The Project “Islam, Science and Gender: Negotiating Boundaries in two case studies in Spain and Morocco” was carried out between May 2022 and January 2023. The research aimed to explore contemporary processes of negotiation of scientific and religious discourses among Muslim population in two different contexts. More specifically, it was a pilot study to identify existing positions and dilemmas on COVID-19 vaccination and infertility treatments among Muslim people living in Barcelona and Tangier. The selection of these two cities aimed to explore the cases in two completely different urban contexts. Among other differences, while in Barcelona the Muslim community is characterised for being a minority with a migratory background that is growing gradually in population, Tangier is a city of a Muslim majority country. The comparison between the two cities aimed to explore to what extent this negotiation between Islam and science is influenced by the context and the city different legal and religious situation. While in Spain the Muslim communities live in a minority situation where Islamic jurisprudence is practically absent, in Morocco Islamic jurisprudence is considered one of the key sources for law.  The methodology of research was based on semi-structured interviews to Muslim health professionals and to Muslim leaders in the two cities. The health professionals included a wide variant of specialities (doctors, nurses, nursing assistants, scientific researchers…). To interview Muslim health professionals was relevant to identify possible tensions and dilemmas that they have experienced either in first person or through their patients. The project also included the gender perspective transversally, as it was considered in both the methodology and analysis of results. 

Publications