The Japan Islamic Congress
A Possible Case of an Islamic New Religion in Japan
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 19129490 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Kieko Obuse (0000-0003-1059-4183, Kobe City University of Foreign Studies, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2018 |
| Volume | 6 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 241-263 |
| Publication date | 2018-06-17 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Religion in Japan (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2211-8349 • E-ISSN: 2211-8330 |
| Publisher | Brill (PUBLISHER • NL) |
| DOI | 10.1163/22118349-00603006 |
| OpenAlex | W2809007318 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 1 |
The present article discusses the possibility of regarding the Japan Islamic Congress ( JIC ), a religious organization that claimed a membership of over 50,000 in the 1980s, as a new religion. It examines major factors in the expansion of the JIC through highlighting five characteristics it shares with new religions, namely, 1) it had a charismatic leader, attributed with the power to ‘heal’; 2) it attracted members through the curing of illnesses, with many joining as nominal members; 3) it focused on making practice easy and organizing large-scale events where the group’s identity is emphasized; 4) its teachings display a syncretic nature, combining Islamic and Buddhist ideas; and 5) it was actively engaged with society, especially the fields of medicine and politics. Critiquing the view taken by existing scholarship that attributes the JIC ’s decline to its teachings not representing “genuine Islam,” the article further argues that, in addition to the lack of a capable successor, three other factors can be highlighted as possible reasons for the JIC ’s inability to survive: 1) its primary channel of contact with potential members was limited to medical service; 2) apart from this medical service, it did not develop teachings or practices that would lead directly to the improvement of life; and 3) it did not meet the needs of contemporary Japanese society, where the interest in more personal spirituality had started to grow
Alternative medicine · Business · Charisma · Charismatic authority · Comity · Environmental ethics · Islam · Political science · Politics · Public relations · Scholarship · Sociology · Spirituality · Successor cardinal · Theology · Globalization and Cultural Identity · Japanese History and Culture · Law · Medicine · Philosophy · Socioeconomic Development in Asia · Marketing
| Unique citing works | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,29 |
| Citation span | 2019 - 2022 (4) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 2 |