Komulainen, Marju-Riikka
Religious literacy, Neutrality, and Islam.
Research master thesis, Master Research Master Theologie en Religiewetenschappen.
Abstract
Religion in public institutions has developed into a substantial field of research in religious
studies. One institution that has not been thoroughly examined is that of police forces, research
lacking globally. However, the police make an important case to investigate due to the positionality
of the institution: police officers operate as representatives of the state and its laws whilst
connecting to citizens. This research aims to address this gap in literature through a research
question of “How do the Finnish police forces view and approach religious diversity, particularly
the increasing presence of Islam in Finland?”.
The focus of this research is on Islam because Muslims are the fastest growing religious
minority in the still relatively homogeneous religious demographic of Finland. However, the
diverse religion is colored with stereotypes, and negative attitudes towards Islam in Finland are
notable. I suggest that the dominant attitudes to Islam in Finland might have implications to
institutional approaches targeting Finnish Muslims.
Theoretically, this thesis focuses on the framework of religious literacy. Conceptually, I lean
on academic discussions about the dynamics of secularism and Islam, and religious freedom. In
this thesis, I argue that a holistic understanding of religions (religious literacy) in Finland should
take into account the ways in which Finnish public spheres are informed by the country’s
Protestant history. I suggest that unacknowledged Protestant biases legitimize othering religious
minorities through claims on neutrality.
This research is conducted with qualitative methods (literature research, in-depth
interviews and a focus group interview), allowing a focus on policy and practice. Through this
thesis I elaborate that in the Finnish police forces there is a disparity between the approaches to
religious diversity in policy level and in practice, particularly when zooming into different localities.
| Type: |
Thesis
(Research master)
|
| Supervisors (RUG): |
| Supervisor | E-mail | Tutor organization | Tutor email |
|---|
| Buitelaar, M.W. | | Faculteit GGW, Vergelijkende Religiewetenschap | M.W.Buitelaar@rug.nl | | Bartelink, B.E. | | Faculteit GGW, Vergelijkende Religiewetenschap | B.E.Bartelink@rug.nl |
|
| Degree programme: |
Master Research Master Theologie en Religiewetenschappen |
| Academic year: |
2021-2022 |
| Date of delivery: |
16 Sep 2022 08:15 |
| Last modified: |
16 Sep 2022 08:15 |
| URI: |
https://rcs.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/657 |
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