Unnoticed but important: revealing the hidden contribution of community-based religious institution of the mosque in disaster

More than a place of worship  

The mosque was far more than a religious place of worship for the communities in this study: it was a spiritual defence, part of their survival strategy to safeguard them against losses from natural hazards. 

Psychosocial healing 

The authors of this article  make the case that Imams and the Mosque have an important role to play in promoting psychosocial well-being, healing and resilience following disaster. For example, psychosocial healing was facilitated by creating a shared meaning of life, from spiritual guidance provided by Imams via the platform of the Mosque and through connecting with Allah.  

Spiritual Healing  

This article argues that the primary role of the mosque is spiritual, but the findings of this research show that notwithstanding this primary role, the mosque and its Imam play pivotal roles in other seemingly non-spiritual aspects of community life. 

Comment:

This article provides a balanced case study of the role of local community religious institutions, in this case the Mosque, for responding to humanitarian crises such as earthquake-affected contexts.

How to cite

Cheema, A. R., Scheyvens, R., Glavovic, B., & Imran, M. (2014). Unnoticed but important: Revealing the hidden contribution of community-based religious institution of the mosque in disasters. Natural Hazards, 71(3), 2207–2229. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-013-1008-0
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