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" American Experience of Islamic Conversion Since September 11, 2001: "
Duncan, Crystal T. M.
Vail, Thomas
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Latin Dissertation
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| Language of Document
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English
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| Record Number
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1104188
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| Doc. No
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TLpq2202256988
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| Main Entry
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Duncan, Crystal T. M.
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Vail, Thomas
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| Title & Author
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American Experience of Islamic Conversion Since September 11, 2001:\ Duncan, Crystal T. M.Vail, Thomas
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| College
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Capella University
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| Date
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2019
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| student score
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2019
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| Degree
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Ph.D.
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| Page No
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162
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| Abstract
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Islamophobia, a set of negative attitudes/beliefs and discrimination against Muslims, plagued the United States before 9/11 and continues today. Approximately 10 million American Muslims have the potential to be subjected to discrimination, anti-Islamic rhetoric, and hate crimes. Knowledge about how American Muslims experience Islamophobia after they convert remains scarce in the scientific literature. To address the gap in the literature regarding how American converts experience anti-Islamic media, rhetoric, and acts of violence, this generic qualitative study was an attempt to answer the research question: What is the experience of converting to Islam for American Muslims since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks? To share opinions, beliefs, and reflections on those experiences, 12 Americans converts to Islam, purposefully sampled from local mosques and social media, contributed to in-depth interviews designed to solicit rich, detailed data. The sample consisted of 3 male and 9 female converts whose median age was 34.5 years and who were from a variety of U.S. states and exemplified a variety of races and ethnicities. Thematic analysis with constant comparisons served to elucidate the patterns and themes in the data. Five themes emerged to characterize the experiences, including the lack of Muslim community support, a dynamic identity structure, social and family conflict, perceptions of perceived discrimination, and the positive impact of conversion on mental health wellness. The overall findings from this study indicated that American Muslims experienced conflict with family, internal community discrimination, discrimination from outside groups, and struggles with identity buffered by the positive experience that their new faith had on life roles and obligations.
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Islamic Studies
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Psychology
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Religion
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