Political Islam and Global Media : The Boundaries of Religious Identity

The development of new and social networking sites, as well as the growth of transnational Arab television, has triggered a debate about the rise in transnational political and religious identification, as individuals and groups negotiate this new triad of media, religion and culture. This book examines the implications of new media on the rise of political Islam and on Islamic religious identity in the Arab Middle East and North Africa, as well as among Muslim Arab Diasporas. Undoubtedly, the process of globalization, especially in the field of media and ICTs, challenges the cultural and religious systems, particularly in terms of identity formation. Across the world, Arab Muslims have embraced new media not only as a source of information but also as a source of guidance and fatwas, thereby transforming Muslim practices and rituals. This volume brings together chapters from a range of specialists working in the field, presenting a variety of case studies on new media, identity formation and political Islam in Muslim communities both within and beyond the MENA region. Offering new insight into the influence of media exposure on national, political, and cultural boundaries of the Islamic identity, this book is a valuable resource for students and scholars of Middle Eastern politics, specifically political Islam and political communication. -- Amazon.com Cover Half Title Title Page Copyright Page Table of Contents List of illustrations List of contributors Introduction Media and religion – an emerging field Political Islam: an emerging force Islam and identity – a continuing debate The battle of political Islam Religious activism Mediated Islamic practices References PART I: The rise of political Islam 1. Legitimate singularities: Ennahdha in search of plural identities? Introduction Ennahdha: a Tunisian party The media: censorship and freedom Data and method Tunisian women: between Islamic ethics and emancipation ‘I have chosen to be solely Tunisian’: binationality versus revolutionary authenticity Tunisianess Conclusion Notes References 2. Social media as a new identity battleground: The cultural comeback in Tunisia after the revolution of 14 January 2011 Introduction The struggle for religious identity in Tunisia after the revolution New platforms for mediated cultural identities Online visual components and the expression of personality Performing identity online: the cultural comeback Persepolis and the clash of cultural values Social media and the active user-generated content producers Social media and the decentralized religious authority Conclusion Notes References 3. Online aesthetics of martyrdom: A study of the Bahraini Arab Spring Theoretical background Social media and the Arab Spring Remembering as a duty Cementing the community of the righteous Rectifying the past wrongs through further resistance Coping with traumatic events Conclusion Appendix Notes References 4. Rereading jihadi texts: Between subalternity and policy discourse Defining Salafism Jihadi Salafism Islamist responses to IS Rereading jihadism Alternative views Conclusion Notes References 5. Friday khutba without borders: Constructing a Muslim audience Introduction Khutba al-Juma’a on Arab satellite television How to explore khutba al-jum’a on satellite television Different khutba, different proposed Muslim subject positions The ’Alim universalizing the Muslim Ummah The hybrid khutba The revolutionary khutba The local khutba Conclusion Notes References PART II: Religious activism 6. The online response to the Quran-burning incidents Introduction Theoretical background YouTube and the global public sphere Previous studies of the digital sphere Reactions to burning the Quran Discussion and conclusion References 7. Working around the state: The micro-demise of authoritarianism in a digitally empowered Middle East Why we should care about new media Whistle-blowing to resist corruption in the digital age People-to-people social networking to resist warmongering states The Saudi women’s driving campaign, ‘No Woman, No Drive’, Conclusion Note References 8. Religious minorities in cyberspace: Identity and citizenship among European and British Muslims The question of identity The emergence of digital media Analysing web content Organizational websites and identity salience: between the network and the circle Individual tones and needs: Love in a Headscarf ‘Happy’ British Muslims The rise of ISIS Conclusion Notes References 9. British Arab youth: Reconstruction of virtual Islamic identities after the Arab Spring The ‘invisibles’: a community in the shadows The revival of Muslim identity vs. Arab identity Religion and Arab identity Influence of religious views in interaction with media content Religion shapes identities and influences attitudes The Arab Spring: Islamic movements, religion and politics Conclusion References 10. Transnational media among the Muslim community in Europe Introduction Theoretical consideration Transnational media and cultural order General modes of media consumption Generational-cultural cleavages Segregational modes of media consumption Implications of the new modes of media consumption Concluding remarks References PART III: Mediated Islamic practices 11. The new Saudi nationalism of the new Saudi media Introduction The emergence of the new Saudi media New media in Saudi society NSM as political commentary NSM as social commentary The agenda of the new Saudi media Conclusion Note References 12. The dynamics of the Saudi Twitterverse Introduction Islam and media research Islam and Internet research Mapping the Twitterverse in Saudi Arabia Trending topics in the Saudi Twitterverse The Twitterverse and religious orthodoxies and heterodoxies Mohammad Al-Arefe Heterodoxies Conclusion Notes References 13. The neo-liberal Islamic preachers: ‘It is not enough to believe, but you must act on your faith’ Introduction The Muslim preacher (da’eyah) New ways of dawah as part of Egyptian popular culture Mustafa Hosny: the new face of Islamic preachers Popularity of televised dawah Conclusion References 14. Fatwa online: Novel patterns of production and consumption Online production and consumption of Islam Online and the production of fatwas Muslim Village and the consumption of fatwas Globalization, delocalization and deterritorialization Acknowledgement Notes References 15. How Islamic is Islam Online counselling? Introduction Not giving a solution Opening up paths and widening the vision Cultivating self- and social awareness Counselling within an Islamic framework Fluctuating Islamic boundaries Cultivating the ethical self Correcting erroneous religious interpretations Concluding reflections Notes References 16. Islam in the news: The case of Al Jazeera Arabic and the Muslim Brotherhood Introduction The intricate relationship between media and religion The media and Islam Al Jazeera: a secular or Islamic voice? Al Jazeera journalists: a voice for voiceless Muslims Conclusion References Index