How the Challenges for Somali Muslim Men in the UK Affect their Identity Resilience?

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Somali men living in the UK mostly encounter difficulties related to racism, discrimination, Islamophobia, social position, and economic circumstances, which may be attributed to their relatively recent arrival in the UK. The current study explores how the intersecting identities of Somali Muslim men in the UK affect their lives, challenges and identity resilience. The objective of this research is not to generalize the difficulties encountered by Somali men in the UK. Instead, the purpose is to thoroughly investigate how the personal experiences of Somali men impact their identity resilience. The study adopts the qualitative research methodology, employing semi-structured individual in-depth interviews with Somali men in the UK, and applying Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). The research findings revealed that the intersection of race and religion, being a first generation and the lack of a concrete role model among Somali men, low social class and socioeconomic standing, and finance and interest-related matters seem to create unique challenges for Somali men in the UK. Moreover, these challenges experienced by Somali men in the UK seem to impact their emotions. It appears that the challenges faced by Somali men also negatively affect the identity principles of “self-efficacy”, “self-esteem”, “distinctiveness”, and “continuity”, which are fundamental concepts in Identity Process Theory (IPT) and the recently developed “Identity Resilience Model”. Although the religious identities of Somali men in the UK usually create challenges that negatively impact or threaten their identity resilience, their religious beliefs and religiosity also strengthen their identity resilience by providing a strong coping mechanism for their challenges.