Islamophobia from an American Muslim Perspective

Abstract

It is estimated that over three million Muslims live in the United States. Though present beforehand, prejudice and discrimination against Muslims have increased dramatically since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. One study, which examined data collected from 72 Muslim Americans between the years 2003 and 2006, sought to examine the impact of stigma on Muslims' responses to the September 11th terror attacks. The study found that heightened perceptions of stigma against Muslims and Arabs predicted negative emotional, cognitive, and behavioral responses, including feeling threatened, believing they must prove to others that they are American, and changing their daily routine in fear of violence or discrimination. This chapter presents a brief report demonstrates that Muslims are aware of the Islamophobic environment in which they find themselves and many live in anticipation of being treated poorly or discriminated against. Discrimination has been found to be a common experience for Muslim Americans. In a study on discrimination, identity, and anxiety symptoms, 87% of the Muslim American sample endorsed experiencing some kind of religious-based discrimination within the past year, and discrimination predicted greater levels of depressive and anxiety symptoms. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved)