Violence,fear of crime,and Islam scepticism

Many authors have raised the question whether Islam scepticism is different from more general expressions of xenophobia. This paper argues that in order to give the thesis of a differentiation between these attitudes a fair chance (1) it should be tested among the more highly educated part of the population, and (2) the analysis should include controls for determinants that might be specific to Islam scepticism. Therefore this contribution researches the specificity of Islam scepticism among first-year university students. Five forms of prejudice are distinguished, alongside Islam scepticism. It is observed: (1) that Islam scepticism is empirically distinct from those forms of prejudice; (2) that there are nonetheless very strong relationships between the different forms of prejudice and Islam scepticism, and the latter is to a large extent determined by more general forms of prejudice; (3) yet, even when such influences are taken into account, the latter attitude is still additionally influenced by feelings of insecurity.     

浅析佛教和伊斯兰教在中国的传播差异

佛教和伊斯兰教传入中国后，由于自身教义宗旨和传播时机、方式的不同，在中华民族的思想领域产生了不同深度和广度的影响，衍生出不同文化现象。本文由这些相异的文化现象入手，通过对两种宗教文化在中国影响差异的历史原因分析，明确两者在民族性格和文化特征中所发挥的作用，以期对促进民族团结有所帮助。     

浅析佛教和伊斯兰教在中国的传播差异

佛教和伊斯兰教传入中国后,由于自身教义宗旨和传播时机、方式的不同,在中华民族的思想领域产生了不同深度和广度的影响,衍生出不同文化现象.本文由这些相异的文化现象入手,通过对两种宗教文化在中国影响差异的历史原因分析,明确两者在民族性格和文化特征中所发挥的作用,以期对促进民族团结有所帮助.     

Watching the detectives: crime programming, fear of crime, and attitudes about the criminal justice system

Research demonstrates a complex relationship between television viewing and fear of crime. Social critics assert that media depictions perpetuate the dominant cultural ideology about crime and criminal justice. This article examines whether program type differentially affects fear of crime and perceptions of the crime rate. Next, it tests whether such programming differentially affects viewers' attitudes about the criminal justice system, and if these relationships are mediated by fear. Results indicated that fear mediated the relationship between viewing nonfictional shows and lack of support for the justice system. Viewing crime dramas predicted support for the death penalty, but this relationship was not mediated by fear. News viewership was unrelated to either fear or attitudes. The results support the idea that program type matters when it comes to understanding people's fear of crime and their attitudes about criminal justice.     

Islam as Drama: Wedding Rites and the Theatricality of Islam in South Sulawesi

This article discusses the prominence of wedding rituals in South Sulawesi to illuminate Islamic development in post-Suharto Indonesia and theatrical expressions of Islam through dramaturgical and social drama analysis. Theatre metaphors help explain the theatricality of Islam and the centrality of wedding rites in social and religious life in South Sulawesi, two social facts not easily understood by people outside this region. Through the performance of wedding rites, Muslims know themselves as Muslims, display social status and transform local politics. Analysis of wedding rites illustrates not only the importance of theatricality in the expression of Islam for the Bugis Makassar Muslims, but also how massive social and religious transformation is structured around a particular life-cycle ritual, namely weddings. Giving emphasis to theatricality, this article nuances recent studies about contemporary Islam, which largely focus upon the importance of discourses in the life of contemporary Muslims.     

France, Germany and Islam: Negotiating Identities

Since the 1980s Islam in France and Germany has become part of the discourse of immigrants as well as the public authorities, and a source of action for militants active in voluntary associations. For immigrants it becomes a way of reappropriating an identity. The discourse reflects a sense of belonging to a community, the elements of which are drawn from its practice, its tradition and its rituals. Its organization reflects the expectation of individuals and the public authorities. This essay analyses the interaction between immigrant organizations and the state in France and Germany, and the role of the state in building a community defined by its religion towards the state.     

France,Germany and Islam: Negotiating Identities

Since the 1980s Islam in France and Germany has become part of the discourse of immigrants as well as the public authorities, and a source of action for militants active in voluntary associations. For immigrants it becomes a way of reappropriating an identity. The discourse reflects a sense of belonging to a community, the elements of which are drawn from its practice, its tradition and its rituals. Its organization reflects the expectation of individuals and the public authorities. This essay analyses the interaction between immigrant organizations and the state in France and Germany, and the role of the state in building a community defined by its religion towards the state.     

