Zeal of the Convert? Comparing Religiousness Between Convert and Nonconvert Muslims

Abstract

In popular culture, converts are thought to be more zealous than those brought up in the same religion (i.e., nonconverts). This is particularly relevant in the context of Islam in Western countries, where outsiders sometimes view conversion to Islam as a harbinger of religious violence rather than a legitimate expression of a search for meaning and truth. However, there is insufficient empirical evidence to suggest that converts believe more strongly and nonconverts. To bridge this gap, this study compares Islamic religiousness, as measured by the Psychological Measure of Islamic Religiousness (PMIR; Abu-Raiya et al., 2008), between convert and nonconvert US Muslims. Results demonstrate that converts believe in Islamic tenets less strongly and struggle more with the Islamic faith than nonconverts. This finding calls the conventional wisdom that converts are more zealous than other believers into question.