This blog post of mine aims to explore the intersection of various identities and their impact on faith, particularly focusing on the social challenges and discrimination they introduce in society. Additionally, it reflects on my own experiences within the context of UAL.

Learning from the Resources:

Before going into the similarities, differences, and insights of the resources, here’s a brief overview of each one based on my understanding:

Kwame Anthony Appiah’s Video: This video serves as an excellent starting point, encouraging confusion rather than premature conclusions about religion.

Reki’s Article: This article presents two perspectives on religious identity: social identity and worldview. The author acknowledges the difficulty in separating these concepts. Social identity can lead to epistemic injustice, such as prejudices faced by Muslim women who wear veils. The interconnectedness of religion, race, and gender is often underestimated, leading to marginalization and lack of credibility.

Jwad H.’s Article: This article balances the voices of both religious and scientific communities. It emphasizes the belief in modest dress, sex segregation, and hijab among muslim women, while also citing Quranic examples like Prophet Muhammad’s wife Aisha engaging in physical activities, highlighting Islam’s support for women’s equality.

Simran’s Video: This short yet impactful video features Professor Simran from Trinity University, who confronts stereotypes in a friendly manner. His approach is something I plan to adopt.

Patterns and Differences:

All resources relate to religion, but Appiah’s video doesn’t explicitly address intersectionality, instead posing the controversial question, “Does religion exist?”. The other three resources (Reki, Jwad H., and Simran) clearly discuss the intersections of religion and gender, highlighting the prevalent prejudices. They also offer real-life strategies to address these issues, which are inspiring.

My Critical reflections about the resources:

 Among all the resources, one resource made me more intrigued for the crazy reason that it made me more confused after than before. The one I am referring to is the Appiah’s video who was speaking about religion. So, I decided to go through the comments section of the video to find out am I the only one who feels so, but to my surprise I am not the only one when I started reading the comments. I really learnt that the term “Religion” is disseminated/propagated to the young generation is really confusing and evading the question with an infantile word game.  I also really spotted clear distinction before 19^th century and how there was a line cut off between religion and science, but it is not an universal truth as he gives evidence even now there are places in Namibia which has well learned citizens who pray for safety when they start trips in the bus. I was really thrilled to appreciate how unique and varied human thoughts are even during this science era. Though the video did not spot the intersections as I mentioned above but there was a subtle message of socio-economic status and their religious faiths and how other people may agree or disagree about it, which fascinated me when learnt about.

My reflections on Faith at UAL:

Initially, I didn’t consider the significance of faith during my time at UAL until a fellow PGCert shared an incident. On a day with significant absenteeism coinciding with Eid, an important Islamic festival, it highlighted the importance of being aware and respectful of different faiths. This made me realize the need for inclusivity and cultural awareness. While it’s impossible to accommodate every individual’s faith and rituals, being informed and considerate is crucial. I’ve resolved to educate myself about diverse cultural and faith values to better understand my students.

References:

1. Appiah, K. A. (2014) Is religion good or bad? (This is a trick question). Youtube [Online]. 16 June. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2et2KO8gcY
2. Reki, J. (2023) Religious Identity and Epistemic Injustice: An Intersectional Account. Hypatia 38, pp779–800. Available to download from Moodle   via the Readings & Resources folder
3. Jawad, H. (2022) Islam, Women and Sport: The Case of Visible Muslim Women. [Online]. Available at: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/religionglobalsociety/2022/09/islam-women-and-sport-the-case-of-visible-muslim-women/
4. Trinity University (2016) Challenging Race, Religion, and Stereotypes in the Classroom. [Online]. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CAOKTo_DOk