Abstract

This study explores the role of religion in decision-making of the Muslim working communities for the use of interest-bearing pensions. In the absence of any theoretical framework on this topic, the paper explores the multiple socioeconomic factors that may influence the attitude, perception, motivation, and action of Muslim workers towards joining pension schemes for old age protection, by proposing the Muslim Workers’ Acceptance of Pension Model. The paper takes an exploratory `community-based participatory research’ (CBPR) methodology with an interpretivist approach in line with the social constructivist paradigm. It contributes to the broader debate on the effect of cultural, religious, and social values of marginalised communities on the inclusion and widening access for old age protection. It also provides insight into the factors and reasons of divergence from the available pension models. The findings emphasise that people sharing the same location do not necessarily share the same level of opportunities due to the intersectionality of race, religion, gender, and class.