Religious reflection in Pakistan: further evidence of integration between Muslim faith and intellect

Religious groups outside the West have displayed a positive correlation between faith and intellect-oriented reflection in contrast to the negative relationship found with American Christians. This study extended the analysis to Pakistani Muslims. University students (N = 180) responded to religious reflection scales along with measures of religious orientation and satisfaction with life. Faith- and intellect-oriented reflection correlated positively, and both displayed direct relationships with religious orientations and satisfaction with life. In multiple regression analyses, both combined to predict the intrinsic religious orientation, but faith-oriented reflection was the only significant predicter of other measures. These data further documented a compatibility between Muslim faith and intellect and supplemented other cross-cultural findings in suggesting that understandings of more conservative religious beliefs may require sensitivity not only to their content, but also to their cultural context.     

Development and Validation of Tawakkul Scale for Muslim Adults in Pakistan

Journal of Religion and Health - As a fundamental value in the Islamic belief system, tawakkul is defined as the belief in the sufficiency of God that involves positive efforts to achieve...     

Toward a better understanding of the justice judgment process: The influence of fair and unfair events on state justice sensitivity

People differ in the way they regard justice. Although some people may be relatively unaffected by justice issues, many others regard justice as a very important concept and react to it accordingly. Prior research suggests that this sensitivity to justice is a stable personality trait. In three studies, we show that (compared to neutral events) experiencing just and unjust events (directed toward the self or others) can elevate state levels of justice sensitivity. We discuss the implications of these findings, including the notion how these results can lead to a better understanding of the justice judgment process. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Muslim Experiential Religiousness in Pakistan: Meaning in Life,General Well-Being and gender differences

This study examined relationships of Muslim spirituality with positive psychology in Pakistan. In a sample of 200 university students and community members, the spirituality of Muslim Experiential Religiousness displayed direct linkages with Meaning in Life and General Well-Being subscales. Muslim Experiential Religiousness also correlated positively with single-item assessments of the Intrinsic, Extrinsic Personal, and Extrinsic Social Religious Orientations and explained the relationships of these religious motivations with General Life Satisfaction. Women scored higher than men on Muslim Experiential Religiousness, but at least some linkages of Muslim spirituality with positive psychology were more robust in men. As in other recent investigations, these data confirmed Muslim Experiential Religiousness as a valid index of Muslim spirituality beyond the Iranian cultural context in which it was developed.     

Development and Validation of Religious Sectarian Intolerance Scale for Muslim Adults in Pakistan

Journal of Religion and Health - Religious sectarian intolerance occurs when members of different religious sects within a faith are unable to tolerate the religious beliefs and practices of each...     

Religious Requirement: The case for Roman Catholic schools in the 1940s and Muslim schools in the 1990s

This article sets out the four principles which underlay Catholic schooling in the 1940s. Similar principles were expressed by Muslim leaders in the 1990s. The origins of Catholic schools in the 19th century are described, as is the 1870 Act which led to a great increase in their number. Twentieth-century Catholic writers set out the rights and duties of parents and the obligation of the state to fund Catholic schools. The stance of the church in the 1940s is examined in detail. Some characteristics of Islam are then described. Religious observance brings conflict for children attending maintained schools. Parents may campaign for change in these schools, or opt for independent Islamic schools. The conclusions of the Swann Report (1985) regarding separate schooling are set out, followed by the change in government policy after 1997. In conclusion, the article asks whether we may expect an increase in Muslim voluntary aided schools parallel to the earlier increase of Catholic schools.     

Questions of condom use in the Muslim and Catholic response to HIV and AIDS in Nairobi,Kenya

Religious leaders in Roman Catholic and Sunni Muslim communities in Kenya’s capital city of Nairobi are charged with responding in an official capacity to the pressing concerns facing their respective communities both theologically and practically. However, speaking about sexuality from a religious perspective particularly on the use of condoms in AIDS prevention has been rather troublesome topic many leaders and clergy find problematic discussing openly. This paper offers a comparative analysis of Muslim and Catholic views on sexuality by establishing the parameters within which to consider the presence and activity of Catholic and Muslim leaders in Kenya and the holistic, grassroots approach in responding to the AIDS epidemic in Nairobi regarding condom use.     

Nursing Practices in Catholic Healthcare: A Case Study of Nurses in a Catholic Private Hospital

We aimed to investigate Catholic Identity and Mission communication specifically how nurses were expressing the Catholic healthcare values in practice. A mixed-methods, case study design was used and included non-participant observation, a mid-level manager focus group (n = 7) and online surveys (n = 144). Document and observational data analysis revealed the organisation’s commitment to visible indication of Catholic values adherence. Focus group analysis revealed two themes, ‘Catholic values in action’ and ‘taking the extra step’. The impact of Catholic Identity and Mission on nurses and nursing care recipients remains elusive and warrants further understanding.     

Queer Muslim love: a time for ijtihad

ABSTRACT

Across the globe, Muslim communities have developed, and are continuing to develop, a theology of compassion, non-judgmental attitudes, and support toward queer Muslims. This discourse uses ijtihadic analysis to support acceptance of queer Muslim love, because religion is a strong and deep social construct that acts as a moral compass where Muslim queers learn to feel “unacceptable”, “bad”, and “worthless” and under the mercy of the horrified gaze of mainstream, heteropatriarchy, which uses religious arguments to contest the rights enshrined in the South African constitution. It provides a case study as a pedagogical reflection to share intentions, process, and outcomes of sexual diversity workshops to support queer Muslim love to broadly raise critical consciousness about alternative sexual orientations and identities.     

Event justice perceptions and employees' reactions: perceptions of social entity justice as a moderator

Building on 2 paradigms in organizational justice research and on fairness heuristic theory, the author argues that employees' perceptions about the fairness of social entities (their supervisor and their organization) moderate the relationship between their perceptions about the fairness of specific events and their reactions. A survey of 265 supervisor-employee pairs in 4 companies was conducted to test this argument. Hierarchical linear modeling analyses showed that when employees perceived their organization to be generally fair, this perception moderated the relationship between the perceived justice of a particular event and their reactions to the organization (organizational commitment and organization-directed citizenship behavior). In addition, employees' perceptions of the fairness of their supervisor were found to moderate the relationship between the perceived justice of a particular event and their supervisor-directed responses (trust in managers and supervisor-directed citizenship behavior) and their organization-directed responses. The results suggest that employee attitudes and behavior can be better understood when both event justice perceptions and social entity justice perceptions are considered together.