Converting to Islam: Understanding the Experiences of White American Females

198 Pages·2017·7.672 MB·English

by  Amy Melissa Guimond (auth.)

Converting to Islam
AmyMelissaGuimond
Converting to Islam
Understanding the Experiences
of White American Females
AmyMelissaGuimond
Hollywood,Florida,USA
ISBN978-3-319-54249-2 ISBN978-3-319-54250-8(eBook)
DOI10.1007/978-3-319-54250-8
LibraryofCongressControlNumber:2017939862
©TheEditor(s)(ifapplicable)andTheAuthor(s)2017
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Thisbookis dedicated to theCaucasian female Americanconverts to
Islamwho arecurrentlyliving inthe UnitedStates andabroad.
Withoutthese women, and the womenin this study,gathering this
knowledge wouldhave been impossible.Notonly did these amazing
womenhelp metobetterunderstandthephenomenoninquestion, but
theyalsoprovided the supportand reassurancethatwas necessary
through thisarduous writingprocess. I greatlyrespecteach of these
women aswomen first, then asfriends. Furthermore,I would like to
acknowledgethatthewritingofthismanuscriptmaybemine,butthe
experiences discussedwithin areentirelytheirs. For me,thisstudy was
lessabout contributing to themuch needed discourse thatincludes
female American converts to Islam,and more aboutgiving these
womentheopportunitytofeelvalidatedandempoweredbygivingthem
the platformto sharetheir stories.
A
CKNOWLEDGMENTS
Thewritingofabookismuchlikerunningadistancerace–itisfareasier
to do when you have people out there supporting you and cheering you
on. I know a little bit about running distance races, and I know how
importantthosecheerleadersare!Tomynumberonecheerleader,mydear
husbandRay,whounderstoodtheimportanceofthisstudyfromdayone
and who supported me along the way by providing comfort, motivation,
and encouragement. Thank you. I love you every day that ends with Y.
To my parents and the rest of my family for having faith in me when
Istruggled with havingfaithin myself,Ican’t thankyou enough.
To Dr. Claire Michele Rice, Dr. Robin Cooper, and Dr. Evan
Hoffman, a thank you beyond words. You were the experts who pushed
me to excel over the years by providing various valuable insights on
feminist research, methodologies, prejudice and equality, privilege and
hatred, and cultural conflict. I would not have been successful in this
journey withoutyourguidance,tutelage,andgenerosity of yourtime.
Tomydearestcolleaguesandfriends:Dr.HeatherWellman,Dr.Cade
Resnick,andDr.NikkiIncorvia:thankyouforthoselatenightexistential
dialogues. You have been amazing counterparts over the years. With you
all, I have shared laughter and tears, and I am forever thankful for the
encouragement andsupport thatyouhave providedalongthe way.
To my running community, thank you for providing the escape that I
needed,ifonlyonestepatatime.Ioweimmensegratitudeforreadingmy
early drafts and helping to guide me through the analysis process to my
insightfulfriend Theresa Corbin.
vii
C
ONTENTS
1 ASocial Urgency 1
2 AnIntersectionality ofIslam, Women,and Conversion 21
3 Islamophobiaandthe Talking Heads 47
4 Prejudice,Privilege,andHate 69
5 MethodologicalConsiderations 93
6 Findings 107
7 Discussion,Limitations,andImplications 137
Appendix A:IndividualTextural Descriptions 155
References 181
Index 193
ix
L F
IST OF IGURES
Fig.6.1 ThematicstructurefortheexperienceofbeingaCaucasian
femaleAmericanconverttoIslam 108
Fig.6.2 Subthemesunderchoice 109
Fig.6.3 Subthemesundermarginalization/victimization 116
Fig.6.4 Subthemesunderimpactofmarginalization 132
Fig.7.1 MapofconflictasexperiencedbyCaucasianfemaleAmerican
convertstoIslaminpost-9/11America 147
xi
L T
IST OF ABLES
Table5.1 Demographicsofparticipants 97
xiii
CHAPTER1
A Social Urgency
Islamisbelievedtobethefastestgrowingreligionintheworld,andithas
beenestimatedthatby2025,approximately30%oftheworld’spopulation
will be practicing Muslims.1 The Pew Research Center has a slightly more
conservative projection, estimating that by 2030, 26.4% of the world’s
population will be adhering to Islam.2 These numbers indicate that there
willsoonbeanestimated2.2billionMuslimpractitionersworldwide.
Due to federal regulations against asking about religious affiliation
during the US Census, the precise number of Muslims living within the
United States is unknown; however, the Muslim American population
has been estimated by a number of demographers who have suggested
that on the low end, the Muslim American population is 2.35 million,3
and at the high end approximately 6–7 million.4 In the United States,
it is anticipated that if current trends continue, the Muslim American
population will increase by more than double in the next 20 years.5 A
recent study published by The Association of Statisticians of American
Religious Bodies (which tracks religions through a study every 10
years) found that Islam is the second largest religion in 20 American
states,6 most of which are in the Southern and Midwest regions,
though there are large pockets of Muslims throughout the country
based on county.7
Some demographers believe that Islam may have surpassed Judaism as
the second largest faith in the United States.8 Alternately, the Pew
Research Center indicates that while the margins between the Jewish
and Muslim populations have decreased, practitioners of Islam have not
©TheAuthor(s)2017 1
A.M.Guimond,ConvertingtoIslam,
DOI10.1007/978-3-319-54250-8_1