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Research

Publications and research projects

The research covers lived religion and Islam in Europe, Sufi thought and Islamic art, religion and climate, and the relevance of these questions for public policy. Methods range from surveys and computational text analysis to qualitative discourse analysis.

Journal articles Book chapters Projects Findings in data ORCID

Background: opening couplets of Rumi’s Masnavi-ye Ma‘navi, illuminated manuscript. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

Findings in data

Visual analyses

All findings →
61% vs 23%
of highly religious respondents showed popular vs elite religiosity
PhD research · Survey · N = 1,165

Elite and popular religiosity among Dutch-Turkish Muslims

Explore the findings →
17% → 50%
XR’s share of posts vs. impressions among 44 Dutch climate organisations
Religions · Social media analysis · 5,165 tweets · 2024

Extinction Rebellion and implicit religion

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17 of 72
mentions of “Holland” in ISN sermons that concern Muslims living in the Netherlands
Religions · Critical discourse analysis · 310 sermons · 2023

Turkish civil religion in ISN Friday sermons

Explore the findings →
+2
studies in preparation: climate discourse on Twitter/X, environmental attitudes in Turkey
Coming soon

More visual analyses

See the list →
Research projects

Projects

2023 – 2026

Religion and Climate Change in the Netherlands

Postdoctoral researcher · Tilburg University · NWO-funded · religious and apocalyptic vocabularies in Dutch climate discourse, studied with large-scale social media data
2019 – 2021

CommUnity Project

Assistant project manager · IDEIS · European Commission, Internal Security Fund – Police (No. 871056) · lived religion, Islamic communities in Europe, religious diversity and social cohesion · sub-projects: overview, Cine CommUnity, Youth Creative CommUnity
2018 – 2021

MiRaS Project

Research assistant · IDEIS · Mitigating Radicalization through Self-Empowerment
2011 – 2018

Elite and Popular Religiosity among Dutch-Turkish Muslims in the Netherlands

PhD research · Leiden University · mixed-methods study of forms and motivations of religiosity Key findings in data →
Peer-reviewed

Journal articles

2024
2023
2020

Playful Religion: An Innovative Approach to Prevent Radicalisation of Muslim Youth in Europe

With M. Akdağ and I. ter Avest · Religions 11(2), special issue Islamic Education in Contemporary World
2019
2019

Playful Religious Education – Towards Inclusive Religious Education: A Light-Hearted Way for Young People to Develop a Religious Life Orientation

With M. Akdağ, A. Alasağ and I. ter Avest · Studies in Interreligious Dialogue 29(1), 103–123
Books and edited volumes

Book chapters and thesis

2026

De heilige retoriek van macht: Klimaatreligie en de nieuwe politieke theologie

The sacred rhetoric of power: Climate religion and the new political theology
In D. de Koning & C. Vander Stichele (eds.), Geloven in tijden van stijgende zeeën (Believing in times of rising seas), Open Press Tilburg University, 188–197 Dutch only
2026

Breekt verspilling het vasten?

Does wastefulness break the fast?
In Geloven in tijden van stijgende zeeën, Open Press Tilburg University, 70–77 Dutch only
2026

Tussen geloof en groene taal: Klimaatorganisaties op Twitter/X in Nederland (2023)

Between faith and green language: Climate organizations on Twitter/X in the Netherlands (2023)
With N. de Groot · in Geloven in tijden van stijgende zeeën, Open Press Tilburg University, 26–57 Dutch only
2025

Passing on Tradition(s): A Report of a Journey of Concepts, Translated from Old Turkish to Contemporary Dutch

With I. Kurt, I. ter Avest, A. Alasağ, O. Bircan and O. Topaloğlu · in K. S. Fuglseth, I. ter Avest & G. Skeie (eds.), A Pluralist We in Religious Education: Old Narratives in New Contexts, Waxmann
2021

Normative Citizenship Education in Plural Societies: A Dialogical Approach to Possible Tensions between Religious Identity and Citizenship

With I. ter Avest and I. Kurt · in A. Unser (ed.), Religion, Citizenship and Democracy, Springer, 221–243
2020

Transformation of Friday Sermons in an Era of Nationalism: Functionalisation of Religion in Turkey and the Netherlands, Now and in a Challenged Future

In C. Bakker et al. (eds.), Religious Education on the Move: Challenging the Unknown Future of RE, Waxmann, 223–243
2018
Background

Essays and overviews

Islam in Europe
Islam in Europe
Islam in Europe
Religion and ecology
Religion and ecology
Religion and ecology
Religion and ecology
ORCID Tilburg University About Talks and events