HOW DO MUSLIM MEN IN THE UK EMPLOY RELIGION AS A COPING METHOD WITH ISLAMOPHOBIA?

Öz

The purpose of this article is to investigate the experiences of Muslim males in the UK who employ their religious beliefs as a way of coping with Islamophobia. However, the objective of this study is not to draw broad conclusions regarding Muslim males in the UK. On the contrary, the aim is to conduct an extensive examination of the ways in which Muslim males residing in the UK use their religious convictions as a means of managing Islamophobia, drawing from their own lived experiences. Muslims in the UK encounter many challenges due to their intersecting identities, and the increasing level of Islamophobia, prejudice, and discrimination has further complicated their lives. Religion and spirituality are frequently employed as coping strategies to navigate challenging circumstances, especially among minority populations, and Muslim men in the UK effectively utilise their religious convictions to deal with the effects of Islamophobia. Adopting qualitative research methodology, employing semi-structured individual in-depth interviews with Muslim men in the UK, and applying Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), the research findings revealed that Muslim males in the UK employ their religious beliefs to cope with Islamophobia, mostly by seeing Islamophobic occurrences as a divine test from Allah, known as Qadar, leaving the rest to Allah, demonstrating strong faith, and engaging in prayer to Allah. Moreover, the employing of religious beliefs as a coping mechanism against Islamophobia appears to be increasingly common among Muslim men, particularly when members of their family are subjected to Islamophobic attacks when Muslim men are not present.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Psychology of Religion
• Islamophobia
• Muslim men
• coping mechanism
• the UK

BİRLEŞİK KRALLIKTAKİ MÜSLÜMAN ERKEKLER İSLAMOFOBİ İLE BAŞA ÇIKMA YÖNTEMİ OLARAK DİNİ NASIL KULLANIYOR?

Öz

Bu makalenin amacı, Birleşik Krallık'ta İslamofobi ile başa çıkmanın bir yolu olarak dini inançlarını kullanan Müslüman erkeklerin deneyimlerini araştırmaktır. Ancak bu çalışmanın amacı Birleşik Krallıktaki Müslüman erkeklere ilişkin geniş kapsamlı sonuçlar çıkarmak değildir. Aksine, amaç Birleşik Krallık’ta ikamet eden Müslüman erkeklerin İslamofobi ile mücadelede dini inançlarını nasıl kullandıklarını kendi yaşadıkları deneyimlerden yola çıkarak kapsamlı bir şekilde incelemektir. Birleşik Krallık'ta Müslümanlar, kesişen kimlikleri nedeniyle pek çok zorlukla karşı karşıya kalmaktadır ve artan İslamofobi, önyargı ve ayrımcılık, hayatlarını daha da karmaşık hale getirmektedir. Din ve maneviyat, özellikle azınlık nüfuslar arasında zorlu koşullarla etkili bir başa çıkma mekanizması olarak sıklıkla kullanılmaktadır ve Birleşik Krallıktaki Müslüman erkekler, İslamofobi’nin etkileriyle başa çıkmak için dini inançlarını etkili bir şekilde kullanmaktadırlar. Nitel araştırma yöntemini benimseyen, Birleşik Krallık’ta yaşayan Müslüman erkeklerle yarı yapılandırılmış derinlemesine bireysel görüşmeler yapılan ve Yorumlayıcı Fenomenolojik Analiz (IPA) yöntemi uygulanan bu araştırmanın sonuçlarına göre; Birleşik Krallıktaki Müslüman erkekler, İslamofobi ile baş etmek için dini inançlarından çoğunlukla İslamofobik olayları Allah'ın bir imtihanı veya kader olarak görerek, Allah'a bırakarak, güçlü bir iman göstererek ve Allah'a dua ederek faydalanmaktadırlar. Dahası, Müslüman erkekler arasında İslamofobiye karşı bir başa çıkma mekanizması olarak dini inançların kullanılması, özellikle de Müslüman erkeklerin yanlarında bulunmadığı zamanlarda aile üyelerinin İslamofobik saldırılara maruz kaldığı durumlarda daha yaygın olarak kendini göstermektedir.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Din Psikolojisi
• İslamofobi
• Müslüman erkekler
• başa çıkma mekanizması
• Birleşik Krallık

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