Muscular Islam

Muscular Islam is a sometimes used term to describe the push for physical fitness amongst Muslims.^[1]^[2]

History

Pre-colonial era

Furusiyya, an ancient equestrian practice in the Muslim world, is argued by Birgit Krawietz to have been an early form of muscular Islam, with Turkish heritage wrestling being a modern-day extant furusiyya practice and major aspect of muscular Islam as practiced in Turkey.^[2]^[3]^[4]

Colonial era

In Algeria and the Middle East, muscular Islam was promoted as a way of encouraging physical fitness, masculinity, and strength to execute anti-colonial resistance, as well as helping in nation-building and the encouragement of patriotism throughout the region.^[5]^[6]^[7]

Post-colonial era

A modern Iranian wrestling competition in action. Iranian heritage wrestling was promoted by the state during the 1980s onwards.^[8]

In Indonesia, muscular Islam and the need for a return to Islamic values by any means necessary, including jihad, was promoted by Sekarmadji Maridjan Kartosoewirjo, who led revolts against the national government as Imam of Darul Islam in the early post-colonial era.^[9]

In Iran, muscular Islam was the dominant state philosophy towards sporting activities in the 1980s and 90s, with traditional sports such as pahlevani and zoorkhaneh rituals taking center stage, and activities such as chess being banned because of their alleged association with gambling.^[8]

Within various communities

Muslim diaspora in the West

Basketball has been used by the South Asian Muslim-Americans to encourage manliness.^[10]

Football has been theorized to have been played by the Muslim diaspora in Britain as a way to fight Islamophobia.^[11]

References

^ Ways of Knowing Muslim Cultures and Societies: Studies in Honour of Gudrun Krämer. BRILL. 2018-12-24. ISBN 978-90-04-38689-1.
^ ^a ^b Krawietz, Birgit (2018-10-30), "On Coming to Grips with Turkish Oil Wrestling: Conceptualising Muscular Islam and Islamic Martial Arts", Ways of Knowing Muslim Cultures and Societies, Brill, pp. 327–354, ISBN 978-90-04-38689-1, retrieved 2024-03-21
^ Fabian, Thomas (2021-03-17). "Endangered Species of the Physical Cultural Landscape: Globalization, Nationalism, and Safeguarding Traditional Folk Games". Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository.
^ Vaczi, Mariann; Bairner, Alan (2023-10-06). Indigenous, Traditional, and Folk Sports: Contesting Modernities. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-1-000-98328-9.
^ Bromber, Katrin, ed. (2022), "Muscular Reconstruction: Urban Leisure, Institutionalized Physical Education, and the Re-establishment of Boy Scouting (1940s–1960s)", Sport and Modernity in Late Imperial Ethiopia, Eastern Africa Series, Boydell & Brewer, pp. 89–117, doi:10.1017/9781800103849.006, ISBN 978-1-80010-384-9, retrieved 2024-03-21
^ Krais, Jakob (2019). "Muscular Muslims: Scouting in Late Colonial Algeria Between Nationalism and Religion". International Journal of Middle East Studies. 51 (4): 567–585. doi:10.1017/S0020743819000679. ISSN 0020-7438.
^ Hatchett, Diana (2021-01-01). Captivating State: Youthful Dreams and Uncertain Futures in Kurdistan. Theses and Dissertations--Anthropology (Thesis). p. 179. doi:10.13023/etd.2021.198.
^ ^a ^b Nauright, John (2012-04-06). Sports around the World: History, Culture, and Practice [4 volumes]. Bloomsbury Publishing USA. ISBN 978-1-59884-301-9.
^ Ramakrishna, Kumar K. (2009-03-20). Radical Pathways: Understanding Muslim Radicalization in Indonesia. Bloomsbury Publishing USA. ISBN 978-0-313-37220-9.
^ Thangaraj, Stanley I. (2015-06-26). Desi Hoop Dreams: Pickup Basketball and the Making of Asian American Masculinity. NYU Press. ISBN 978-0-8147-6093-2.
^ Burdsey, Daniel (2012-01-25). Race, Ethnicity and Football: Persisting Debates and Emergent Issues. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-136-72688-0.