Sample Of Muslims Research Articles

The Islamic community in post-9/11 America: Which Muslims are likely to report being called offensive names?

ABSTRACTAmerican Muslims are frequently called offensive names. Yet, despite the pernicious effects of such derogatory language, a paucity of research has examined this phenomenon. This study set out to address this gap in the literature by determining which Muslims are most at risk to report being called disparaging names. Using a community sample of Muslims (N = 275), the logistic regression results revealed that Muslims who were younger, single, and spoke primarily English at home were comparatively more likely to report being called offensive names within the past 12 months. Conversely, both Asian and African American Muslims were less likely to report being called offensive names compared to European American Muslims. The article concludes by offering some tentative explanations for the findings and suggesting some implications for practice with, and on behalf, of Muslim clients.

Psychometric properties of the Arabic version of the Belief into Action Scale

ABSTRACTThe Belief into Action Scale (BIAC) is a comprehensive measure of religious involvement intended for monotheistic religious traditions. We examine the psychometric properties of an Arabic version of the BIAC for administration in Muslim populations. A convenience sample of Arabic-speaking Muslims completed an online survey including the 10-item Arabic BIAC and other psychosocial and religious measures. Psychometric properties of the BIAC were examined, including internal reliability, test–retest reliability, convergent validity, discriminant validity, and factor analytic validity. Two hundred and eleven participants completed the BIAC (100% Muslim, average age 31.9, 54% male). The average score was 47.6 (SD = 15.7). Cronbach alpha was .80 (95% CI .76–.84) and intra-class correlation coefficient between two administrations (n = 30) was .88 (95% CI .77–.94). Convergent validity was demonstrated by high correlations between the BIAC and existing religiosity scales (r = .52–.58); divergent validity by weak correlations with psychosocial measures (.09–.21); construct validity by high correlations between individual items and total scale score (r’s .53–.72); factor analytic validity by a single factor that explained 81.8% of the scale’s variance and predictive validity by small correlations with psychosocial outcomes in expected directions. The Arabic BIAC is a reliable and valid scale for assessing religious involvement in Muslim Arabic-speaking populations.

Population genetic analysis of five northwest Punjabi endogamous groups using microsatellite markers

Previous episodes of foreign migration and invasion led to massive gene flow into the population of Punjab, especially, Northwest Punjab, as invaders came through this route. Furthermore, regional conversions from different castes occurred during the period of Islamic dominance. The present study is motivated by the fact that negligible study is available regarding genetic structure of Punjabi population. In purview of this the present study was conducted to analyze the genetic structure, relationship and gene flow in five endogamous population groups, namely Jat Sikh, Mazhbi Sikh, Brahmin, Ramdasia and Muslim, from the Northwest districts of Punjab, based on microsatellite loci. A total of 751 subjects, including 154 Jat Sikh, 148 Mazhbi Sikh, 151 Brahmin, 148 Ramdasia and 150 Muslim samples were analyzed for six autosomal microsatellite markers (THO1, TPOX, CSF1PO, vWA, D7S820 and FGA). Statistical analyses were performed to interpret allele frequencies, heterozygosities, gene diversity, analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA), phylogenetic analysis (neighbor joining (NJ) method) and multidimensional scaling (MDS). The average heterozygosity for each locus in each population as a whole was substantial. Significant deviations from HWE were observed in almost all the populations and all the loci. In the entire analyses the Brahmin and the Mazhbi Sikh formed same cluster, while Jat Sikh and Ramdasia were placed close to their cluster, whereas, Muslim population group maintained the genetic distance from all the other population groups. Jat Sikh, Mazhbi Sikh, Brahmin and Ramdasia groups formed a clear and distinct separate cluster when compared with other Indian populations. The present study has also examined the affinities of Northwest Punjabi population with international populations, and some elements of central Asia, Middle East, Caucasoid and European populations were evident among the present studied groups. In conclusion, overall, a low level of genetic differentiation was observed in the studied population groups, especially, Jat Sikh, Mazhbi Sikh, Brahmin and Ramdasia indicating that genetic drift might have been small or negligible in shaping the genetic structure of the Northwest Punjabi populations.

