Abstract
In the last decades of the 20th century large numbers of Shi‘i Muslims, mainly from Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan, sought refuge in western countries, including the Netherlands. From the 1990 Shi‘i religious authorities began to issue fatwas specifically for Shi‘i Muslims living in the West. This thesis analyses the contribution
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of these fatwas to the process of negotiation of Shi‘i young adults with respect to correct religious practice and living as good Shi‘i Muslims in the Netherlands. This research explores the lives and practices of Shi‘i young adults in the Netherlands from their perspective. Most young Shi‘is are shaped by Shi‘i and ethnic discourses as well as Dutch discourse. As full participants in Dutch society they often have to deal in everyday Dutch life with situations in which Shi‘i religious precepts and Dutch mores are at odds. The study provides insight into the negotiations of young Shi‘is between Islamic, ethnic and Dutch discourse from their perspective. In the Netherlands I had in-depth interviews with 35 practicing Shi‘i youngsters. Moreover, I attended religious youth gatherings and followed developments within the Shi‘i youth community in the Netherlands on social media. I also had interviews with specialists in the field of Shi‘i religious law and representatives of the Shi‘i religious authorities in Qum (Iran) and Beirut (Lebanon). A valuable concept for this study proved to be the notion of Islam as a discursive tradition (Asad, 1986). It enabled me to see the Shi‘i tradition as a composition of different religious discourses that emerged in the countries of origin and that are subject to reinterpretation in the social context of the Netherlands. The dissertation reveals that the genre of fatwas for Muslims in the West is a supplement to existing religious regulation. The objective of the fatwas for Muslims in the West is to protect Shi‘is from going astray from Islam due to Western influences by maintaining religious practices and preserving the Muslim identity, with great emphasis on Islamic morality.Another objective is the contribution of Shi‘is in the West to a positive image of Islam. The study shows that young Shi‘is in interactions with the Dutch adjust their religious practices to the Dutch social context by negotiating between Islamic practice and Dutch mores. In Dutch social life Shi‘i youth draw as little attention as possible to their religious practices. This research also reveals that Dutch influences and conditions stimulate processes of reinterpretation of fatwas and rituals within the Shi‘i community, mainly in the fields of mixed gender interaction, gender relations and practices related to marriage. Finally, this study highlights developments within the Shi‘i youth community aimed at unifying the ethnically divided Shi‘i populations into a united youth community, based on the shared elements: faith, the Dutch language, and being ‘Dutch’ Shi‘i Muslim. A major initiative in this regard is the reinterpretation of the most important Shi‘i ritual, Muharram, for united gatherings in the Dutch language with a focus on living as a good Muslim in the Dutch context.
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