Religion online: The shaping of multidimensional interpretations of muslimhood on Maroc.nl
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Cindy van Summeren
Abstract
The present study shows that the Internet functions as a gratifying context for the exchange of knowledge and values related to religious matters among youngsters (primarily Moroccan) in the Netherlands; they are in the midst of constructing a religious identity. Systematic content analysis complemented by qualitative research was carried out on Maroc.nl, a discussion forum primarily aimed at Moroccan youth. Inspired by Kemper's (1996) definitions of experiencing Islam, the recurrence of six dimensions of religious experience (i. e., the ritual, ideological, consequential, experiential, intellectual, and social) was looked into in 1,354 online messages. The purpose of this study is to gain insight into the nature and the relative visibility of each of these dimensions in the online discussions under study. In addition, a number of context-bound and issue-related characteristics of the message were assessed through qualitative analysis, in an effort to find out what key issues were mainly dealt with, what normative statements were made, and how the informants related to one another.
© Walter de Gruyter
Articles in the same Issue
- Introduction to the Special Issue: Media and Ethnic Minorities in Europe
- Use of old and new media by ethnic minority youth in Europe with a special emphasis on Switzerland
- Types of Integration, Acculturation Strategies and Media Use of Young Turks in Germany
- Culture-specific features as determinants of news media use
- Cultural values in commercials: Reaching and representing the multicultural market?
- Methodological approaches to studying immigrant communities: Why flexibility is important
- Religion online: The shaping of multidimensional interpretations of muslimhood on Maroc.nl
- Contributors
Articles in the same Issue
- Introduction to the Special Issue: Media and Ethnic Minorities in Europe
- Use of old and new media by ethnic minority youth in Europe with a special emphasis on Switzerland
- Types of Integration, Acculturation Strategies and Media Use of Young Turks in Germany
- Culture-specific features as determinants of news media use
- Cultural values in commercials: Reaching and representing the multicultural market?
- Methodological approaches to studying immigrant communities: Why flexibility is important
- Religion online: The shaping of multidimensional interpretations of muslimhood on Maroc.nl
- Contributors
