The participation-based religious absorption pattern of young girls in the Fanous Cultural-Religious Group of Isfahan (Qualitative Study)

Popular religious organizations play an important role in attracting young girls to religion by creating a safe and empowering environment. This research aims to identify the pattern of religious attraction in the Fanous cultural-religious group of Isfahan. The main question of the research is: What components is the model used by Fanous based on and how does it attract young girls to religious participation?

The research was conducted with a qualitative approach and case study method. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 36 people (including 12 staff members, 15 participating girls, and 9 parents), participatory observation in 24 sessions of group programs, and analysis of 17 internal documents and 236 social media posts. Sampling was done in a purposive, snowball, and maximum diversity manner. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis (Brown & Clark, 2006) in three stages of descriptive, interpretive, and integrative coding.

The findings showed that the Fanous religious engagement model is based on nine key themes: centrality of religious values, adherence to moral virtues, trust-building, collective participation, audience empowerment, responsiveness to audience needs, audience-centeredness, seriousness in implementation, and empathetic leadership. These themes, in interaction with each other, form a participatory and non-coercive process that leads to sustainable engagement and an impact on girls’ religious attitudes.

Research limitations include the lack of generalizability of the case study results and the possibility of interpretive bias resulting from the researcher’s long presence in the field. This model can be used to redesign religious engagement programs in other cultural-religious organizations