Scientific faith and positive psychological functioning

ABSTRACTMuch of the past research has linked religiousness to positive psychological outcomes. Recently, it has been shown that scientific faith can replace religion as a source of wellness. In a sample of young Muslims, I examined how religious and scientific faiths differ in their relationships to life satisfaction, happiness, self-esteem, and hope. Religiosity was positively related to all of these indicators of positive psychological functioning. Scientific faith was also positively correlated to happiness and hope, and after controlling for religiosity its relations to positive outcomes have increased; its relation to higher life satisfaction became significant. As expected, hope mediated the relations of scientific faith to happiness, life satisfaction, and self-esteem, but only among women. This research, depicting the independent contributions of religious and scientific beliefs to positive psychological functioning, suggested that believing either in God or science is helpful for living a good, fully functioning life.

An attempt to clarify the link between cognitive style and political ideology: A non-western replication and extension

AbstractPrevious studies relating low-effort or intuitive thinking to political conservatism are limited to Western cultures. Using Turkish and predominantly Muslim samples, Study 1 found that analytic cognitive style (ACS) is negatively correlated with political conservatism. Study 2 found that ACS correlates negatively with political orientation and with social and personal conservatism, but not with economic conservatism. It also examined other variables that might help to explain this correlation. Study 3 tried to manipulate ACS via two different standard priming procedures in two different samples, but our manipulation checks failed. Study 4 manipulated intuitive thinking style via cognitive load manipulation to see whether it enhances conservatism for contextualized political attitudes but we did not find a significant effect. Overall, the results indicate that social liberals tend to think more analytically than conservatives and people’s long term political attitudes may be resistant to experimental manipulations.

Belief into Action Scale: psychometric properties of the Farsi version

ABSTRACTThis study assessed the psychometric properties of the Farsi version of Belief into Action Scale (FaBIAC) in a sample of healthy volunteer Muslims. A convenience sample of 200 healthy volunteer was enrolled from Tehran, Iran. Using a standard forward–backward method, we translated the English version of the BIAC into Farsi. Internal consistency and test–retest reliability of the measure were assessed by Cronbach’s alpha and intraclass correlation coefficient. Convergent validity of the measure was assessed by examining the association between FaBIAC score and Hoge Intrinsic Religiosity Scale score. Divergent validity was assessed by evaluating the association between FaBIAC score and measures of perceived stress, depression, and social support. The findings of this study, while preliminary, suggest that the FaBIAC is a reliable and valid measure of religious commitment and can be used in studies of Farsi-language Muslim populations.

Validation of the Intrinsic Spirituality Scale (ISS) with Muslims.

This study validates an existing spirituality measure--the intrinsic spirituality scale (ISS)--for use with Muslims in the United States. A confirmatory factor analysis was conducted with a diverse sample of self-identified Muslims (N = 281). Validity and reliability were assessed along with criterion and concurrent validity. The measurement model fit the data well, normed χ2 = 2.50, CFI = 0.99, RMSEA = 0.07, and SRMR = 0.02. All 6 items that comprise the ISS demonstrated satisfactory levels of validity (λ > .70) and reliability (R2 > .50). The Cronbach's alpha obtained with the present sample was .93. Appropriate correlations with theoretically linked constructs demonstrated criterion and concurrent validity. The results suggest the ISS is a valid measure of spirituality in clinical settings with the rapidly growing Muslim population. The ISS may, for instance, provide an efficient screening tool to identify Muslims that are particularly likely to benefit from spiritually accommodative treatments.

Depression among Muslims in the United States: Examining the Role of Discrimination and Spirituality as Risk and Protective Factors.

Depression is a widespread challenge that affects people in all cultures. Yet, despite the growth of the Muslim population in the United States, little research has been conducted on this topic with members of this cultural group. To address this gap in the literature, the present study examines the effect of discrimination and spirituality on depression with a sample of self-identified Muslims (N = 269). Consistent with our expectations, discrimination was a risk factor and spirituality was a protective factor. For instance, Muslims who reported being called offensive names were more likely (odds ratio [OR] = 3.39, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.82, 6.32) to report clinically significant levels of depressive symptoms compared with those who were not called offensive names, whereas saying daily prayers was associated with a lower likelihood of reporting elevated levels of symptoms (OR = 0.74, 95% CI = 0.55, 0.97). The article concludes with a discussion of the implication of the results as they intersect social work practice and of avenues for future research.

