FAITH-BASED TECHNOLOGY DURING PRE- AND POST-COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Authors

  • Fatima Hasnain Pakistan Institute of Development Economics
  • Shaheer Ellahi Khan Health Services Academy, Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination
  • Mian Ali Kamran Baba Pakistan Institute of Development Economics

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.52567/pjsr.v3i4.286

Abstract

This study aims to document how technology and religion have co-existed, before and after the Covid-19 pandemic. The present qualitative study was conducted in the Shi’a community of sector G-11, Islamabad using an exploratory approach; semi-structured interviews and participant observation were used as tools to collect data. The respondents were found to adopt and adapt to the technological advances to maintain their religious affairs and blend their traditional roots with the emerging technological colours. Ritual(s) of household-based religious gatherings–the majalis (plural for majlis)–have urged the women of the Shi’a-Islamic community to explore modern technological instruments, and to apply them to their daily routine with the help of different social media platforms. After the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic and a nationwide lockdown, technology became the bridge to connect people and let them maintain their lives; the same was observed for the continuance of Shi’a rituals in this particular community. However, with the advent of a new technological age, this modern-traditional blend also threatens the originality of religious belief(s) during their transmission through technology. Hence, this study presents how technology penetrates into Shi’a women’s religious lives before and after the Covid-19 pandemic, and how it may threaten the originality of their beliefs and rituals.

Keywords: Faith based technology; Shi’a community; Women empowerment; Majlis; Exploratory research; Online rituals; Covid-19

Author Biographies

  • Fatima Hasnain, Pakistan Institute of Development Economics

    MPhil Scholar

  • Shaheer Ellahi Khan, Health Services Academy, Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination

    Associate Professor 

     

  • Mian Ali Kamran Baba, Pakistan Institute of Development Economics

    MPhil Scholar

Additional Files

Published

2021-12-31

Issue

Vol. 3 No. 4 (2021): Pakistan Journal of Social Research (PJSR)

Section

Research Article

License

Copyright (c) 2022 Fatima Hasnain, Shaheer Ellahi Khan, Mian Ali Kamran Baba

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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How to Cite

[1]
“FAITH-BASED TECHNOLOGY DURING PRE- AND POST-COVID-19 PANDEMIC”, Pak. J, Soc. Sci., vol. 3, no. 4, pp. 147–158, Dec. 2021, doi: 10.52567/pjsr.v3i4.286.