and Türkiye through the lens of two pivotal state–Islamist alliances: the early partnership and eventual rupture between Gamal Abdel Nasser and the Muslim Brotherhood (MB), and the strategic collaboration followed by confrontation between Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the Gülen Movement (GM). Despite operating in different historical and institutional settings—a postcolonial military regime in Egypt and an electoral, hybrid regime in Türkiye—both leaders allied with influential religious actors during moments of transition to gain popular support and dismantle entrenched power structures. These alliances were instrumental and temporary: once religious movements developed autonomous influence, they were recast as threats and suppressed through legal, institutional, and religious mechanisms. This study traces how religious institutions like Egypt’s al-Azhar and Türkiye’s Diyanet were co-opted to delegitimize these former allies and justify state repression. While the MB pursued overt political goals and the GM functioned through civic and technocratic channels, both were ultimately excluded from the political order once they had been considered as threats to the central authority of the regime. This comparison underscores the strategic use of religion in authoritarian statecraft and the enduring tension between religious autonomy and centralized political control in Muslim-majority polities. Full article

Muslim theologian and well-known Indian peace activist Wahiduddin Khan (1925–2021) had a significant impact on the development of peace ethics in Islam. In addition to writing several books and essays on peace and non-violence, he also took part in Indian political debates and engaged in global issues related to Islam and the Middle East. He is one of the most prolific Muslim thinkers on peace and non-violence, having crafted a systematic approach to peace in his eleven books on the subject. This article discusses his contributions to Islamic peace ethics along with an applied case of his non-violence principles to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. Furthermore, this article critically examines the consistency, applicability, and effects of his theory of peace. Full article

This article examines the Qurʾānic portrayal of Jesus (ʿĪsā al-Masīḥ) and the naṣārā in comparison with Samaritan and Nazarene/Ebionite profiles, situating them within the Arabicised debatespace of Late Antiquity and early Islam. Building on recent studies of Qurʾānic Christology and interconfessional exchange as well as Macdonald’s work on Samaritan theology and Thomas’s research on Christian–Muslim polemic, the study argues that overlaps in prophetology, law-centred piety, and divine transcendence reflect shared category availability rather than genealogical dependence. Methodologically, the analysis combines close readings of Qurʾānic passages (e.g., Q 4:171; 5:72–75; 4:157) with textual variants from the Samaritan Pentateuch (SP), the Septuagint (LXX), and the Masoretic Text (MT), alongside patristic notices of Jewish–Christian groups. Evidence from Sinai Arabic MS 154, an early Christian apologetic treatise preserved at St Catherine’s Monastery, illustrates how Arabic-speaking Christians engaged Qurʾānic categories in staged dialogue. The findings clarify where conceptual overlaps (titles, law, divine unity) coexisted with decisive non-overlaps (worship, sonship, atonement), showing that the Qurʾān’s Christology participated in a common discursive field while maintaining distinct theological boundaries. On this basis, the article proposes a historically grounded “Bridge-First” model for Muslim–Christian dialogue, beginning with Qurʾān-affirmed titles for Jesus and advancing toward contested claims in sequence. Full article

In this study, we aim to provide a comprehensive analysis of the risk management potential of sectoral Credit Default Swaps (CDSs) within financial portfolios. Our objectives are threefold: (i) to investigate the safe haven properties of sectoral CDSs; (ii) to assess their hedging effectiveness and evaluate the diversification benefits of incorporating sectoral CDSs into both conventional and Islamic stock market portfolios; and (iii) to compare these findings with those obtained from alternative assets such as the VSTOXX, gold, and Bitcoin indices. To achieve this, we estimate time-varying hedge ratios using a range of multivariate GARCH (MGARCH) models and subsequently compute hedging effectiveness metrics. Conditional correlations derived from the Asymmetric Dynamic Conditional Correlation (ADCC) model are employed in linear regression analyses to assess safe haven characteristics. This methodology is applied across different subperiods to capture the impact of the crypto currency bubble and the COVID-19 pandemic on hedging performance. Full article

