Synopses & Reviews
Many Muslim societies, regardless of location, are displaying a ‘youth bulge', where more than half their populations are under the age of 25. An increasingly globalized western culture is rapidly eroding ‘traditional' ideas about society, from the family to the state. At the same time, there is a view that rampant materialism is creating a culture of spiritual emptiness in which demoralization and pessimism easily find root. For young Muslims these challenges may be compounded by a growing sense of alienation as they face competing ideologies and divergent lifestyles. Muslim youth are often idealized as the ‘future of Islam' or stigmatized as rebelling against their parental values and suffering ‘identity crises'. These experiences can produce both positive and negative reactions, from intellectual engagement and increasing spiritual maturity to emotional rejectionism, narrow identity politics and violent extremism. This book addresses many of the central issues currently facing young Muslims in both localized and globalized contexts through engaging with the work of academics, youth work practitioners and those working in non-governmental organizations and civic institutions.
Synopsis
Many Muslim societies, regardless of location, are displaying a ‘youth bulge', where more than half their populations are under the age of 25. An increasingly globalized western culture is rapidly eroding ‘traditional' ideas about society, from the family to the state. At the same time, there is a view that rampant materialism is creating a culture of spiritual emptiness in which demoralization and pessimism easily find root. For young Muslims these challenges may be compounded by a growing sense of alienation as they face competing ideologies and divergent lifestyles. Muslim youth are often idealized as the ‘future of Islam' or stigmatized as rebelling against their parental values and suffering ‘identity crises'. These experiences can produce both positive and negative reactions, from intellectual engagement and increasing spiritual maturity to emotional rejectionism, narrow identity politics and violent extremism. This book addresses many of the central issues currently facing young Muslims in both localized and globalized contexts through engaging with the work of academics, youth work practitioners and those working in non-governmental organizations and civic institutions.
Table of Contents
Contributors and Editors \ Acknowledgements \ Foreword \ 1. Introduction Mohammad S. Seddon and Fauzia Ahmad \ Part I: Muslim Youth: Negotiating Local and Global Contexts \ 2. The Phenomenon of Serial Nihilism among British Muslim Youth of Bradford, England Saeed A. Khan \ 3. An Analysis of the Factors that Pave the Way for the Radicalization of British Muslim Youth from a Comparative Perspective Ihsan Yilmaz \ Part II: Identity and Belonging \ 4. Muslim Migrant Youth: Descriptive Factors related to Acculturation and Psychosocial Adaptation M. Taqi Tirmazi, Altaf Husain, Fatima Mirza and Tasanee R. Walsh \ 5. Religion, Language or Ethnicity? Hybridized Identity among the Ismaili Youth of Afghanistan in Germany Yahia Baiza \ 6. Turning to my Religion Muhammad G Khan \ Part III: Education and New Media \ 7. ‘Growing Up Under Lockdown' or ‘Educational Pioneers'? Challenging Stereotypes of British Muslim Women in Higher Education Fauzia Ahmad \ 8. Muslim Youth at University: a Critical Examination of the British Higher Education Experience Seyfeddin Kara \ 9. Muslim Youth and Citizenship Education: Idealism, Islam and Prospects for Successful Citizenship Education Nader Al-Refai and Christopher Bagley \ Part IV: Methodologies of Engaging \ 10. Activity and Alterity: Youth Work with Muslim ‘Girls' Gill Cressey \ 11. Youth Work and Islam: A Growing Tradition? Brian Belton \ 12. Training Muslim Youth to be ‘Khateebs' Arif Fitzsimon \ 13. Engaging with Young Muslims: Some Paradigms from the Qur'an and Sunnah Mohammad S. Seddon \ Websites, Addresses and Contacts of Prominent Agencies, Institutions and Organisations Dedicated to Muslim Youth Work \ Notes \ Bibliography \ Index