British Muslims Navigating between Individualism and Traditional Authority
British Muslims Navigating between Individualism and Traditional Authority
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英国穆斯林在个人主义和传统权威之间游走
作者：
Hira Amin
根据一些社会学家的说法，现代性的标志之一是“预定”身份的终结，取而代之的是人们创造“自己动手”身份的拼凑项目。这也严重影响了宗教领域，有人认为，传统权威不断受到个人主义文化、印刷媒体、识字率上升以及最近互联网的破坏。通过分析在线讨论，本文探讨了一些年轻的，虔诚的英国穆斯林如何一方面在个人主义和他们自己对伊斯兰教的个人理解之间导航，另一方面遵循传统的宗教权威人物。本文认为，英国穆斯林谁是自觉地试图实践自己的信仰，既不遵循传统的宗教权威人物或机构盲目，也没有充分合理化和个性化的信仰。相反，他们参与了一个复杂的过程，选择和自我约束自己的某些学者，他们认为是伊斯兰教的代表，然后通过添加自己的意见，经验，甚至伊斯兰文本证据，批判性地与学者和他或她的判决。虽然这说明了宗教权威在新媒体时代是如何转变的，但与学者的持续接触也表明他们在英国伊斯兰教的塑造中仍然发挥着重要作用。
According to some sociologists, one of the hallmarks of modernity is the end of ‘pre-determined’ identities and its replacement with bricolage projects in which people literally create ‘do-it-yourself’ identities. This has also significantly impacted the religious sphere, where it has been argued that traditional authorities are constantly undermined by individualistic cultures, print media, rising literacy rates and, more recently, the internet. Through analysing online discussions, this article explores how some young, devout British Muslims navigate between individualism and their own personal understanding of Islam on the one hand and following traditional religious authority figures on the other. This article argues that British Muslims who are consciously trying to practise their faith are neither following traditional religious authoritative figures or institutions blindly nor fully rationalising and individualising their faith. Rather, they are involved in a complex process of choosing and self-restricting themselves to certain scholars that they believe are representative of Islam and thereafter critically engaging with the scholar and his or her verdicts by adding in their own opinions, experiences and even Islamic textual evidence. While this illustrates how religious authority is transforming in the age of new media, the persistent engagement with scholars also indicates how they still play a significant role in the shaping of Islam in Britain.