The individual,racism and transformation: a psychoanalytic case

This paper engages transformation processes by focusing on the racism that characterised pre‐1994 South Africa. Through analysis of an individual life‐history, it argues that individuals engage with contexts of racism in ways that are particular to their intrapersonal and intrapsychic processes. Foregrounding these, the paper argues for the legitimacy of the individual as a site of intervention in transformation processes, and posits that transformation processes that do not account for intrapersonal and intrapsychic dynamics are compromised at best and futile at worst.     

阿中伊斯兰教与基督教和谐与共的历史透视

伊斯兰教和基督教同属天启宗教,有共同的"先知传统",有共同的历史责任.历史上阿拉伯世界的穆斯林与基督徒之间的关系,既有冲突、矛盾、对立的一面,也有和平相处、彼此尊重、相互依存的一面.伊斯兰教与基督教和谐共处的历史经验,可为当代建构基督教与伊斯兰教之和谐关系提供借鉴意义.     

Secular state,religious lives: Islam and the state in Malaysia

Debates on secularism in Malaysia often revolve around the legal, especially the constitutional, framework. To this end several NGOs organised a road show in 2006 to debate issues surrounding freedom of religion. Not only were these events mobbed by angry crowds, but also the state intervened and shut down these and future discussions on the topic of religion, deeming such debates sensitive. This article addresses the particularities of secularism in Malaysia vis-à-vis Olivier Roy's thesis in ‘Secularism Confronts Islam’ that sees religious space and secular space as discernable yet not antithetical and Charles Taylor's thesis in the ‘Secular Age’, where he points to a new definition of secularism as a pluralist and transcendent notion of belief. In Malaysia both variants are present, with the state playing a dangerous game situating itself between reactionary Muslim forces and a moderate majority.     

Securitized citizens: Islamophobia,racism and the 7/7 London bombings

The London bombings of 7 July 2005 were a major event shaping the relationship between Muslims and non‐Muslims in Britain. In this paper we introduce the idea of ‘securitized citizens’ to analyse the changing relationship between British Muslims and wider British society in response to this and similar events. Through an analysis of qualitative interviews with Muslims and non‐Muslims of a variety of ethnic backgrounds in the areas where the London bombers lived in West Yorkshire we examine the popular perceptions of non‐Muslims and Muslims’ experiences. We show how processes of securitization and racialization have interacted with Islamophobic discourses and identifications, as well as the experiences of Muslims in West Yorkshire after the attacks.     

Reading the Other Women,Feminism, and Islam

This essay focuses on the complex gendered particularities of the Arab region (including Iran). The debate between Islamic feminists and secular feminists is explored. Islamic feminists claim that liberation for men and women lies in following the Islamic faith and it is Islam that provides the best protection for women. Secular feminists argue for the separation of religion from civil society and the State. The essay explores the inextricable link between masculinity and the nation, and the impact of postcolonial relations on subjectivity.     

The Islamic Crescent: Islam,Culture and Globalization

This paper is an interdisciplinary consideration of Islam in general, and of Islam within the Islamic crescent in particular. Scholarly approaches to the study of Islam are explored, as well as the unity and commonality of attitudes and sentiments that exists right across the Islamic world. This last point is contrasted with differences within Islamic countries in the crescent, particularly in the context of culture. Indeed, this paper stresses the need to understand the relationship between culture and Islam. The paper concludes with an analysis of Islam and globalization, paying particular attention to modernization and Islamic identity.     

Media, Racism and Islamophobia: The Representation of Islam and Muslims in the Media

This article examines the representation of Islam and Muslims in the British press. It suggests that British Muslims are portrayed as an 'alien other' within the media. It suggests that this misrepresenatation can be linked to the development of a 'racism', namely, Islamphobia that has its roots in cultural representations of the 'other'. In order to develop this arguement, the article provies a summary/overview of how ethnic minorities have been represented in the British press and argues that the treatment of British Muslims and Islam follows these themes of 'deviance' and 'un-Britishness'.