Religious activism among Muslim undergraduates : motivations & piety

Abstract

Islamic religious activism has been on the rise among youths in Singapore. This research aims to examine the motivations of these youths in engaging in religious activism and whether piety is central to the cause of religious activism. Also, this research aims to see if the individuals exercised rationality in making the decision to participate. Research was conducted on ten Muslim undergraduates who are still involved in religious activism. In-depth qualitative interviews were adopted as the methodological tool in order to get a better understanding of the experiences of the respondents. Data analysis revealed that motivations were multi-fold, with social networks and development of the self being two of the motivations. Decisions were made through the activists’ ability to exercise rationality. Additionally, piety was not central to the work of religious activism.