Religiosity as a mediator of forgiveness among educators and parents in seven Muslim communities

ABSTRACT Drawing on empirical data collected in 2018-2019, this article shares the results of a study on values including religiosity, empathy, forgiveness, and community mindedness among parents and educators in seven communities in Muslim countries. The goal is to contribute evidence-based knowledge on the importance of the above constructs in these unique contexts. The results suggest the three primary variables, empathy, community mindedness and religiosity were all statistically significant in predicting forgiveness, with empathy having the largest effect. The degree of religiosity didn’t mediate between empathy, community mindedness and forgiveness. Statistically significant differences when controlling for demographic variables such as gender, age, country, and education were not found. The results contribute to the empirical evidence on Muslim communities in the contexts of Bangladesh, Bosnia, Indonesia, Kenya, Malaysia, Uganda, and Tatarstan (Russia). The study also provides direction for interventions in education in these communities to promote human development and universal values.