In recent years, Artificial Intelligence (AI) has rapidly entered the social sphere, including higher education. However, not all cultures perceive it in the same way. This comparative empirical study analyzes how students from two religiously homogeneous countries: Uzbekistan (predominantly Muslim) and Poland (predominantly Catholic) perceive AI in general and as a learning tool. Unlike most studies that focus on technical access or digital literacy, this paper examines the perception of AI from the perspective of historically shaped religious and cultural traditions after the collapse of the Soviet system. The study put forward and tested a research meta-hypothesis: historically shaped cultural and religious traditions should have a statistically significant effect on the perception of Artificial Intelligence by students from Muslim and Catholic countries. We used a standardized Likert-scale survey. The sample consisted of 439 undergraduate students (not majoring in IT). Professional and gender biases were excluded to focus on cultural and religious variables. The z-test at the 90% confidence level was used to test the four key hypotheses. The results showed AI than students from Poland. This difference in perception applies to AI both in general and in the educational context. This difference reflects stable ideas about knowledge, traditions and technological progress. The obtained results have theoretical implications and practical significance .
Rapid digital transformation has reshaped banking systems worldwide, positioning financial technology adoption as a strategic driver of performance. This study investigates the impact of financial technology adoption on the financial performance of commercial banks in Association of Southeast Asian Nations economies. A quantitative research design is employed using an unbalanced bank-level panel dataset covering the period 2015-2023. The analysis applies a dynamic panel estimation framework based on the system generalized method of moments to address endogeneity, unobserved heterogeneity, and performance persistence. Financial technology adoption is operationalized through a composite index derived from digital service provision, mobile usage intensity, and technology investment. The empirical results demonstrate that greater adoption significantly improves profitability indicators while reducing operational inefficiency. These effects remain robust across alternative model specifications and diagnostic tests, indicating sustained performance gains associated with digital capability development. The findings support innovation diffusion arguments emphasizing efficiency, scalability, and observable performance benefits. Overall, financial technology adoption emerges as a critical mechanism for strengthening bank competitiveness and resilience in emerging financial systems. The study provides actionable insights for strategic investment prioritization and adaptive regulatory design aimed at fostering stable and inclusive digital financial ecosystems .
This study examines how platform infrastructures, algorithmic visibility structures, and commercial logics reshape folkloric practices in digital meme communities. It investigates whether these communities reflect traditional folklore transposed online or represent algorithmically constituted cultural formations with transformed dynamics. Using a digital ethnographic approach, the research participants were 342 members of Reddit, Twitter, and TikTok who actively participate in meme culture. Data were gathered through online surveys, a contextual meme-evaluation task using 480 trending memes, and semi-structured interviews with 72 participants. Quantitative data were analysed using MANOVA and logistic regression, while qualitative data were analysed using constructivist grounded theory and thematic coding. Findings show that platforms actively shape cultural authority, aesthetic conventions, and community autonomy, with creators deploying strategies such as aesthetic gatekeeping, platform migration, and ironic subversion. The study theorizes platform-mediated folk culture as a hybrid system where community validation, algorithmic amplification and reflexive meta-cultural awareness transform traditional folkloric mechanisms under commercially extractive conditions .
Workplace ostracism (WO) poses a critical challenge for organizations, undermining employee well-being and overall effectiveness. This study examines how ambidextrous leadership (AL), characterized by the balanced use of exploration and exploitation behaviors, reduces WO through the mediating function of psychological well-being (PW). The research is grounded in Leader-Member Exchange theory and Affective Events Theory, which emphasize the relational and emotional dynamics between leaders and employees and provide a foundation for understanding how leadership behaviors influence perceptions of inclusion and well-being. A quantitative research design was employed, drawing on survey data from 325 employees across various industries. Validated scales measuring AL, WO, and PW were administered through an online questionnaire. The results reveal a significant negative association between AL and WO, with PW appearing as a partial mediator. This suggests that AL not only directly reduces feelings of exclusion but also indirectly influences ostracism by fostering employee well-being. Overall, the study underlines the importance of AL in creating psychologically supportive work environments and contributes to organizational behavior literature by clarifying the mechanisms through which leadership can mitigate WO and enhance employee well-being.
