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Effects of Religious Behavior on Health-Related Lifestyles of Muslims in Malaysia

Hassan SH

J Relig Health, 2015 Aug;54(4):1238-48.
PMID: 24729099 DOI: 10.1007/s10943-014-9861-z

Religion has become more prominent in shaping attitudes and behavior, but little empirical information is available on the impact of religious behavior in shaping individual Muslims' health-related lifestyle behaviors in developing countries. The present study explores the relationship between religious behavior and the health-related practices of Malaysian Muslims. A convenience sample of 176 Malaysian Muslims was collected through a self-administered questionnaire. Structural equation modeling was used to develop the model. Result shows that health-related actions are strongly influenced, both directly and indirectly, by the health-related lifestyle choices consumers engaging in on a daily basis in accordance with Islamic teachings.

Matched MeSH terms: Religion*
Islam, sexuality, and the marginal positioning of Pengkids and their girlfriends in Malaysia

Wong Y

J Lesbian Stud, 2012;16(4):435-48.
PMID: 22978284 DOI: 10.1080/10894160.2012.681267

Drawing on the lived experiences of the Pengkids and their girlfriends in the deprived district of the capital city of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, this article examines transgender practices and women's same-sex desires within the local contexts of urbanization and political Islam. This article questions the assumed marginal positions of transgender practices and same-sex desires in society, and provides a nuanced understanding of the politics of identity, gender, sexuality and religion involved in a Muslim country. While the Muslim-Malay sexual minorities are increasingly subjected to the threats of moral policing in Malaysia, Pengkid has become a new identity marker for the marginalized sexual subject framed by the Islamic discourse of this country.

Matched MeSH terms: Religion and Sex*
EEG spectral analysis on Muslim prayers

Doufesh H, Faisal T, Lim KS, Ibrahim F

Appl Psychophysiol Biofeedback, 2012 Mar;37(1):11-8.
PMID: 21965118 DOI: 10.1007/s10484-011-9170-1

This study investigated the proposition of relaxation offered by performing the Muslim prayers by measuring the alpha brain activity in the frontal (F3-F4), central (C3-C4), parietal (P3-P4), and occipital (O1-O2) electrode placements using the International 10-20 System. Nine Muslim subjects were asked to perform the four required cycles of movements of Dhuha prayer, and the EEG were subsequently recorded with open eyes under three conditions, namely, resting, performing four cycles of prayer while reciting the specific verses and supplications, and performing four cycles of acted salat condition (prayer movements without any recitations). Analysis of variance (ANOVA) tests revealed that there were no significant difference in the mean alpha relative power (RP(α)) between the alpha amplitude in the Dhuha prayer and the acted conditions in all eight electrode positions. However, the mean RP(α) showed higher alpha amplitude during the prostration position of the Dhuha prayer and acted condition at the parietal and occipital regions in comparison to the resting condition. Findings were similar to other studies documenting increased alpha amplitude in parietal and occipital regions during meditation and mental concentration. The incidence of increased alpha amplitude suggested parasympathetic activation, thus indicating a state of relaxation. Subsequent studies are needed to delineate the role of mental concentration, and eye focus, on alpha wave amplitude while performing worshipping acts.

Matched MeSH terms: Religion*
Religion and spirituality in coping with advanced breast cancer: perspectives from Malaysian Muslim women

Ahmad F, Muhammad Mb, Abdullah AA

J Relig Health, 2011 Mar;50(1):36-45.
PMID: 20924683 DOI: 10.1007/s10943-010-9401-4

This article is part of a larger study on the role of spirituality in coping with breast cancer among Malaysian Muslim women. The study seeks to reveal the meaning of the experience through the stories of three Muslim women surviving advanced breast cancer, to better understand the deep meanings that inform their experiences with spirituality and transformation as they cope with the challenges of breast cancer. Data were gathered using in-depth interview. Qualitative methods were used in identifying two themes--illness as an awakening and hope and freedom comes from surrendering to God. The themes were discussed in the context of two broad areas: (1) what are the new meanings these women discovered in their experiences with cancer; and (2) how did the new meanings change their lives? The study suggests that cancer survivors' experiences with cancer and their learning processes must be understood within the appropriate cultural context. This is especially so for spirituality. The common emphasis of spirituality on relationship with God, self and others, may significantly influence how people learn to live with cancer.

