belief systems and ideologies

feminist ideology evidence

• “the feminist cause has allowed me to express the continuing issues within the entertainment industry and a platform to communicate them”

• sub branches like ecofeminism

• 69% of aus women identify as feminists

belief systems vs ideologies

• similarity- shared values and purpose, collective identity, rituals and customs e.g. feminism protests, salat

• difference- religious aspect of belief systems, ideology more about change and reflective modernism, belief system about cultural continuity

secularisation evidence

• 2021 australian census 38.9% no religion, 12.9% in 1991

• change in contemporary values, ideologies seen as alternative to belief systems e.g. with homosexuality

• reflective modernism, ideologies remedy social issues, adaptability

contemporary topic in belief system or ideology evidence

• lack of intersectionality in feminism

• “the colonialist project could not have flourished without the participation of white women”- grande

malleability of islam evidence

• “islam didnt seek to commit cultural apostasy”- islamic scholar Dr Mohammad Abdalla

• “islam allows us to infuse multiple identities without compromising essential practices of the faith”- dr mohammad abdalla

hierarchy in islam

• no formal religious hierarchy, allah is only true source of power

• informal power structures due to cultural traditions, political systems and interpretations of quran

• saudi arabia theocratic monarchy, quran is scripture, influenced by conservative sunni sect

• indonesia modernist muslim majority country embracing pluralism

• Shari’a islamic law, in some countries its law in some its personal guidance

power structures in different sects

• Sunni sect (85% of adherents) believe caliphs successors to muhammed are only guardians of the belief system and dont hold power over other adherents, imams have authority but only as religious teachers

• Shia (11%) believe caliphs have same authority as predecessors, shia clergy have considerable power

fundamentalists

• extreme traditionalist muslims who hold power under the guise of religious influence

• methods of terror contradict peaceful messages of quran

• claim they want to bring back caliph hierarchy

• former mufti of aus islamic community says “they twist the words of the quran for their own needs”

islam context

1.5 billion adherents, transnational (adherents in every country)

internal power structures evidence

• Sherrin Khankan created Mariam mosque (first mosque with female Imams in Scandinavia

• 300 female religious leaders trained in 2021

• Central paradigm of Allah as ultimate source of power hasn’t changed, first pillar of Islam “there is no god but god”

general gender evidence

Aisha scholar and transmitter of Hadith (teachings of Muhammed

“Whoever does righteousness whether male or female- we shall surely grant them a good life” Qur’an

continuity of tradition evidence (language)

With almost 12 million words, the ABC article ‘The Sacred Thread’ refers to Arabic as “future proof”, and its capability to produce new words in accordance with knowledge advancement

dissent evidence

• “Will you put there one that will do evil and shed blood” Qur’an 2:30 dissent, Islam is open to questioning

• A separation of religion and state e.g. religious studies and secular studies have become two separate fields. Egypt has the ancient Islamic university Azhar (oldest university in the world) but also has three modern secular universities

• Almost all of the Muslim world now uses secular civic law with some slight Islamic modifications rather than the old religious code. Only laws covering ‘personal status’ e.g. marriage, law, divorce remain unchanged

globalisation evidence

• exposing adherents to different POVs, kuwait choice between religious coverings for women or none, doesnt translate to how traditional you are

• sherin khankan mariam mosque, 30 muslim marriages in 2 years, half interfaith, new Islamic marriage contract allowing women to nullify if theres violence, combining danish legislation with islamic guidance

modern technologies

• My stealthy freedom movement started by exiled Iranian journalist, encouraged women to share their stories through social media technology without the hijab, Iranian law mandated it, 2021 pew research 58% of Iranians believed religion shouldn’t play large role in authority of a country compared with 41% in 2011

• Quran apps and prayer apps- 150-250 million global downloads, Muslim Pro most popular, Mecca Compass