This study traces the profound transformation of the city of ‘Akká in Bahá’í perception, from its early depiction as “the Most Great Prison” and a place of desolation and exile to its reimagining as a holy city and spiritual center. Drawing on the writings of Bahá’u’lláh, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, and Shoghi Effendi, the article examines how successive Bahá’í leaders reconceptualized ‘Akká through scriptural reinterpretation, theological discourse, and communal memory. Special attention is given to the appropriation of Islamic faḍáʾil traditions and the reapplication of biblical and Qur’ánic imagery to ‘Akká. By analyzing this symbolic and textual evolution, the article sheds light on the dynamic interplay between narrative, authority, and geography in the formation of Bahá’í sacred landscapes. Full article

The traditional Arab-Islamic urban fabric of Riyadh, with its emphasis on privacy, social cohesion, and environmental adaptation, was radically disrupted when the 1970s Doxiadis master plan was implemented, transforming the city into a car-dependent gridiron design. The shift led to ever-spreading sprawl, reduced pedestrian-friendliness, and eroded local identity. Using Hegelian dialectics methodology, this paper proposes integration of fused grid theory and urban Islamic fractals geometry in the urban fabric of the city. Specifically for Riyadh, the proposed changes encourage urban quadrant nesting, change of block scale and layout, fractal landscape integration, and multi-modal permeability. These adaptations are intended to increase connectivity, reduce crash rates, minimize impacts on the environment, enhance walkability, and elevate overall quality of life. Full article

This paper offers a critical analysis of traditional Muslim sexual morality and questions its validity in the present. It focuses on two elements: (1) nikāḥ as a legal marriage contract characterized by asymmetrical gender roles and (2) historically permitted sexual relations with enslaved women, as well as Muslim positions on sexual intercourse with minors. After a conceptual clarification of sexual autonomy, I examine the positions of different legal schools and contextualize their norms within broader social and intellectual histories. Building on the approach of “overcoming the text,” I argue that foundational religious texts can no longer serve as the normative basis for a contemporary sexual ethic. Instead, I redefine the notion of “illegitimate sexuality” (zinā) based on the principle of sexual autonomy and show how modern legal and social frameworks (rule of law, welfare state, medical evidence) render earlier functions of sexual regulation obsolete. The Qurʾanic concept of maʿrūf serves as a dynamic ethical reference point. The goal is a paradigm shift toward a Muslim sexual ethic that centers autonomy, equality, and human dignity while critically dismantling inherited structures. Full article

This paper critically interrogates the French model of secularism (laïcité) and its implications for Muslim women’s rights in contemporary France, particularly within post-colonial and post-secular contexts. It explores how historical legacies of colonial governance continue to inform current regulatory frameworks around religious expression, especially regarding the wearing of Islamic veils in public institutions. While laïcité is officially presented as a principle of neutrality and universalism, its practical enforcement often targets Muslim women, functioning as a mechanism of exclusion that conflates religiosity with political threat. Drawing on intersectional feminist theory and recent debates on post-secularism, the paper examines how dominant feminist movements in France have struggled to incorporate the lived experiences and agency of pious Muslim women, frequently aligning with state-led narratives that instrumentalises gender equality in service of national identity and securitisation. Drawing upon the concept of intersectional post-secularity as discussed in recent scholarship, this article offers a new contextualised framework from within the French system of laïcité for analysing how secular governance, feminist discourse, and colonial legacies converge to regulate Muslim women’s visibility and subjectivity. This approach moves beyond binaries of secularism versus religion and emancipation versus subjugation, offering new insights into the entangled politics of faith, gender, and national identity. Ultimately, the paper calls for feminist and civic discourse that upholds democratic inclusivity, accommodates religious diversity, and resists the racialised governance of Muslim women’s bodies in the name of laïcité. Full article

