Conducting Research on Muslims in the Age of Dichotomies: Ethics, Politics and Responsibilities

the study of Islam and Muslims is both imperative and essential, but this situation becomes more exigent and convoluted as conditions change from day to day. This study aims to discuss the sort of challenges faced by social scientists researching Islam and Muslim populations and conducting research particularly in an ethnographic field, and to identify the fundamental causes of these challenges. In the context of this debate, we argue that there are problems under two main categories both ontologically and in the general characteristics in the time period of the 21st century that appear when social scientists strive to research Islam and Muslims. The problems originating from the nature of the time period pertain to matters of politics, security and accessibility, and, conversely, the ontological problems relate fundamentally to gender, inclusion or exclusion, language and culture. The subsequent sections of this study will discuss the details of these challenges and later seek to explain why, in spite of these hurdles, it is so necessary that we study Islam and Muslims