Correlates of Self-Rated Health among Muslims in the United States

Despite the large and growing population of Muslims in the United States, a paucity of research exists on the variables that may impact health status among members of this distinct cultural group. We address the lack of research by identifying correlates of self-rated health among a community sample of Muslims in the United States (N = 269). We examine the effects of demographic characteristics, health behaviors, psychological health, and contextual factors in the form of discrimination and spirituality. The results of our sequential logistic regression indicate that Muslims who were younger, married, had a graduate degree, and prayed more frequently were more likely to report higher levels of self-rated health. Conversely, respondents who reported clinically significant levels of depressive symptoms and those who reported being singled out by law enforcement as a result of being a Muslim were more likely to report poorer self-rated health. We conclude by discussing the implications of the results for social work practice with Muslims.

An examination of barriers to physical education for Christian and Muslim girls attending comprehensive secondary schools in the UK

This study examined barriers to Physical Education (PE) in a sample of Christian and Muslim schoolgirls attending UK comprehensive secondary schools. Also assessed was whether religion and school year (age) had any impact upon barrier strength and if school year × religion interactions existed. A questionnaire was developed and exploratory factor analysis was utilised to uncover barrier factors. Six factors were found; these were: ‘Self-Conscious’, ‘Sensations’, ‘Embarrassment’, ‘Dislike/Unimportant’, ‘PE Uniform’ and ‘Religiosity’. For the total sample, the highest quotient was assigned to the ‘PE Uniform’ barrier factor. The remaining barrier factors received relatively low quotients. When analysed by religious persuasion, it was found that four of the barrier factors were rated significantly higher by the Muslim girls. For both Christian and Muslim samples, barrier strength tended to increase in line with school year (age). School year × religion interactions were also evident. These results provide a contemporary picture of potential barriers to PE for girls attending comprehensive secondary schools in the UK.

Violence at School: A Sample of Young Muslims and Young Valencians

Violence at school is considered to be an important issue in Spain, despite the fact that the majority of secondary education students reject it. Over the last decade awareness has been raised with regard to this problem. In this study we aim to analyze the perception of school violence held by two very different groups of secondary education students. A sample of young Muslims (n=88) and young Valencians (n=88) (aged between 12 and 18) has been used, all of whom live in the city of Valencia (Spain) and study in 12 secondary educational centers in the city. We observed significant differences in the perception that young Muslims and Valencians have of this violence. Both groups reject violence and take little part in it, with the former group perceiving it to a greater extent than the latter.

Abstract 1363: Associations between fatalistic beliefs, modesty concerns and breast cancer screening in the American Muslim community.

Abstract Background: Research on breast cancer screening among American Muslims is limited. The handful of studies conducted in the Muslim community, and research of South Asian and Arab Americans, a proportion of which are Muslim, consistently demonstrate rates of mammography screening markedly lower than the 81% Healthy 2020 target. Our prior work suggests that American Muslim health behaviors are strongly influenced by shared religious concepts such as the concern for modesty. We sought to assess mammography screening rates among a diverse sample of Muslims in Greater Chicago, and assess the relationships between religiosity, modesty concerns, fatalism and breast cancer screening in this group. Methods: We used a community-engaged research design partnering with the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago to survey a diverse sample of Muslim women frequenting mosques and community sites. The survey incorporated several measures of fatalism adapted to the Muslim context, a measure of discrimination, several measures of Islamic Religiosity and a pilot measure of Islamic modesty concern. Results: 254 women participated with 56 African Americans (24%), 70 Arab Americans (30%), and 84 South Asians (36%). 76% of participants had insurance, while 84% had access to a primary care physician and 78% reported high levels of modesty concern. 75% of the sample reported ever having a mammogram while 44% had a mammogram within the past 1-2 years. There was not a significant relationship between racial and ethnic status and mammography rates. On multivariate analysis adjusting for socioeconomic factors high ratings of religiosity were associated with increased odds of ever having a mammogram (OR=1.08, p<.01) while measures of fatalism, discrimination and modesty concern were not. Similarly in adjusted models having a mammogram biennially was negatively associated with positive religious coping (OR=0.33, p<.05), whereas measures of religiosity, fatalism, discrimination and modesty were not significantly associated. Increasing age, longer duration of US residency, higher levels of education, were positively associated with ever having mammograms as was PCP access with having a mammogram in the past two years. Conclusions: Contrary to our hypotheses modesty concerns and fatalistic beliefs were not significantly associated with mammography rates. Yet, on one hand higher intrinsic religiosity was positively associated with ever having a mammogram while positive religious coping was negatively associated with getting a mammogram every two years. Shared religious concepts appear to influence breast cancer screening behaviors among American Muslims across race and ethnicity, and research teasing out how religiosity impacts decisions to pursue breast cancer screening is needed. Citation Format: Aasim I. Padela, Sohad Murrar, Brigid Adviento, Farr Curlin, Olufunmilayo Olopade. Associations between fatalistic beliefs, modesty concerns and breast cancer screening in the American Muslim community. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 1363. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-1363