Higher religious education in T & uuml;rkiye has developed along a complex historical path, beginning with the Suffa and madrasas and later becoming institutionalized within Faculties of Theology. Across these stages, the mission has remained the preservation of Islamic knowledge, moral guidance, and cultural continuity. Despite repeated reforms, many structural and curricular problems identified in earlier eras persist. This study seeks to examine the historical evolution of higher religious education and identify its persistent structural deficiencies on Turkiye's transformation. The study uses comparative historical document analysis to examine key reform texts, including reports by Ali Fuat Ba & scedil;gil and Hamidullah (1969) alongside later works edited by Aky & uuml;rek (2015) and Seyma Alt & imath;n (2021). AI-supported tools assisted in organizing and coding themes, while interpretation and validation remained the responsibility of the authors. The findings show persistent debates on curriculum design, academic formation, and theology's social discussions place stronger emphasis on digitalization, interdisciplinarity, and expanding professional roles. The study concludes that change in Turkiye's higher religious education largely occurs through reinterpretation of inherited frameworks rather than fundamental institutional breaks, contributing to international debates on continuity and transformation in specialized higher education .
Multidimensional poverty encompasses various deprivations that extend beyond income and influence overall well-being among low-income households. This study, anchored in Amartya Sen's Capability Approach, explores the impact of multiple poverty dimensions, namely health, education, living standards, income, religiosity, and digital inclusion, on life satisfaction. This study used a structured questionnaire to collect data from 400 individuals in low-income households in Terengganu. The analysis employed Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) using SmartPLS 4.0. The analysis demonstrates a significant association between life satisfaction and health, education, living standards, religiosity, and digital inclusion. In contrast, income does not exhibit a significant relationship with life satisfaction, indicating that non-monetary capabilities may play a more influential role in determining overall well-being. The study offers empirical insights for policymakers, particularly in designing multidimensional poverty interventions that strengthen household capabilities and enhance life satisfaction.
In Pakistan, women's sports face significant marginalization, as the realm of athletics is predominantly viewed as a male domain, relegating women to the status of unwelcome participants. As a result, women face restrictions in engaging in sports, stemming from societal and cultural limitations that render their participation a source of social stigma. This study aims to explore the sociological ramifications of the diverse reporting strategies employed by sports journalists in their coverage of women's sporting events in the Dawn and The Nation newspapers. Dyer's semiotic model provides the theoretical framework for the analysis conducted in this study regarding the visual representation of sportswomen in selected Pakistani newspapers. The data consists of thirty one pictures analyzed under five themes. The research has revealed that by highlighting the athletic prowess of sportswomen, both newspapers have effectively contested traditional feminine norms and stereotypes. The cultural and social assumptions have been critically examined and contested by Pakistani newspapers through the commendable representation of sportswomen. The research advocates for the cultivation of a sports media environment that accurately depicts the professional journeys of sportswomen, which could significantly contribute to reshaping societal views on women's sports .
This study examines the institutional context that underpins English for Specific Purposes (ESP) teachers' readiness for implementing flipped, genre-based writing instruction in Pakistani higher education institutions. Grounded in (Dijk, 2005) Four Levels of Digital Divide: motivational, material, skills, and usage, it employs a qualitative exploratory-descriptive study design to map institutional access, infrastructure, and support structures across twelve universities. Data was collected through an open-ended questionnaire from ESP teachers. Deductive and inductive thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006) was conducted. Seven key dimensions emerged inductively through thematic analysis: technology infrastructure, policy support, professional development, administrative encouragement, curriculum flexibility, peer collaboration, teacher motivation and initiative. Findings reveal varied levels of institutional preparedness, with significant disparities in professional development opportunities, infrastructural support, and policy orientation towards blended or flipped learning. While some universities show promise in fostering teacher motivation and informal peer support, a lack of contextualised training and integrated digital policy limits the effective adoption of flipped genre-based pedagogy. The study highlights the importance of aligning institutional readiness with teachers' pedagogical and digital needs and offers recommendations for targeted teacher training, policy formulation, and resource allocation to bridge the digital divide in ESP writing instruction .