Matched MeSH terms: Religion*
Reasons on the similarity of objections with regards to gambling and speculation in Islamic finance and conventional finance

Kunhibava S

J Gambl Stud, 2011 Mar;27(1):1-13.
PMID: 20514512 DOI: 10.1007/s10899-010-9201-5

Gambling and speculation which leads to zero-sum outcomes are prohibited in Islamic finance and condemned in conventional finance. This article explores the reasons for the similarity of objections towards gambling and speculation. Three probable reasons are explored namely the concept of stewardship in conventional thought and the concept of khalifa in Islam, Christianity and morality's influence on conventional law and finance and the concept of ethics of sacrifice and ethics of tolerance.

Matched MeSH terms: Religion and Psychology*
Review paper: Organ transplants: ethical, social, and religious issues in a multicultural society

Robson NZ, Razack AH, Dublin N

Asia Pac J Public Health, 2010 Jul;22(3):271-8.
PMID: 20460294 DOI: 10.1177/1010539509357446

Recent advances in the fields of organ donation and organ transplant have introduced new hope for the treatment of serious diseases. However, this promise has been accompanied by several issues. The most common issue raised is ethical implications, but in a multicultural society like Malaysia, additional concerns arise pertaining to social and religious issues. These concerns needs to be addressed as attitudes toward and acceptability of organ donation varies according to social, culture, and religion. The diverse cultural, religious, and traditional concepts pertaining to organ donation may hamper its acceptability and cause a lack of willingness to donate organs. The purpose of this article is to briefly explore the ethical issues involved in organ transplant and the various religious opinions on organ donation. It is hoped that this knowledge and understanding may benefit both health care providers and patients in a multicultural society like Malaysia.

Matched MeSH terms: Religion and Medicine*
Militant extremist mind-set: Proviolence, Vile World, and Divine Power

Stankov L, Saucier G, Knežević G

Psychol Assess, 2010 Mar;22(1):70-86.
PMID: 20230154 DOI: 10.1037/a0016925

In the present article, the authors report on the development of a scale for the measurement of the militant extremist mind-set. A previous pilot study identified 56 statements selected from writings of various terrorist groups as well as from psychological, historical, and political texts on terrorism. These statements, together with measures of personality, social attitudes, values, and social cynicism, were administered to participants from 9 countries (N = 2,424). A series of exploratory factor analyses of 56 statements produced 3 factors: Proviolence, Vile World, and Divine Power. Correlations of these factors with external variables indicate that Divine Power is a traditional religiosity scale, whereas Proviolence and Vile World scales cannot be accounted for by the existing psychological constructs. The distribution of scores on the Proviolence scale is skewed, indicating that the majority of participants disapprove of this attitude. The authors also present means for the countries included in the analysis. Participants from Malaysia endorse Vile World and Divine Power statements stronger than participants from other countries. The 3 Asian countries (China, Korea, and Malaysia) endorse Proviolence more strongly than countries from other parts of the world.

Matched MeSH terms: Religion and Psychology*
Fulltext Adult smokers' perception of the role of religion and religious leadership on smoking and association with quitting: a comparison between Thai Buddhists and Malaysian Muslims

Yong HH, Hamann SL, Borland R, Fong GT, Omar M, ITC-SEA project team

Soc Sci Med, 2009 Oct;69(7):1025-31.
PMID: 19695758 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2009.07.042

In recent years, attempts have been made to incorporate religion into tobacco control efforts, especially in countries like Malaysia and Thailand where religion is central to the lives of people. This paper is a prospective examination of the perceived relevance and role of religion and religious authorities in influencing smoking behaviour among Muslims in Malaysia and Buddhists in Thailand. Data were collected from 1482 Muslim Malaysian and 1971 Buddhist Thai adult smokers who completed wave 1 (early 2005) of the International Tobacco Control Southeast Asia Survey (ITC-SEA). Respondents were asked about the role of religion and religious leadership on smoking at Wave 1 and among those recontacted, quitting activity at Wave 2. Results revealed that over 90% of both religious groups reported that their religion guides their day-to-day behaviour at least sometimes, but Malaysian Muslims were more likely to report that this was always the case. The majority (79% Muslims and 88% Buddhists) of both groups believed that their religion discourages smoking. About 61% of the Muslims and 58% of the Buddhists reported that their religious leaders had encouraged them to quit before and a minority (30% and 26%, respectively) said they would be an influential source to motivate them to quit. Logistic regression models suggest that these religious factors had a clear independent association with making quitting attempts in both countries and this translated to success for Malaysian Muslims but not for the Thai Buddhists. Taken together, results from this study indicate that religion and religious authorities are both relevant and important drivers of quitting, but whether this is always enough to guarantee success is less clear. Religion can be a culturally relevant vehicle to complement other tobacco control efforts.

