Xenophobia is on the rise in Europe; and the ten million Muslims living there are often its targets. This paper contends that the fear and anxiety Westerners exhibit toward Muslims stem ultimately from a fear and anxiety regarding ourselves and our beliefs. I argue that the perceived standoff with Muslims causes us to doubt the sincerity and superiority of our own convictions. The latter are pr...

Islam is now commonly considered to be the second largest religion in France behind Christianity. Accepting this demographic reality has never been easy for many French citizens. Too often discussions about Islam in France begin and end with a treatment of Muslims as a social problem. Too often the question is asked: Can Muslims fit into French society?. That question presupposes that Islamic v...

This paper examined the influence of religion on the adoption of female sterilization, using data from the 1992/93 Indian National Family Health Survey. The influence of religion at both individual and district levels was examined, and a multi-level modelling methodology was used for assessing community variations in the influence of religion on the adoption of sterilization. Individual religio...

Inter-religious cooperation has been recommended to address various issues for the common good. Muslims and Christians in Uganda are working together on HIV prevention in this spirit. A study was done to compare HIV prevalence and HIV-risk behaviors between Muslims and Christians. A total of 2,933 Christian and 1,224 Muslim youth between 15–24 years were interviewed and tested for HIV. The HIV ...

Findings from this study of Austrolion practising and non-practising Christians and Muslims support the proposition that both religious affiliation and the depth of that affiliation affect on individual's conflict resolution style (colloborator, compromiser, accommodator, controller, or ovoider), and that minority status and particular historical time and situation may also affect it. Practisin...

BACKGROUND Ramadan fasting and its associated lifestyle changes have been linked to changes in sleep and daytime sleepiness. This study was designed to assess the effects of Ramadan fasting on patterns of sleep and daytime sleepiness. METHODS The SenseWear Pro Armband™ was used to assess the duration and distribution of sleep in eight Muslim and eight non-Muslim volunteers during the last wee...

The study aimed to determine factors influencing the uptake of 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccine in a multiethnic Asian population. Population-based, cross-sectional survey was conducted between October and December 2009. Approximately 70% of overall participants indicated willingness to be vaccinated against the 2009 H1N1 influenza. Participants who indicated positive intention to vaccinate against ...

AIMS To examine alcohol use and related problems among a rural subset of the Indian population. METHODS The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) was used as part of Health and Demographic Surveillance of 36,611 individuals aged ≥18 years. From this survey data on 3671 current alcohol users were analysed using bivariate and multivariate ordered logit regression. RESULTS Over 19%...