Abstract
Muslim youth have been under scrutiny over the last two decades from a
radicalisation and countering violent extremism lens. This bias has
largely carried itself to research conducted on Muslim youth in the
West. This article undertakes a systematic review and analysis of
literature conducted on Muslim youth in the West and in Australia in the
last two decades since 11 September 2001. The body of literature in
this field can be grouped under three main themes: (1) the impact of
terrorism policies and discourse on Muslim youth and their disengaged
identities, (2) the relationship between religion (Islam) and civic
engagement of Muslim youth, and (3) Muslim youth as active citizens. An
important conclusion of this review is that most of the research is
dated. There have been significant changes in the development of youth
as they quickly evolve and adapt. The systematic review of literature
exposed a number of gaps in the research: the current literature ignores
generic adolescent factors and external social factors other than Islam
that also influence Muslim youth; studies that examine both online and
traditional activism and volunteering space are needed to understand the
dynamics of change and shift; research needs to focus on Muslim youth
who were born and raised in Australia rather than focus only on migrant
youth; the ways some Muslim youth use their unique sense of identity as
Australian Muslims to become successful citizens engaged in positive
action is not known; how Muslim youth use avenues other than their faith
to express themselves in civic engagement and their commitment to
society is underexplored; it is not known the degree to which bonding
networks influence the identity formation and transformation of Muslim
youth; there is no research done to examine how adult–youth partnership
is managed in organisations that successfully integrate youth in their
leadership; there is a need to include Australian Muslim youth
individual accounts of their active citizenship; there is a need to
understand the process of positive Muslim youth transformations as a
complement to the current focus on the radicalisation process.
Addressing these gaps will allow a more complete understanding of Muslim
youth in the West and inform educational and social policies in a more
effective manner.
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Original language | English |
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Article number | 237 |
Pages (from-to) | 1-26 |
Number of pages | 26 |
Journal | Religions |
Volume | 12 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 26 Mar 2021 |