Jonas Svensson

The focus of my research has been Islam, particularly modern interpretations, and gender issues. My doctoral thesis "Women’s human rights and Islam. A study of three attempts at accommodation" concerned the intra-Muslim debate on Islam and women’s human rights, i.e. rights stipulated in UN declarations and conventions. Earlier on, I wrote the book "Muslimsk feminism (1996)". After completing my PhD I have done research in areas such as Muslim everyday views and uses of the Qur’an, Islam and sexuality, Muslim bioethical discourses, religious education in a secular context and the nature of the academic study of religions in Sweden. Between 2003 and 2006 I worked on a project concerning Islamic religious education (IRE) in Kisumu, Kenya, financed by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA). Recently I have worked on two projects. One concerned the contemporary intra-Muslim discourses on HIV/AIDS, the other concerned mawlid, the celebration of the Prophet Muhammad's birthday. During the last few years I have increasingly come to focus on the cognitive science of religion and its relevance for the study of Islam. In September 2015 I published the book Människans Muhammed (Mind and Muhammad)