Theology & Religious Studies

The king of Thailand is a constitutional monarch and having reigned since 1946, is the world's
longest-serving head of state and the longest-reigning monarch in Thai history. The king of
Thailand is not only the Head of State and of the Armed Forces he is also the Upholder of the
Buddhist religion. As a result he is seen as a unifying figure among its people in the political
arena but increasingly it seems that a religious cult has developed around the figure of the king.
He is a revered man and holds considerable power and influence among the people. Historically
the figure of the Thai monarch has been important in keeping the country politically stable and
out of a number of conflicts, with the preference of the Thai monarchy on peace and stability
rather than conflict. This paper will examine how the country’s religious background set in
Theravada Buddhism affects how the figure of the monarch is constructed and increasingly
shows similarities with the role of a spiritual leader not only a political one. I will explore the
question of how the Buddhist definition of Kingship affects the mythical narrative surrounding
the monarch in Thailand. Setting the context from which I shall approach the issue of in what
way the Thai people publicly revere their King in not only secular terms but increasingly
religious terms. With modernizing transformations taking place in contemporary Thailand it is
noticeable though that the country’s religious background is not lost in the shuffle. Theravada
Buddhism is still increasingly important in the country’s social, economic and religious identity.
But increasingly the figure of the Monarch takes an all-encompassing figure to exemplify the
socio-religious values that Thai’s should aspire to.

The country of Indonesia is not only the world largest Muslim country but also has a diverse
culture and history. This paper will try to answer the question of how the historical context
and political environment have contributed to shaping the relationship between Islam and
(secular) democracy in Indonesia today. By examining remnants of the country’s colonial
past, independence from the Dutch in the late 40’s, through the authoritarian regime of
Sukarno and The “New Order Administration” and how these periods of the country’s
existence have helped shape the socio-religious environment of contemporary Indonesia. By
looking at how the socio-religious context interacted with political context of the country
during its modernizing transformation after the colonial period, I suggest that the Islam found
in Indonesia, exists in a variety of ways but cannot be looked at without taking the historical
context into consideration. As a consequence of large diversity among Indonesians both
ethnically and religiously, Islam was never a united political force as in other countries. But
how does the contemporary political environment affect religious identity construction for
contemporary Indonesians? With the socio-religious climate in Indonesia one of dynamism,
active participation and as it contains the largest Muslim populous in the world as well as one
of the largest growing economies, Indonesia and the relationship between Islam and
democracy is of increasing global importance.

The Country of Malaysia is not only diverse in culture and during its history, but also contains a
plurality of active religious traditions. This unique lifestyle has affected modernizing transformations
during the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. The influence of the minority religions on
economic policy is a notable example. The socio-religious climate of Malaysia and its various ethnic
groups have all contributed to economic and in turn political developments within the nation. This
paper will explore the links of how the pluralist environment of the country has directly affected and
continues to shape the social, economic, political discourse of the country. Subtle elements such as
constitutional preference over one religion and the various economic policies show that the religious
pluralism of Malaysia and globalising factors have had wide ranging influences on the country and its
people. As such this paper will argue that in the development of Malaysia as a nation its many
religious traditions have had a role to play. With arguably the minority religions being a more
dominant factor that the majority Muslim community. These religions have interacted and influenced
each other in developing Malaysian identity-politics and economic policy for its contemporary
citizens.

Years have passed and the two sides in Syria keep fighting it out in what seems a stalemate using weapons that have been smuggled in from neighbouring countries. The situation in Syria is reaching the same stages as the killings in Bosnia and Rwanda and as the fighting rages, sectarian tension rises, the list of committed war crimes is lengthening and the death toll rises. While the conflict has its origins in domestic politics, the dimensions are manifold and a plurality of actors have a stake in the outcome of the conflict. The array of contending perspectives (as presented in these books) reflect a profound dilemma presented to us by the situation in Syria. The authors have put together serious arguments that debate what should be done, with compelling arguments on the various sides of the issue. Although not an aim at a final word on that ethical dilemma, it is an invitation and an attempt to critically engage with that dilemma and suggests possible arguments vis-à-vis humanitarian, military and political intervention.

Increasingly, debates are dealing with the integration and the compatibility of Islam
with British values and society. Media narratives are used to conceptualise Islam in
Britain. The existing protocols of religion, media, and public space characterise that
environment, as well as dictating the participation of members in that space. This paper
discusses how media constructions of Islam are linked to civil religion. It does so
by discussing: (1) how the media’s protocols of public discourse affect the framing of
religious identities; (2) how the media defines the aesthetic parameters of religious
expression; (3) how the conceptualisation(s) of civil religion are used to regulate Islam
in Britain. This study utilises a qualitative content analysis of media frames. Findings
suggest that the aesthetic elements (media representations of Islam and Muslims)
regulate Islam and Muslims through the codes and conventions (civil religion) of British
society.

This is the final draft before publication. Please contact author for final version if you wish to cite this work.

