Studying Islam in Practice
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Downloaded by [University of Defence] at 01:36 24 May 2016 Studying Islam in Practice This book presents Islam as a lived religion through observation and discussion of how Muslims from a variety of countries, traditions and views practise their religion. It conveys the experiences of researchers from different disciplinary backgrounds and demonstrates the dynamic and heterogeneous world of Islam. The fascinating case studies range from Turkey, Egypt, Morocco and Lebanon to the UK, USA, Australia and Indonesia, and cover topics such as music, art, education, law, gender and sexuality. Together they will help students understand how research into religious practice is carried out, and what issues and challenges arise. Gabriele Marranci is Director of the Study of Contemporary Muslim Lives research hub based in the Department of Anthropology at Macquarie University, Australia. He is also Honorary Associate Professor at Cardiff University’s Centre for the Study of Islam in the UK. His books include The Anthropology of Islam (2008) and Faith, Ideology and Fear: Muslim Identities Within and Beyond Prisons (2009). Downloaded by [University of Defence] at 01:36 24 May 2016 Also available: Studying Buddhism in Practice John S. Harding Studying Hinduism in Practice Hillary P. Rodrigues Downloaded by [University of Defence] at 01:36 24 May 2016 Studying Islam in Practice Edited by Gabriele Marranci Downloaded by [University of Defence] at 01:36 24 May 2016 First published in 2014 by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN and by Routledge 711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business © 2014 Gabriele Marranci for selection and editorial matter; individual contributors, their contributions. The right of the editor to be identified as the author of the editorial material, and of the authors for their individual chapters, has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Studying Islam in practice / [edited by] Gabriele Marranci. pages cm. -- (Studying religions in practice) 1. Islam--21st century. 2. Islamic sociology. 3. Islam--Customs and practices. I. Marranci, Gabriele. BP161.3.S78 2014 297--dc23 2013031220 ISBN: 978-0-415-64397-9 (hbk) ISBN: 978-0-415-64398-6 (pbk) ISBN: 978-1-315-85095-5 (ebk) Typeset in Bembo by Taylor & Francis Books Downloaded by [University of Defence] at 01:36 24 May 2016 Contents List of illustrations vii Series preface viii Acknowledgements xii Introduction: studying Islam in practice1 GABRIELE MARRANCI 1 On fasting in Fes: learning about food, family, and friendship during fieldwork in Morocco8 MARIA F. CURTIS 2 Studying the Muslim family law courts in Morocco 21 LAWRENCE ROSEN 3 Hymenoplasty and the relationship between doctors and muftis in Egypt 34 L. L. WYNN 4 Studying fatwas: global and local answers to religious questions 49 DAVID DRENNAN Downloaded by [University of Defence] at 01:36 24 May 2016 5 The hajj: its meaning for Turkish Muslims 60 CAROL L. DELANEY 6 Studying Islam and the city: the case of Istanbul 73 CHRISTOPHER HOUSTON 7 Study of Shi’a Muslim women in Southern California 84 BRIDGET BLOMFIELD vi Contents 8 Studying Indonesian Muslim masculinities in Indonesia and Australia 98 PAMELA NILAN 9 An ethnographer among the Ahmadis: learning Islam in the suburbs 110 MARZIA BALZANI 10 Gender, sexuality and inclusivity in UK mosques 124 DERVLA S. SHANNAHAN 11 Where heaven meets earth: music and Islam in everyday life and encounters 135 CARIN BERG 12 Muslims and the art of interfaith post-9/11: American Muslim artists reach out to New Yorkers in the aftermath of September 11 150 MUNIR JIWA 13 Global Muslim markets in London 164 JOHAN FISCHER 14 Researching Muslim converts: Islamic teachings, political context and the researcher’s personality 181 LEON MOOSAVI 15 Studying Muslims and cyberspace 190 GARY R. BUNT 16 Women studying for the afterlife 204 MAREIKE J. WINKELMANN 17 Experiencing Islamic education in Indonesia 218 RONALD LUKENS-BULL Downloaded by [University of Defence] at 01:36 24 May 2016 Index 230 List of illustrations 4.1 A sample page from Ali Gomaa’s fatwa collection on personal status, marriage, and family law 55 4.2 A screenshot of IslamQ&A: an online fatwa repository, published in multiple languages for a diverse Muslim audience 57 5.1 Delaney in her village outfit66 5.2 Elderly men sitting in the ‘garden’ of the mosque 69 5.3 A wall hanging that says ‘What are you? From where are you coming? To where are you going?’ 