The transmission and appropriation of Islamic norms. A comparison between Islamic theology and the perspective of practical life. (working title)

In my dissertation project, I investigate how Islamic norms are transmitted and appropriated and how the content of what is being transmitted shapes Muslims’ perception of Islam in Germany. I understand the term “perception of Islam” as a particular interpretation of Islam as well as the religious practice associated with it, which may differ due to the diversity within Islam. To answer these questions, I will conduct qualitative interviews with mosque visitors and subsequently analyze them using the reconstructive method of ‘Objective Hermeneutics’ based on Oevermann’s method. I will compare these interviews with my Objective Hermeneutic analysis of Friday sermons from different mosques, which have been selected as representing an important medium for the transmission of (religiously justified) norms for Muslims in Germany. By comparing the results of the interviews and the sermons I will examine the extent to which commonalities can be found between the believers’ conception of norms and the norms transmitted through the sermons.