American Muslim Faith Practice And Social Integration

The thesis conducts a comprehensive study of the Islamic practice and social integration of American Muslims by means of the survey, in-depth interview, observant participation and documents.First and foremost, the thesis makes an introduction to history, population, sect, ethnicity and organizations of American Muslims. The impact of 9/11 on American Muslim community is probed in this part too. Then the thesis does research on the behavior, attitude and perceptions of American Muslims in terms of their Islamic belief and practice. Also, the thesis studies how gender, ethnicity, sect and age influence American Muslims'attitudes and behavior. The characteristics of Islamic belief and practices of American Muslims are found out regarding gender, ethnicity, sect and age. These findings help draw a detailed and comprehensive picture of the current state of belief and practice of American Muslims. Then, the thesis conducts a deep research on the social integration of American Muslims with regard to the indicators of the social integration of American Muslims. Furthermore, the historical process of the social integration of American Muslims is examined. On the basis of the historical research, the periodical features and the future trend of the social integration are discussed in the thesis. Besides, the thesis conducts an analysis of the internal and external factors which impede the social integration of American Muslims. It points out that the process of the social integration of American Muslims was not smooth in the past. Nor will it be without obstacles in the future. As a matter of fact, in some certain times and some certain places it will be very difficult for the American Muslims. The thesis suggests that American Muslims should adhere to the integration strategy steadfast while facing such situation. On the other hand, the mainstream society of America is advised to check their attitudes and behavior in order to live up to American values such as freedom, equality and justice. In addition, the mainstream should stick to the multiculturalism in order to integrate ethnic and religious minorities. The final chapter of the thesis reviews the five hypotheses put forward at the beginning of research design. This chapter should be regarded as the further discussion and summarization of the social integration of American Muslim. The thesis concludes that the social integration of American Muslims epitomizes the emulative principle of acculturation, namely religious minorities tend to emulate the mainstream religion and society in terms of perception, behavior and attitudes. In order to integrate into American society, American Muslims reinterpret the symbolic meanings of Islamic classics, historical events and historical figures. These efforts not only facilitate the social integration of American Muslims but also help Muslim world understand religious identity, national identity and Islamic modernization. The thesis emphasizes the biggest obstacle of the social integration of American Muslims is the religious boundary of American identity set by the American society. The American electoral politics leads politicians to smear Islam and Muslims in order to please voters. The hostility of some religious leaders and the complex relationship between America and Muslim world make the American Muslims potential easy target of the law enforcement and hostile people. However, due to the rule of law in America, American Muslims are overwhelmingly positive about the future of Islam in America. Also a majority of them are happy about their current life.In conclusion, the thesis integrates religious identity, national identity, social integration and political participation into one subject which are important issues in the academic field, thus making the thesis have multi-layered meanings and values. Not only can the findings be used in the ethnic and religious administration but also can be drawn on the theoretical study in the field of identity.