فصلنامه پژوهش های اجتماعی اسلامی
سال سی‌ام شماره 2 (پاییز و زمستان 1403)

With the emergence of secularism and the transformation of social values, attitudes toward divorce are changing. Therefore, investigating the perspectives of religious followers regarding these changes is essential for understanding the future dynamics of family structures and the role of religion in contemporary society. This study aimed to examine the impact of religious affiliation and beliefs on attitudes toward divorce and its acceptance. Using data from the World Values Survey, information from 72,000 individuals across 60 countries was analyzed. The findings revealed that Muslims exhibited the highest importance of religion in life and participation in religious ceremonies, while non-religious individuals showed the lowest levels. Non-religious individuals had the highest acceptance of divorce. Among followers of different religions, Jews demonstrated the highest acceptance scores, while Muslims had the lowest. Multivariate analysis indicated that even after controlling for individual, religious, and cultural characteristics, religion still had a significant impact on attitudes toward divorce. Overall, positive attitudes toward divorce and its acceptance were higher among non-religious individuals, secularists, post-materialists, libertarians, those with low religious participation, men, rural residents, and those with secondary or university education. These findings emphasize that despite the spread of secularism, religion remains a powerful and influential force shaping attitudes and plays a key role in family structures. The results can contribute to raising awareness about the impact of secular and religious factors on Iranian family structures. Therefore, policymakers should design programs to strengthen family cohesion and reduce divorce acceptance among various groups.

Internalizing and strengthening the desire for efāf (modesty) and ḥijāb (veiling) within society is a significant goal of cultural, social, and Islamic activities. The primary question of this research is what are the most important strategies for promoting and enhancing modesty and ḥijāb among individuals in society, particularly among young women, and what's the solution to get out of the minimal interest shown by some young women in modesty and ḥijāb? The method used in this study is descriptive-analytical, with an ijtihad-based approach that considers the personality and psychological traits of young women. It examines the cognitive and motivational factors influencing their interest or lack of interest in modesty and ḥijāb. The data collection method is based on reviewing library documents, theoretical studies, and empirical research. By analyzing Islamic teachings related to efāf and ḥijāb, it can be argued that the most effective strategies for increasing and strengthening the desire for modesty and ḥijāb among individuals in society, especially among youth, include: considering the psychological and personality traits of youth, increasing awareness and insight among women and society, respecting cultural norms specific to youth, strengthening psychological and cultural motivation toward modesty, providing role models and role modeling, eliminating barriers to modesty, Implementing comprehensive policies aligned with Islamic culture and values.

The issue of mutual influences between minorities and host societies from an identity perspective has become one of today's social challenges, especially in immigrant-receiving countries. The general policy of these countries is based on "culturally assimilating" minorities, which ultimately leads to the dissolution of their distinct identity aspects into the dominant identity of the societies in question. This research examines the Quranic strategies for identity formation and social living of Muslim minorities residing in non-Muslim societies. The study employs the thematic interpretation (Istinṭāq) research design of Martyr Sayyed Muḥammad Bāqir al-Ṣadr, which aims to uncover aspects of the Quranic thought system that, while not directly indicated by individual words or phrases in the text, are inherent in its foundation, essence, and overall content. The extraction of relevant Quranic data, obtaining answers from the Quran, and deriving implications from these answers are considered essential components in the istinṭāq of the Quran. To ensure a systematic implementation of the research process, the thematic framework analysis method was utilized. The Quranic text was consulted as the primary research source, relevant verses were extracted, and the resulting data was organized into a set of themes to support the derivation of Quranic theory. The present study identified a process comprising 9 steps across 2 stages. In the first stage, these steps build a distinct social identity among Muslims by increasing their self-confidence. In the second stage, the resulting social identity is guided towards interaction, expansion, and inclusivity.

The system formed from religious foundations is based on divine principles and values to guide humans toward a desirable outcome by following the right path. Islam aims for human prosperity in both material and spiritual dimensions. In contrast to religious principles, secularism and the separation of religion from politics have been proposed. Thus, there is a perceived risk of de-religionization in Islamic society and isolating religion. Given these premises, the primary objective of this research is to explore Ayatollah Javadi Amoli's works to analyze his intellectual foundations regarding the factors and contexts of secularization in the Islamic system. The main question of the research is: What are the factors and contexts of secularization in the Islamic system according to Ayatollah Javadi Amoli's thoughts? The findings from Ayatollah Javadi Amoli's intellectual foundations indicate that ideological factors such as the dominance of carnal desires, one-dimensional perspectives, and socio-cultural factors like people's ignorance, negligence, and distance from spirituality, as well as political factors such as foreign imperialism and Western-oriented intellectuals, contribute to the secularization of the Islamic system. In this article, an attempt was made to organize the presented content using a three-dimensional model that includes political, socio-cultural, and ideological dimensions in analyzing secularization factors. Methodologically, this research employed a descriptive-analytical approach based on Ayatollah Javadi Amoli's works.

Pilgrimage is a key mechanism for promoting and reproducing religious and social identity within the Shia community. Therefore, understanding the subcultures of pilgrimage among different ethnic and social groups of pilgrims is of great importance. This research aims to analyze the ritual of pilgrimage using a sociological/anthropological approach, with the help of observational tools, participant observation, interviews, and library resources, to outline a general pattern of the socio-cultural life of pilgrims in Shia Islam. Women's pilgrimage is emphasized in this study. For analysis, concepts defined by Peter Berger, such as religion, the sacred, culture, religious pluralism, etc., are utilized. The findings indicate that in Shia culture, there is no difference between men and women regarding the sanctity and presence of shrines, but there is gender segregation in some pilgrimage sites. Considering the person being visited in pilgrimage as alive, combined with the degenderizing of him or her, as well as the necessity for women to cover more of their bodies during pilgrimage, can be mentioned as constant features in Shia pilgrimage culture. To identify common or changing elements in women's pilgrimage from the past to the present, considering environmental changes, further extensive research is needed.

If we consider civilization to be based on three pillars: justice, social solidarity, and knowledge and wisdom, then we can understand Islamic civilization using these components through a descriptive-analytical method, utilizing Quranic teachings and the lessons of the Infallibles (pbut). However, analyzing all three components comprehensively is not feasible in this study; therefore, we will focus on examining the two pillars of justice and social solidarity based on love for the Ahl al-Bayt (pbut) in detail. This approach, which involves social solidarity based on love for the Ahl al-Bayt (pbut), is both possible and highly effective. The goal of examining civilization through the lens of love is to express the impact of love on the characteristics of civilization, particularly the significant role of social solidarity. Consequently, love for the Ahl al-Bayt (pbut) fosters unity and empathy among people, gathering them under one banner.