70 6.1 The anthropologist at work 76 8.1 Pam Nilan interviewing during fieldwork with Muslim men in Indonesia in 2012 100 8.2 Angry young Muslim activist following urban street protest, taken during fieldwork in Indonesia in 2007 102 9.1 Baitul Futuh Mosque in Morden, London. The mosque view from the car park. Photo courtesy of Mr T. Khokhar 117 9.2 One of the many buses displaying the message of peace from the Ahmadiyya Muslim community passing through central London. Photo courtesy of Mr T. Khokhar 122 10.1 Norwich, © Ahmed Krausen Photography 132 10.2 Birmingham, © Ahmed Krausen Photography 133 11.1 Carin Berg and a band member of Amjad in their studio (Saida, Lebanon) 144 11.2 Hezbollah march during the last day of Ashura, in Dahiye (Beirut, Downloaded by [University of Defence] at 01:36 24 May 2016 Lebanon) 146 13.1 The JAKIM halal logo 166 13.2 Ayam Brand mackerel in tomato sauce 168 17.1 Lukens-Bull at a girls’ pondok 224 17.2 Lukens-Bull dining with friends 225 17.3 Lukens-Bull discussing a book 228 Series Preface: Studying Religions in Practice General Editor: Hillary P. Rodrigues The intent of this series is to assemble an assortment of texts that primarily instruct by addressing two aspects of human activity. One aspect is the practice of religion, and the other is how such practice is studied. Although these books may be profitably consulted on their own, they are ideal supplements to a comprehensive introductory textbook on each of the traditions in question. This is because introductory texts are rarely able to attend adequately to the range of activities that are integral features of most religious traditions. How- ever, religious practice is a vast field of study, and each anthology in this series makes no claim to providing a complete picture of either the religion it addresses or its rich assortment of practices. Instead, the objective in this series is to provide the reader with vignettes of religious practices within particular traditions, as viewed through the experiences of scholars engaged in the study of these religions. As such, the series offers readers a window onto both the ‘doings of religion’, and the scholarly study of those doings. As scholars who study religion in its varied dimensions, and as instructors who teach about religion, we routinely scout for resources to enhance our students’ learning experience. We wish to teach them about various religions, but also to teach them about the scholarly endeavour of studying religion. Introductory textbooks, however comprehensive they might be in providing necessary factual and foundational information, are typically unable to convey the richness of religious life as experienced by practitioners. By necessity, introductory textbooks tend to favour history, intellectual developments, and teachings from written sources of and about the tradition. Even when they Downloaded by [University of Defence] at 01:36 24 May 2016 address religious practice, the tone in these textbooks is generally distant and explanatory, rather than descriptively engaging and evocative. Additionally, since the author’s persona and presence are often excised from the accounts, these books do little to get across to students what scholars who engage in research actually do and experience. This series is designed to address some of these lacunae. Each book in this series contains an assortment of pieces written specifically for the anthology in question by established scholars in their field. Other series that focus on practice tend to be collections of translations of religious texts Series Preface: Studying Religions in Practice ix about religious practices, or are anthologies of classic articles previously pub- lished in scholarly journals. Texts of the former type are actually still slanted to the textual tradition, while those of the latter type do not have novice stu- dents as their intended audience. The essays in the volumes of this series are purposely crafted differently from typical articles published in scholarly jour- nals, chapters in edited academic volumes, or papers presented at scholarly conferences. They are even different in style from what one might find in textbooks and ethnographic anthropological literature, although recent writings from the latter category are probably closest in stylistic character. The writings in these collections derive from the memories, notes, photos, videos, and such, of scholars who were in the process of studying, and who still continue to study, some aspect of religious practice. The sensibilities within, and tone of, these writings are partly derived from postmodern orientations, which indicate that, regardless of whether one is an insider or an outsider, one’s understanding of reality is always partial.