Emotional Reactions to Islamophobia and Political Participation of Muslims

• In Event: Affective Experiences and Current Political Environments

Abstract

Discrimination is a common problem for marginalized communities in the US, and the political consequences of those experiences are the subject of much scholarly inquiry. However, the existing literature on Islamophobia largely focuses on the general population's perception of Muslims, while only a limited number of studies explore Muslims' perceptions of religious discrimination and its consequences. Furthermore, research on Islamophobia yields mixed evidence on whether religious discrimination leads to lower or greater political participation among American Muslims. In this project, I contribute to the latter body of work by exploring how the source of Islamophobia might have a mobilizing or demobilizing effect on Muslims' political behavior by triggering emotions. My research questions are as follows: Do American Muslims differentiate between Islamophobia that is sourced from politics compared to society? How does the source of Islamophobia affect Muslim's emotional reactions, and with what consequences for political participation? The study involves pilot interviews and an online survey. The pilot interviews explore an in-depth understanding of Muslims' experience and perception of Islamophobia and its sources. Furthermore, the interviews examine the emotional and political consequences of Islamophobic experience and awareness. The survey assesses a broader perspective on whether American Muslims differentiate between Islamophobic sources, Muslims' emotional reactions to Islamophobic situations, and their past political behavior. The analysis of a preliminary survey concludes that Muslims differentiate between societal and political sources of Islamophobia. Moreover, anger is the most intense reaction to both types of discrimination sources, although it does not always mobilize them for political participation.

Author

• Ayse Busra Topal, University of California, Riverside