Exploring the Faith and Identity Crisis of American Muslim Youth
This paper documents the harmful effects of Islamophobic rhetoric on the religious identity and perceptions of Muslim youth in an urban American setting. Using qualitative interviews and expert analysis, it also explores solutions for how to counter Islamophobic narratives.
Published: March 3, 2017 • Updated: July 22, 2024
Author: Dr. Omar Suleiman
بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ
In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Introduction
Acknowledgments
Research Participants
Instrumentation
Measuring The Impact of Islamophobia on Muslims
Internalized Racism – Internalized Islamophobia
Inability to Construct an Identity
The Role of Personal Experience in What Types of Islamophobia Are Ingested
Women’s Issues Vs. Violence
Historical Events
...in addition to bumping up against doctrinal tenets, social norms can also render certain episodes in Islamic history problematic in the minds of American Muslims. The marriage of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) to Aisha is a case in point. A favorite target of Islamophobes, this key moment in the prophetic history can provide an opening for doubt if not properly contextualized. Similarly, the issue of slavery in Islam has become a recurring topic of concern, particularly as younger American Muslims are now more sensitive to the issues of social injustice around them. As one scholar who gave an in-depth lecture on this topic put it, “The ‘Islam came to abolish slavery’ response is simply insufficient.”
Reinforcement of Islamophobic Messages in Islamic Spaces
Non-Muslim Counseling and the Mental Anguish of Young Muslims
The culture around dating and casual sexual encounters can lead some Muslims to become frustrated with Islam’s prohibition on premarital relations. Doubt, then, can come about through a desire to alleviate mental anguish: “[Those that] have dated […][that] have been sexually active […] it’s not in their benefit to make Islam out to be the truth. They want it to not be the truth so they don’t feel so guilty about doing those things.
This young woman said, “To get to know someone before marriage, we have to live with them before marriage. This way, we know their real personality and we don’t get fooled. But we can’t do that as Muslims but it is better to.” It was an interesting window into her mind where she believed that our restrictions were a burden, not a protection.