The Bahá’í doctrine of progressive revelation, while universal in principle, has been limited, in scope and application, by what has previously been described as “Arya-Semiticentrism”—with a paradigmatic focus on Semitic religions (the “Abrahamic Faiths” of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, along with the Bábí and Bahá’í Faiths), and the so-called “Aryan” religions (Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, Hinduism) to the relative exclusion of Indigenous religions. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s Tablet to Amír Khán may offer a solution and resolution, to wit: “Undoubtedly in those regions [the Americas] the Call of God must have been raised in ancient times, but it hath been forgotten now.” This paper provides an exegesis of the Tablet to Amír Khán—an authenticated, authoritative Bahá’í text, with an authorized translation. Our basic premise is that, just as ‘Abdu’l-Bahá has “added” the Buddha and Krishna to the Bahá’í list of “Manifestations of God,” ‘Abdu’l-Bahá has also “added” the principle of Indigenous Messengers of God to the Americas—without naming principals (i.e., the names of individual Indigenous “Wise Ones”), thereby demonstrating that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s Tablet to Amír Khán effectively expands the scope of the Bahá’í doctrine of progressive revelation to include and engage Indigenous spiritual traditions. Full article

This article examines how populist radical right parties (PRR) in three contrasting European contexts—Slovenia, France, and Poland—strategically instrumentalize Christianity within their anti-immigration agendas. Rather than using religion as a matter of faith, these parties recast Christianity as a cornerstone of national and European identity, positioning it in opposition to Islam and non-European migration. The study argues that such instrumentalization serves not only to construct a religiously defined national identity, but also to legitimize exclusionary policies. By analyzing selected political speeches, party manifestos, and media discourse, we explore how far-right actors frame Islam as incompatible with European values, reinforcing the division between “Christian Europe” and “foreign non-Christian migrants.” Drawing on recent scholarship on civilizational populism and religious boundary-making, we further assess how processes of globalization and European integration have been interpreted by populist parties to fuel anti-immigrant sentiment. Methodologically, we employ qualitative content analysis to identify recurring themes and rhetorical strategies, with a focus on the intersection of religion, nationalism, and migration. The findings contribute to debates on religious pluralism in contemporary Europe, shedding light on how far-right populism reframes pluralism and challenges secular principles across different political and cultural settings. Full article

This article critically examines the evolution of EU migration policy discourse from 1989 to 2024, highlighting the shift from overt securitization to a more humanitarian and managerial framing, which still retains some securitization elements. By analyzing key policy documents, including the Hague and Stockholm Programmes, the Global Approach to Migration and Mobility (GAMM), and the 2024 Pact on Migration and Asylum, this paper demonstrates how migration has been increasingly framed as a technical and economic issue while still maintaining exclusionary logics. Although humanitarian language has softened, policy goals remain focused on containment, selective inclusion, and externalizing responsibility. The second part of the article explores the religious aspect of EU migration policy, arguing that, despite the formal secularism of EU institutions, religious identity, particularly Islam, is implicitly intertwined with discourses of risk, cultural incompatibility, and integration. Drawing on Peter Berger’s theory of pluralism, the paper highlights a fundamental tension between the EU’s normative claims to diversity and its implicit preference for secular Christian frameworks. The analysis examines pathways for integrating religious consultation into EU governance and its potential to address the persistent marginalization of religion as a factor in inclusion and political agency. By linking migration discourse to the often-overlooked role of religion, this article calls for a more coherent, pluralist-informed EU strategy for migration and integration. Full article

This study examines how selected place names, animal figures, and natural elements are used rhetorically in the Qurʾān and pre-Islamic Arabic poetry. It explores the rhetorical strategies associated with these elements, their frequency in pre-Islamic poetry, and their transformation within Qurʾānic discourse. Particular attention is given to how the Qurʾān reinterprets such figures, whether it assigns them new semantic layers, and what depth of meaning these usages convey. The study focuses on the Qurʾān and the Mu’allaqāt—the most prominent collection of pre-Islamic odes—and identifies semantic differences rooted in rhetorical style between the two traditions. While the Qurʾān employs a metaphor- and simile-rich narrative style, pre-Islamic poetry tends toward a direct, descriptive mode of expression. The symbolic function of landscape, animal, and cosmic imagery is analyzed in this context. Pre-Islamic poetry typically portrays the world as it is, often grounding meaning in the immediacy of the desert environment. In contrast, the Qurʾān embeds similar elements within a broader metaphysical framework, imbuing them with theological significance. The central aim is to investigate how the Qurʾān engages with and transforms the literary legacy of pre-Islamic poetry, and what rhetorical mechanisms it employs in this process. Thus, the study contributes to understanding the Qurʾān’s rhetorical structure and narrative method considering its linguistic and cultural context. Full article