Misunderstood population? : methodological debate on demography of Muslims

Yaghoob Foroutan

Research output: Chapter in Book / Conference PaperChapter

Abstract

This chapter focuses on a methodological aspect of the study of religion, including demographic studies, using the case study of Muslims in Australia as a focus. The discussion of this chapter emphasizes the underlying fact that if populations within the same religion are considered under a single category without giving attention to their compositional characteristics and ethnic diversity, then such studies are likely to provide misleading knowledge. This chapter also shows that such methodological caution particularly applies to adherents of the world’s fastest-growing religion. Muslims, residing in western contexts because Muslims have substantial demographic disparities by ethnic origin, often encounter Islamophobia in the contemporary western world, and are extremely at the exposure of experiencing ‘social and cultural distance’ (e.g., Berry 1992; Chiswick et al. 2003; Foroutan 2009; Norris and Inglehart 2012). Accordingly, this chapter examines whether and to what extent data on religion can be reliable in demographic analyses. This examination is based on population censuses, which also serve as valuable nationwide data sources in demographic analyses. This multiplies the importance of the key objectives of this study; that is, the existence and the extent of reliability of data on religion with specific attention to Muslims in western contexts.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationYearbook of International Religious Demography 2015
EditorsBrian J. Grim, Todd M. Johnson, Vegard Skirbekk, Gina A. Zurlo
Place of PublicationNetherlands
PublisherBrill
Pages163-176
Number of pages14
ISBN (Electronic)9789004297395
ISBN (Print)9789004294318
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2015

Keywords

  • religions
  • demographic surveys
  • Muslims
  • Australia

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