DEVIANT BEHAVIOR, cilt.44, sa.9, ss.1334-1348, 2023 (SSCI)
ABSTRACT
Although an inverse relationship between religion and deviance is empirically well-established in the western context, previous studies on Islam and
deviance conducted in non-western countries are limited. To address this
gap in deviance research, we hypothesized that individual religiosity would
be inversely related to deviance with the inverse relationship being more
likely for ascetic than anti-ascetic or secular deviance. To test this hypothesis,
we applied ordinary least squares and logistic regression methods to analyze
data collected from 2,005 survey participants of a Turkish public university
student population. Regression results provided partial support for the
hypothesis, as we found that religiosity was inversely related to both ascetic
and secular deviance. The observed inverse relationship is noteworthy in that
it was found in an institutionally secular, Muslim country. Implications of our
findings are discussed.