This article analyzes why immigrant religion is viewed as a problematic area in Western Europe in contrast to the United States, where it is seen as facilitating the adaptation process. The difference, it is argued, is anchored in whether or not religion can play a major role for immigrants and the second generation as a bridge to inclusion in the new society. Three factors are critical: the religious backgrounds of immigrants in Western Europe and the United States; the religiosity of the native population; and historically rooted relations and arrangements between the state and religious groups.

Immigrant Religion in the U.S. and Western Europe: Bridge or Barrier to Inclusion?

This study addresses discrimination that individuals who wear religious attire encounter during the hiring process. We build from the relational demography literature and contemporary research on discrimination in the workplace to propose possible discriminatory effects against Hijabis (Muslim women who wear the headscarf). Specifically, we conduct a field experiment in which confederates portraying Hijabis or not applied for jobs at stores and restaurants. Evidence for formal discrimination (job call backs, permission to complete application), interpersonal discrimination (perceived negativity, perceived interest), and low expectations to receive job offers in the workplace was found for Hijabi confederates. Furthermore, Hijabis were less likely to receive call backs when there was low employee diversity compared to when there was high employee diversity. Implications of these findings with regards to Hijabis and organizations are discussed.

Not welcome here: Discrimination towards women who wear the Muslim headscarf

I begin by identifying characterizations of Muslim identities as antithetical to a wide range of western values, including democracy, secularization, gender equality and sexual diversity I argue t

Queer as Intersectionality: Theorizing Gay Muslim Identities:

This article investigates the determinants of anti-Muslim sentiment in the West. Starting from the premise that Islamophobic attitudes are more nuanced than a simple dislike of Muslims, I focus on specific forms of attitudes which link Muslims to violence and terrorism. Data from the Pew Global Attitudes Surveys are used to test three theories: perceived threat, social identity, and cognitive capabilities. A series of logit estimations are used for the empirical analysis of individual level data in the USA, Great Britain, France, Germany, and Spain. The results show that perceived realistic and symbolic threat is the most significant source of Islamophobic attitudes in the West. While individuals cognitively differentiate between general feelings toward Muslims and their specific characteristics, higher levels of education significantly reduces negative sentiments. A good number of Westerners think of Muslims as violent individuals while some believe that they support al-Qaeda. Citizens in the West are mo...

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Islamophobia and Threat Perceptions: Explaining Anti-Muslim Sentiment in the West

Concerns about Islamic extremism and ongoing debates about the integration and assimilation of Muslims into Western societies continue to attract considerable attention from the media, policymakers, and scholars, but relatively little cross-national research has been done on Western attitudes toward Muslims. This article attempts to address this question by exploring 2006 Pew Global Attitudes data among non-Muslims in Britain, France, Germany, Spain, and the U.S. Using structural equation modeling, we examine the determinants of Western views toward Muslims, and find that threat perceptions are the primary factor influencing these views. Specifically, our analysis suggests that perceptions of security threats drive attitudes regarding Muslims, and that perceived cultural threats are only indirectly related to views towards Muslims.

Tirza Visser

Papers

When Islam and Democracy Meet: Muslims in Europe and the United States