In Europe and the US, young Muslims are using online matchmaking in growing numbers. Online dating has increasingly become a mainstream activity, in Europe and North America at least. Western Muslims have adapted the idea to suit their needs. For many, online dating offers a low-stress solution to the daunting challenge of finding a partner for marriage in countries where few share their faith and in communities where matchmaking is considered a family affair. This paper will discuss the relationship between Muslim online matchmaking for British Muslims and their Islamic identities with regards to marriage and romantic relationships.

The country of Indonesia is not only the world largest Muslim country but also has a diverse culture and history. This paper will try to answer the question of how the historical context and political environment have contributed to shaping the relationship between Islam and (secular) democracy in Indonesia today. By examining remnants of the country’s colonial past, independence from the Dutch in the late 40’s, through the authoritarian regime of Sukarno and The “New Order Administration” and how these periods of the country’s existence have helped shape the socio-religious environment of contemporary Indonesia. By looking at how the socio-religious context interacted with political context of the country during its modernizing transformation after the colonial period, I suggest that the Islam found in Indonesia, exists in a variety of ways but cannot be looked at without taking the historical context into consideration. As a consequence of large diversity among Indonesians both ethnically and religiously, Islam was never a united political force as in other countries. But how does the contemporary political environment affect religious identity construction for contemporary Indonesians? With the socio-religious climate in Indonesia one of dynamism, active participation and as it contains the largest Muslim populous in the world as well as one of the largest growing economies, Indonesia and the relationship between Islam and democracy is of increasing global importance.

The king of Thailand is a constitutional monarch and having reigned since 1946, is the world's longest-serving head of state and the longest-reigning monarch in Thai history. The king of Thailand is not only the Head of State and of the Armed Forces he is also the Upholder of the Buddhist religion. As a result he is seen as a unifying figure among its people in the political arena but increasingly it seems that a religious cult has developed around the figure of the king. He is a revered man and holds considerable power and influence among the people. Historically the figure of the Thai monarch has been important in keeping the country politically stable and out of a number of conflicts, with the preference of the Thai monarchy on peace and stability rather than conflict. This paper will examine how the country’s religious background set in Theravada Buddhism affects how the figure of the monarch is constructed and increasingly shows similarities with the role of a spiritual leader not only a political one. I will explore the question of how the Buddhist definition of Kingship affects the mythical narrative surrounding the monarch in Thailand. Setting the context from which I shall approach the issue of in what way the Thai people publicly revere their King in not only secular terms but increasingly religious terms. With modernizing transformations taking place in contemporary Thailand it is noticeable though that the country’s religious background is not lost in the shuffle. Theravada Buddhism is still increasingly important in the country’s social, economic and religious identity. But increasingly the figure of the Monarch takes an all-encompassing figure to exemplify the socio-religious values that Thai’s should aspire to.

The country of Indonesia is not only the world largest Muslim country but also has a diverse culture and history. This paper will try to answer the question of how the historical context and political environment have contributed to shaping the relationship between Islam and (secular) democracy in Indonesia today. By examining remnants of the country’s colonial past, independence from the Dutch in the late 40’s, through the authoritarian regime of Sukarno and The “New Order Administration” and how these periods of the country’s existence have helped shape the socio-religious environment of contemporary Indonesia. By looking at how the socio-religious context interacted with political context of the country during its modernizing transformation after the colonial period, I suggest that the Islam found in Indonesia, exists in a variety of ways but cannot be looked at without taking the historical context into consideration. As a consequence of large diversity among Indonesians both ethnically and religiously, Islam was never a united political force as in other countries. But how does the contemporary political environment affect religious identity construction for contemporary Indonesians? With the socio-religious climate in Indonesia one of dynamism, active participation and as it contains the largest Muslim populous in the world as well as one of the largest growing economies, Indonesia and the relationship between Islam and democracy is of increasing global importance.

The king of Thailand is a constitutional monarch and having reigned since 1946, is the world's longest-serving head of state and the longest-reigning monarch in Thai history. The king of Thailand is not only the Head of State and of the Armed Forces he is also the Upholder of the Buddhist religion. As a result he is seen as a unifying figure among its people in the political arena but increasingly it seems that a religious cult has developed around the figure of the king. He is a revered man and holds considerable power and influence among the people. Historically the figure of the Thai monarch has been important in keeping the country politically stable and out of a number of conflicts, with the preference of the Thai monarchy on peace and stability rather than conflict. This paper will examine how the country’s religious background set in Theravada Buddhism affects how the figure of the monarch is constructed and increasingly shows similarities with the role of a spiritual leader not only a political one. I will explore the question of how the Buddhist definition of Kingship affects the mythical narrative surrounding the monarch in Thailand. Setting the context from which I shall approach the issue of in what way the Thai people publicly revere their King in not only secular terms but increasingly religious terms. With modernizing transformations taking place in contemporary Thailand it is noticeable though that the country’s religious background is not lost in the shuffle. Theravada Buddhism is still increasingly important in the country’s social, economic and religious identity. But increasingly the figure of the Monarch takes an all-encompassing figure to exemplify the socio-religious values that Thai’s should aspire to.