Matched MeSH terms: Religion*
Dissolving the engineering moral dilemmas within the Islamic ethico-legal praxes

Solihu AK, Ambali AR

Sci Eng Ethics, 2011 Mar;17(1):133-47.
PMID: 19937149 DOI: 10.1007/s11948-009-9185-7

The goal of responsible engineers is the creation of useful and safe technological products and commitment to public health, while respecting the autonomy of the clients and the public. Because engineers often face moral dilemma to resolve such issues, different engineers have chosen different course of actions depending on their respective moral value orientations. Islam provides a value-based mechanism rooted in the Maqasid al-Shari'ah (the objectives of Islamic law). This mechanism prioritizes some values over others and could help resolve the moral dilemmas faced in engineering. This paper introduces the Islamic interpretive-evaluative maxims to two core issues in engineering ethics: genetically modified foods and whistleblowing. The study aims primarily to provide problem-solving maxims within the Maqasid al-Shari'ah matrix through which such moral dilemmas in science and engineering could be studied and resolved.

Matched MeSH terms: Religion and Science*
Sex reassignment technology: the dilemma of transsexuals in Islam and Christianity

Ishak MS, Haneef SS

J Relig Health, 2014 Apr;53(2):520-37.
PMID: 23187616 DOI: 10.1007/s10943-012-9656-z

The birth of people with confused or ambiguous sex makeup as a biological fact since the annals of history has posed the challenge of accommodating them within the binary gender of sociocultural systems. In this process, the role of religion as a defining factor in social engineering has been paramount. Major religions, such as Islam and Christianity, have addressed this issue within the frame of their God-ordained laws by devising a set of moral and legal imperatives specific to the "third gender." Modern developments in medicine and biology, however, have made sex reassignment possible for this category of people, today called transsexuals. The question is: How do Islam and Christianity respond to it. After presenting an analytical view of both Muslim scholars and Christian religious authorities on the legitimacy of sex reassignment for transsexuals, this paper attempts to explore if such a dilemma can be resolved.

Matched MeSH terms: Religion and Medicine*
Why Cancer Patients Seek Islamic Healing

Suhami N, Muhamad MB, Krauss SE

J Relig Health, 2016 Oct;55(5):1507-18.
PMID: 26391242 DOI: 10.1007/s10943-015-0114-6

Islamic healing is frequently referred to as the treatment of choice by many Muslim cancer patients in Malaysia. Despite its widespread use, there is limited information relating to patients' healing preferences. With rising cancer rates in the country, this issue has become a concern to public health policy makers. The purpose of this study was to understand why cancer patients seek Islamic healing. This qualitative study utilized in-depth interviews with 18 cancer patients. The findings indicate three main reasons: (1) recommendations from family, friends and doctors; (2) belief in Islamic healing and (3) the perceived ineffectiveness and dissatisfaction with conventional treatments. Islamic healing will likely continue to be popular complementary cancer treatment in Malaysia as it is grounded in strong cultural and religious beliefs.

Matched MeSH terms: Religion and Medicine*
Theories and Modules Applied in Islamic Counseling Practices in Malaysia

Zakaria N, Mat Akhir NS

J Relig Health, 2017 Apr;56(2):507-520.
PMID: 27145944 DOI: 10.1007/s10943-016-0246-3

Some Malaysian scholars believe that the theoretical basis and models of intervention in Islamic counseling practices in Malaysia are deficient and not eminently identified. This study investigated and describes the nature of current Islamic counseling practices including the theories and modules of Islamic counseling that are been practiced in Malaysia. This qualitative research has employed data that mainly consist of texts gathered from literatures and semi-structured interviews of 18 informants. It employed grounded theory analysis, and the result shows that most of the practitioners had applied integrated conventional counseling theories with Islamic rituals, references, interventions and ethics. Some had also applied Islamic theories and modules formulated in Malaysia such as iCBT, al-Ghazali counseling theories, Cognitive ad-Deen, KBJ, Prophetic Counseling and Asma Allah al-Husna Counseling Therapy.