The goal of this study is to examine the intricate connections between industry-specific capital market responses in a developing country such as Pakistan. In particular, the analysis focuses on the Pakistan-GCC bilateral trade agreement and its impact across different sectors. Using an event study methodology, this article analyzes how the Pakistan-GCC Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) has affected the Pakistani share market. Pakistan's textile, food, and petroleum and oil industries all show positive responses, while other sectors react unfavorably. These findings induced an immediate reaction from chosen Pakistani industries. The positive reactions of the industries are encouraging for the economy as well as for shareholders. Therefore, the Pakistan Stock Exchange was susceptible to this incident. To the best of my knowledge, this paper is unique in a sense that it will assist the stockholders and decision makers of trade policy. Moreover, the sectoral focus of the analysis represents an important contribution. The study also examines the unique context of the Pakistan-GCC relationship, which has received limited attention in the existing literature .
Although previous studies have successfully established generalizable evidence related to the relationship between EFL undergraduate students' self-esteem and their listening comprehension, they often fail to explore the lived, nuanced experiences of learners related to the factors resulted from students' self-esteem that influence EFL undergraduate students' listening comprehension. Accordingly, the current study provides a contribution not only in quantifying the correlation between the two targeted variables but also delves into the qualitative "how" and "why" behind it. The current study aims at identifying and investigating the relationship between EFL university students' self-esteem and their listening comprehension. The study also explores the factors that cultivate students' performance in listening comprehension as they are resulted from their self-esteem. The sample of the study is represented by 80 EFL university students who were randomly selected from the Department of English-College of Education for Humanities-University of Anbar. A mixed modes explanatory correlational design was used aided by a self-esteem questionnaire, a listening comprehension test, and a semi-structured interview to gather information. Quantitative and qualitative analysis procedures were used to analyse the collected data. The findings found a statistically significant correlation between EFL university students' self-esteem and their performance in listening comprehension. As evidenced by the positive Pearson correlation coefficient between the two variables. Besides, the interview findings were also in consistent with the quantitative results as they revealed that certain factors helped in promoting students' performance in listening comprehension due to their high level of self-esteem. These factors are; self-esteem cultivates students' motivation and self-confidence, increases mental readiness, helps students overcome listening anxiety, and helps students' avoid boredom and impatience .
The rapid adoption of AI writing assistants such as Grammarly in education has influenced how English language learners approach writing tasks. By providing automated feedback on linguistic errors, including mechanics (spelling, punctuation, and capitalization), grammar, and style, these tools may help learners improve writing accuracy, reduce cognitive load, and write more efficiently. However, excessive reliance on such tools is a cause for concern. This study investigated Saudi male preparatory-year EFL students' perceptions of Grammarly at Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University (n = 61). A validated questionnaire was used in a cross-sectional design to collect data on perceived effectiveness in correcting writing mechanics (spelling, capitalization, and punctuation), perceived efficiency, limitations, and overreliance. The findings indicated that most students perceived Grammarly as useful in correcting writing mechanics, particularly spelling (85.2%), capitalization (78.7%), and punctuation (68.9%). In addition, 68.8% of students agreed that Grammarly saved time and effort. Responses regarding overreliance were mixed: 37.7% indicated high overreliance on Grammarly, whereas 62.3% reported low/no overreliance. Spearman's rho showed no significant association between perceived usefulness and overreliance (rho = .105, p = .419). These findings suggest that Grammarly can be integrated into EFL writing instruction as a scaffold to support writing mechanics, provided that its use is guided in ways that also promote critical engagement and learner autonomy.
This study provides a historical analysis of the significant religions of ancient Egypt. Early Egyptians revered a vast number of deities, and every locality, no matter how small, had its own tutelary deity, and in certain instances, two or more. Consequently, this led to a religious landscape in Egypt that was very diverse, much like the other primitive or natural religions, as will be shown in this paper. The development of religious thinking in ancient Egypt took the form of a sequence of various stages. To comprehend this development, one has to trace its historical development starting with Totemism, which was the first cornerstone of the religion of the ancient people, then the emergence of polytheism with its plurality of divine figures, and finally the religious reform of Akhenaten, which focused on the new deity (Aten). The results show that the religious beliefs of the ancient Egyptians were cumulative in nature. The different historical periods produced new doctrines that coexisted with the earlier traditions: Totemism coexisted with theology, and polytheism with new monotheistic inclinations. This rich religious text is an expression of the intellectual depth of the ancient Egyptians and the scope of their spiritual imaginations .
