“SUPER-POWER” IN THE GRAVE:MEANING-MAKING OF MUSLIM SAINTS’ GRAVES IN SOUTHEAST ASIA AND ON THE ARABIAN PENINSULA

PD Dr. Viola Thimm poster

PD Dr. Viola Thimm is an Associate Professor of Anthropology at Heidelberg University and Senior Lecturer at the University of Erlangen-Nürnberg. She has held leadership roles in cultural anthropology and has authored several books on Islam, gender, and mobility. Her current research examines queer Muslims’ pilgrimage experiences in Malaysia and Germany.

The lecture, titled “Super-Power in the Grave,” compares how state institutions in Malaysia, the UAE, and Oman classify certain spiritual practices at the graves of religious leaders as superstitious and thus unacceptable in Islam. It explores the belief in the “super-power” (keramat) associated with these figures and how different religious, ethnic, and Islamic ideological backgrounds shape the treatment of these graves. The presentation highlights the influences of Islamization, Arabization, and varying Islamic ideologies such as Wahhabism and Ibadi Islam on these practices.

For more information, please visit the address:

https://cas-e.de/2024/09/19/super-power-in-the-grave-meaning-making-of-muslim-saints-graves-in-southeast-asia-and-on-the-arabian-peninsula-by-pd-dr-viola-thimm/