Matched MeSH terms: Religion and Psychology*
Anxiety and Depression in Cancer Patients: The Association with Religiosity and Religious Coping

Ng GC, Mohamed S, Sulaiman AH, Zainal NZ

J Relig Health, 2017 Apr;56(2):575-590.
PMID: 27287259 DOI: 10.1007/s10943-016-0267-y

There is a lack of studies looking into religiosity and religious coping in cancer patient. In this cross-sectional study, we examined the religiosity using Duke University Religion Index, religious coping using Brief Religious Coping Scale, anxiety and depression based on Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale among 200 cancer patients. The association between religiosity and religious coping with anxiety and depression was studied. The findings showed that subjects with anxiety or depression used more negative religious coping and had lower non-organization religiosity. Hence, measurements in reducing negative religious coping and encouraging religious activities could help to reduce psychological distress in cancer patients.

Matched MeSH terms: Religion and Psychology*
Role of Religion in Preventing Youth Sexual Activity in Malaysia: A Mixed Methods Study

Muhammad NA, Shamsuddin K, Sulaiman Z, Amin RM, Omar K

J Relig Health, 2017 Dec;56(6):1916-1929.
PMID: 26809242 DOI: 10.1007/s10943-016-0185-z

One of the popular approaches of preventing youth sexual activity in Malaysia is using religion to promote premarital sexual abstinence. Despite this intervention, youth continue to practise premarital sex. Thus, the purpose of this exploratory mixed methods study was to understand the role of religion on sexual activity among college students in Klang Valley, Malaysia. A self-administered questionnaire survey to determine the relationship between religiosity and youth sexual activity was carried out on 1026 students recruited from 12 randomly selected colleges. Concurrently, face-to-face interviews were conducted on 15 students to explore how religiosity had influenced their decision on sexual activity. The survey data were analysed using logistic regression, while the qualitative data from the interviews were examined using thematic analysis with separate analysis for each gender. Both quantitative and qualitative results were then compared and integrated. Religious activity significantly reduced the risk of continuing sexual activity among female students (AOR = 0.67, CI = 0.47, 0.95, p = 0.02) but not male students. There was no significant relationship of religious affiliation and intrinsic religiosity (inner faith) to sexual activity by gender. Having faith in religion and strong sexual desire were the main themes that explained participants' sexual behaviour. Engaging in religious activity might be effective at preventing female students from being sexually active. However, when sexual urges and desires are beyond control, religiosity might not be effective.

Matched MeSH terms: Religion*
Materialism and life satisfaction: the role of religion

Rakrachakarn V, Moschis GP, Ong FS, Shannon R

J Relig Health, 2015 Apr;54(2):413-26.
PMID: 25811060

This study examines the role of religion and religiosity in the relationship between materialism and life satisfaction. The findings suggests that religion may be a key factor in understanding differences in findings of previous studies regarding the inverserelationship found in the vast majority of previous studies. Based on a large-scale study in Malaysia—a country comprised of several religious subcultures (mainly Muslims, Buddhists, and Hindus), the findings suggest that the influence of religiosity on materialism and life satisfaction is stronger among Malays than among Chinese and Indians, and life satisfaction partially mediates the relationship between religiosity and materialism. The paper discusses implications for theory development and further research.

Matched MeSH terms: Religion and Psychology*
A spirited response: Malaysia's AIDS activists woo Muslim clerics

Oorjitham S

Asiaweek, 1999 Nov 5.
PMID: 12295478
Matched MeSH terms: Religion*
Religious psychotherapy in depressive patients

Azhar MZ, Varma SL

Psychother Psychosom, 1995;63(3-4):165-8.
PMID: 7624461

This study was conducted to explore the outcome of psychotherapy in ethnic Malays with strong religious and cultural background. The patients were divided into two groups. The study and control groups consisted of 32 depressed patient each. In the study group brief psychotherapy of 15-20 sessions was attempted with the addition of a religious perspective, while in the control group the religious perspective was omitted. Patients in the study group showed more rapid improvement in the initial 3 months of the study period than those in the control group, but at the end of the 6 months the difference became nonsignificant.