This study compares the nominalization systems of Urdu, Pahari, Punjabi, and Hindko. It focuses on their morphological features and shared structures. The data were collected from five native speakers of each language, resulting in a total of twenty speakers. First, a list of Urdu nominalization constructions was compiled with the help of native speakers, based on Shibatani’s (2019) framework, including relational, participle, genitive, and appositive constructions. Then, the five native Urdu speakers were recorded to verify the markers of compiled sentences. Subsequently, five speakers of each selected language translated the same Urdu sentences into their native languages. This process was documented through written and audio records. Urdu employs the marker -wa:la:, while the other languages use -a:la:. In relative constructions, Urdu uses jo:, whereas Pahari, Punjabi, and Hindko use jirrha:, which varies by gender and number. Additionally, Pahari and Hindko exhibit relative-correlative structures. All four languages utilize participles for nominalization and share genitive constructions. Urdu’s genitive markers are ka:, ki:, kay, while Pahari has nãː, nĩː, nay, and Punjabi and Hindko include d̪a:, d̪i:, d̪ay — all of which agree in gender and number. Appositive constructions are generally similar, though Pahari uniquely features two forms: kay and khay. While each language maintains distinct morphological traits, the shared nominalization markers and genitive structures highlight their deep linguistic connections.
This study examines how young Muslims negotiate centrally accepted Sunni Islamic traditions while assimilating global modern cultural trends, and how Sunni Muslims respond to these hybrid practices. Young participants' justifications for integrating modern elements into Sunni Islamic traditions reveal personalized interpretations of religious teachings that often diverge from macro-level orthodoxy, generating cultural divisions within society. The data was obtained by conducting semi-structured interviews involving purposively selected university members, organizational members, and senior citizens. The data were analyzed using content analysis that provided two distinct themes which are: i) Youngsters' hybridization practices and justifications for it; and ii) Pakistani society at large disapproves the youngsters' hybridizing tendencies and its justifications. Findings suggest that young participants selectively interpret Islamic principles to legitimize modern adaptations in dress, ritual, and worship, reflecting liberal and global influences on everyday religiosity. Senior citizens and community representatives view these reinterpretations as inconsistent with Sunni orthodoxy and attribute them to the spread of Western cultural norms and insufficient religious instruction among youth. The study offers insight into how globalization, digital exposure, and local orthodoxy interact in shaping contemporary Muslim identities within Pakistan's Sunni Islamic traditions .
The trilateral relationship among Pakistan, India, and Iran exemplifies the complex geopolitical manoeuvring that shapes the regional strategic landscape. This paper analyses how regional security dynamics within one context can destabilize others and influence mutual perceptions, thereby complicating this triangular relationship. Each nation is prompted to reassess its strategies and alliances. The interplay of converging and diverging factors defines this relationship: India's pursuit of regional dominance and external balancing, Iran's need for internal stability, the ideological rift with Pakistan, and Pakistan's limited proactive engagement in regional affairs serve as key catalysts. Recent tensions, such as India-Pakistan escalations and Iran's conflict with Israel, have altered regional dynamics. This shift provides Pakistan with a strategic opportunity to align with Iran, potentially counterbalancing India's influence in the region.
Extractive industry operations often face social challenges, particularly in gaining acceptance from local communities. One common strategy employed by company to secure Social License to Operate (SLO) is through implementation of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programs, which typically take the form of either charity-based initiatives or empowerment-oriented interventions. CSR programs that are responsive to the needs and expectations of the community have the potential to foster harmonious relationships between companies and local stakeholders. In contrast, low levels of social acceptance may escalate into community resistance and conflict. Building on this context, the present study aims to examine the differential relationship between CSR performance and social acceptance, based on the distinct characteristics of charity-based and empowerment-oriented CSR programs. This study highlights a paradox in the objectives of CSR practices within extractive industries: the pressure to secure short-term social support through charitable programs often stands in contrast to the long-term commitment to sustainable development through community empowerment initiatives. Data were collected through a structured survey involving 449 respondents residing in proximity to geothermal operations in West Java, Indonesia, utilizing a stratified sampling method. The findings indicate that CSR performance has a moderately strong influence on social acceptance. Moreover, multivariate analysis reveals that CSR performance significantly affects social acceptance, with charity-based programs exerting a stronger influence than empowerment-based ones. This disparity is largely attributed to the characteristics of the local community, which tend to be pragmatic, possess limited formal education, and prioritize immediate tangible benefits.
