Digital Media Use & Religious Authority among Moroccan Mosque Associations in Germany

Abstract

This dissertation examines the mediatization and digitization of Islam, with a focus on Moroccan Muslims and mosque associations in Germany. Following a qualitative research design, it explores how digital technology and online media are used by Moroccan Muslim communities. It also examines how the construct of religious authority is perceived and embodied within this specific local context. By doing so, it aspires to identify the possible implications of digital media use on the dynamics of religious authority. Drawing on several case studies, hybrid ethnography, and semi-structured interviews with different actors within these Moroccan mosque associations, namely the associations’ administration, the imams (religious leaders), and the mosque community members, the research uncovers valuable insights regarding the digitization of Islam and Islamic authority in the local context. To do that, the study is guided by the mediatization and digitization of religion scholarship, which provides a framework for analyzing the interplay between the digitization processes and the dynamics of religious authority. The findings captured an increase in the use of digital media among the Moroccan Muslim associations under study, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Still, such development was unpredictable, inconsistent, and mostly dependent on offline circumstances. While the communities in focus tended to converge in resorting to the online sphere, they diverged in how they used digital technology and online media to achieve different purposes. The study also provided evidence for the contextual and dynamic nature of religious authority. By approaching the latter from a relational perspective, the interviews revealed that the imam can be considered the face of religious authority among Moroccan Muslim communities in the diasporic context. Such an authority draws mainly on the imam’s direct connection with the mosque community and his multi-dimensional role within the association’s setting. The interviews further suggested the importance and relevance of the construct of religious authority for Muslim communities, in terms of shaping religion-related decisions in this context. In addition to that, the study confirms that the digitization of religion has encouraged non-expert Muslim individuals to take their religiosity into their own hands and, therefore, actively engage in negotiating and constructing religious authority. Yet, it argues for the persistence of the traditional religious authority of the imam, given the nature of these local Muslim communities in the diasporic context. Thus, the study offers theoretical contributions by advancing our understanding of the mediatization and digitization of Islam in today’s digital age and by offering various insights into the concept of religious authority in this specific setting.