Matched MeSH terms: Religion and Psychology*
Muslim refugees in Southeast Asia, the Malaysian response

Dorall RF

Asian Migr, 1988 May-Jun;1(3):88-93.
PMID: 12281348

This article surveys the arrivals of Muslim refugees from countries in Southeast Asia who have not only come to Malaysia for political refuge, but who have also stayed on, in many instances integrating into the local Muslim community. The author concludes that Burmese, Thai, and Filipino Muslim refugee-cum-migrants, and the estimated 500,000 illegal Indonesian migrant workers in East and Peninsular Malaysia make the presence of economic migrants in Malaysia's towns and rural sectors a far more pressing concern to Malaysians than that posed by the arrival of genuine political refugees. Only the Indonesians present in Malaysia are consistently termed by all parties as illegal migrants and some of them have been subjected to well-publicized deportation by the Malaysian immigration authorities. Sympathy for fellow-Muslims in distress explains Malaysia's open-door policy to Muslim refugees. The Koran specifically enjoins Muslims to assist Muslim refugees who have been persecuted by others. However, the necessity to maintain regional political and military alliances, principally as a bulwark against Communism, and the Malay--Non-Malay, Muslim--Non-Muslim dichotomy in Malaysia which almost evenly divides Malaysia's 16 million population into mutually antagonistic halves, results in any overt public policy in favor of Malays and Muslims to be immediately denounced by the other half of the population as a move against the Non-Malays and Non-Muslims. Without political and media attention, the refugees live wherever they can find work, as do hundreds of thousands of mainly Indonesian illegal migrant workers. They surreptitiously get their children admitted to public schools, and through bribery, can even get Malaysian identification papers. Malaysia is a relatively tranquil haven for Malaysia's Muslim refugees compared to their homelands, but their continued stay remains dependent on the ever-present struggle for more equitable sharing of political and economic power between the different ethnic groups in Malaysia. At present, it is deemed inopportune to discuss publicly the issue of Muslim refugees in Malaysia. To do so would be to invite strong emotional responses from Malaysian Muslim groups objecting to refugee repatriation to what they see as continued persecution in Southeast Asia's non-Muslim countries, and from non-Muslim Malaysians who see in their continued presence a possible long-term demographic threat. Furthermore, the presence of Muslim evacuees granted refugee status brings painful memories as to why non-Muslim refugees principally from Indochina were denied such a similar privilege.

Matched MeSH terms: Religion*
The Banyan tree: overseas migrants from South Asia

Tinker H

Dev Dig, 1979 Oct;17(4):116-24.
PMID: 12336016
Matched MeSH terms: Religion*
Fulltext In-depth examination of issues surrounding the reasons for child marriage in Kelantan, Malaysia: a qualitative study

Kohno A, Dahlui M, Nik Farid ND, Ali SH, Nakayama T

BMJ Open, 2019 09 03;9(9):e027377.
PMID: 31481551 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2018-027377

OBJECTIVE: To examine individual, familial, community and societal issues surrounding the reasons for child marriage in Kelantan, Malaysia.
DESIGN: Qualitative study by means of semistructured interviews with women and key informants, using social-ecological model as a conceptual framework.
SETTING: Interviews were conducted in Kota Bharu district, Kelantan, a northeast state in Peninsular Malaysia.
PARTICIPANTS: Eighteen women of reproductive age (18 to 44 years old) that experienced their first marriage below the age of 18, as well as five key informants, consisting of a government officer, a community leader, an officer from religious department and two mothers. The women were recruited from a reproductive health clinic. The key informants who had specialised knowledge related to child marriage were selectively chosen.
RESULTS: Three themes emerged that aligned with the social-ecological model: immaturity in decision-making, family poverty and religious and cultural norms.
CONCLUSIONS: The findings imply that sex education and awareness-building activities regarding the consequences of child marriage must be implemented to eradicate child marriage in Malaysia. Such implementation must be coordinated as a team-based approach involving experts in such fields as law, religion, psychology, social-welfare and public health. In order to increase the awareness of child marriage consequences, the target for awareness must extend not only to the adolescent girls and their families, but also to the community and society at large by clearly communicating the negative consequences of and addressing the drivers for child marriage.

Matched MeSH terms: Religion*

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