Idealized masculine discourse is often used to define nationalism. 'Rescue of women' and the motherland by the state and military legitimize the gendered power within contemporary discourse. This study employed a feminist critical discourse analysis perspective to reveal gendered ideologies in the discourse surrounding the Pakistan-India armed conflict in May 2025. It examined four special briefing documents released on May 8-9, 2025, by the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Government of Pakistan. Using the qualitative research method, the study applied Lazar's Feminist CDA to analyse power, ideology, representation, and silence in these documents. Braun & Clark's thematic analysis helped identify themes of militarized masculinity and silencing, reinforcing gendered nationalism exercised by both nations. The findings demonstrate that states strategically construct national identity through gendered discourse. This research is significant for highlighting the powerful feminist discourse embedded in the geopolitical context of South Asia, which often propagates military conflicts through nationalist, gendered, and strategic narratives. It adds to existing feminist scholarship by showing how representational strategies influence public perceptions of war. The study also offers new insight for rethinking national identity, especially in South Asia, amid social, political, and military tensions .
Terrorism studies for the past two decades have been reliant on an insistent Euro centrism that consistently overlooks indigenous resilience capabilities and resilience opportunities in the Global South. This article examines the role of traditional governance and justice mechanisms (clan elders, jirga justice and community based processes) in Pakistan in relation to how they shape responses to extremist ideologies. It combines decolonial theory and primary data from North Waziristan, Dir Valley, Khyber District and urban students to demonstrate key features of localized mechanisms that allow for family and community resilience against extremist ideologies. The results indicate that traditional authority, alongside youth mobilization, religious authority and state-led P/CVE agendas can provide communities with significant capacity to enact Preventing/Countering Violent Extremism (P/CVE). Resilience mechanisms are simultaneously mobilizing resources that create social cohesion and challenge extremists narratives to form a multi-layered resilience model. There are some limitations to resilience mechanisms such as the impacts of gendered biases, hierarchical abuses and elite capture that lessen inclusiveness and sustainability. Unlike previous studies that primarily focus on state-led counterterrorism or Western theoretical models, this article introduces a decolonial and community-centered framework that foregrounds indigenous justice systems- such as jirgas and clan elders-as viable mechanisms of resilience against extremist ideologies in Pakistan. It fills a major gap in terrorism studies by systematically connecting decolonial theory with empirical insights from Pakistan's tribal and urban contexts.
Deradicalization has emerged as a pivotal soft-power strategy in response to the global proliferation of violence perpetrated by non-state actors, extremist ideologies, and terrorist networks. Designed to counter radical thought and enable the reintegration of affected individuals into society, deradicalization initiatives have been implemented in diverse forms across countries such as Yemen, Indonesia, and Saudi Arabia. This study adopts qualitative methodologies and comparative analysis to critically examine the national programs, such as violent extremist measures (CVE) with efforts to gain public support through the "hearts and minds" approach which were mainly framed within the context of religious radicalization, explicitly focusing on tackling the rise of Islamic extremism through what was called a "battle of ideas" with particular focus on deradicalization efforts in Yemen, Indonesia, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and identifies best practices, essential components, and inherent limitations.. The findings demonstrate that no universal model of deradicalization exists; rather, each program is firmly embedded within its distinct cultural, political, and social milieu. Nonetheless, certain commonalities emerge across cases, including the use of psychological counseling, vocational training, and constructive engagement by state authorities. These shared elements highlight core principles that can inform the design of tailored, context-sensitive deradicalization frameworks .
This paper examines the United States' image during Millennium challenge Corporation (MCC) in Nepal reflected in three print media outlets in Nepal. News framing of the USA plays the public opinion-making role to the people during mostly debated US's politics and strategy project conceal with economic and development aspects. Explanatory sequential content analysis methods have been applied to scrutinize the contents published from Dec 16, 2021 to March 29, 2022. This study found that the accessibility of US and her initiative in media contents was slightly more negative (35.6%) with a lower percentage of positive tone (34.8%) reflected in news, editorials, opinions, interviews, and remarks related to it. The aspects like sovereignty and politics, economic, and infrastructure & development aspect frames dominated the positive tone where strategic and cultural aspects frames found with negative tone. Based on Entman's media framing theory, the result highlights the four broad image of United States as confronting global power, geopolitical agendas with faithful economic development, supersede national interests of small country, standing as an instrument in divisive and disruptive politic, grappling with cultural identity .
