Transmitting religious values through online religious communities: case study of Pakistani Shia mothers’ home education

ABSTRACT

The aim of this study is to understand what specific religious values are being transmitted to children through online Shia religious communities during the pandemic. Twenty-seven mothers were sampled from three cities of Pakistan. Data were collected through a semi-structured interview guide and analysed using thematic content analysis. Eleven themes were found, under two broad categories of: (a) Transmitting beliefs and influencing religious practice and (b) Developing community orientation. Perceived as a coping and support mechanism during COVID-19, findings reveal that Shia mothers are dependent on the online religious community for the transmission of sectarian values and also wider community morals in their children. This study also implies the preference for online religious services beyond the pandemic, mainly due to the convenience of home-based participation, privacy, and consumerism.

KEYWORDS:

• Religious values
• online religious activities
• pandemic
• religious communities
• Shia
• Pakistan

Acknowledgments

I am so grateful to the research assistants for this project who gave me their time and dedication, including Ms. Fatima Raza and Ms. Abiha Batool. I would also like to thank Mrs. Aney Zaidi, Ms. Sanam Ali, and Mrs. Sabiha Naqvi for their support in providing contacts for data collection. Gratitude is also due to my colleagues and friends who provided valuable peer review and feedback for this study, Dr. Nudra Malik and Dr. Amna Khawar. I would also like to thank Mrs. Zahra Shah and Mrs. Rehana Raza for support in reviewing and discussing the findings. Finally, I have to thank the reviewers of this article who helped to improve the manuscript considerably.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. Honorific title used for a religious and spiritual leader greatly admired and respected by the Muslim community.

2. Honorific title given to a religious leader and successor of Prophet Muhammad (with regard to knowledge of Islam) in Shia faith.

3. Imam Mahdi is believed by Shias to be from the lineage of the Prophet Muhammad’s (peace be upon him) family and is regarded as the saviour leader who will come before judgement day, with Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him), to lead the world towards equity, justice and peace.

4. The Ahlebait for Shia Muslims translates to the closest kin of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) including his daughter Fatima, cousin and son in law Ali, and grandsons Hassan and Hussain.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Sara Rizvi Jafree

Sara Rizvi Jafree completed her BSc Honours in Economics from the London School of Economics and Political Science (London, United Kingdom), and her M-Phil and PhD in Sociology from the Institute of Social and Cultural Studies, University of Punjab (Lahore, Pakistan). She has published over 25 research papers in areas of Public Health and Social Policy. Some of the reputed international journals she has published with include: BMJ Open, Journal of Community Psychology, International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, Journal of Religion and Spirituality in Social Work, Journal of Social Work in Health Care, BMC Safety in Health, BMC Health Services Research, BMC Medical Ethics, and Asian Women. She is a recipient of four research grants for projects as lead Principal Investigator, and has successfully led large research teams for policy mobilisation in areas of microfinance social development, microinsurance interventions for the health of impoverished populations, and intergenerational learning for the elderly. Dr. Jafree is the author of two books published by Oxford University Press and Springer, respectively. Both books, ‘Women, Healthcare and Violence in Pakistan’ and ‘The Sociology of South Asian Women’s Health’ have addressed important issues related to women’s health and safety. She is currently working on two intervention-based research projects for digital health literacy in the primary sector and healthcare practitioner leadership for infection control and is committed to keeping her students involved for training in different research steps. She is currently completing her online Post-Doctorate Fellowship degree from University of Oxford while managing teaching and research work for research clusters related to special needs children and the social impact of coronavirus.