Parenting and Community Engagement Factors as Predictors of Religiosity Among Muslim Adolescents From Malaysia

Despite the plethora of research on correlates of adolescent religiosity, few studies have examined the contribution of social context to religiosity among non-Western Muslim samples using multidimensional religiosity measures. To address this gap, the current study investigated the influence of community engagement and parenting factors on religiosity among 596 Malaysian Muslim secondary school students (M age = 16.10, SD = .29). After controlling for gender, family structure, family income, and social desirability, the results showed that parental monitoring, mosque involvement, and school engagement significantly predicted religious worldview, whereas parental religious socialization, parental monitoring, mosque involvement, school engagement, and youth organization involvement accounted for a significant amount of the variance in religious personality. Implications for further research on socialization influences on religious development among adolescents are discussed.

Religious Socialization among Malaysian Muslim Adolescents: A Family Structure Comparison

Despite the plethora of research on correlates of adolescent religiosity, few studies have examined the contribution of socialization factors to adolescent religiosity in the context of non-Western Muslim samples from different family contexts. To address this gap, the current study explored the contribution of parenting (direct socialization) and community engagement (indirect socialization) factors on religiosity among 895 Malaysian Muslim high school students from single-/non-parent and two-parent families. T-test results showed that religiosity was higher for students from two-parent families than single-/non-parent parent homes. After controlling for (a) social desirability, (b) gender and (c) school type, the hypothesized factors of: parental attachment, parental religious socialization, parental supervision, youth organization involvement, school attachment, and mosque involvement significantly predicted religiosity for the full sample of students from both types of families. Hierarchical regression results further revealed that while both indirect and direct parental socialization factors were stronger predictors of religiosity for two-parent families than single-/non-parent families, direct parental socialization effects were more robust. Implications of the findings are discussed.

The Problem of Appropriate Psychology of Religion Measures for Non-Western Christian Samples with Respect to the Turkish-Islamic Religious Landscape

Despite the fact that Islam is the second largest religion in the world, empirical studies on Muslim religiosity have been very rare. The reason for this is seen in the lack of measurements applicable to Muslim samples. Nonetheless, the few empirical studies about Muslims, the role of Islam in terms of physical and psychological well-being, and comparative studies give rise to hope. The problems of application, adaptation and translation of religiosity and spirituality scales developed for Christian traditions is an issue that the psychology of religion in Turkey is facing but has not yet solved. This article shall provide an overview of the religious landscape in Turkey that has to be considered when applying Turkish or Western measures of religiosity to Turkish samples. Further problems in cross-cultural/religious studies due to inappropriate measures are illustrated. Finally religiosity scales developed and/or applied within the psychology of religion research in Turkey are listed.

Muslim wellbeing in Australia: an analysis of personal and national wellbeing among a sample of Muslims living in New South Wales and Victoria

This article examines the subjective personal and national wellbeing of a purpose-selected sample of Muslims (n = 509 for PW and n = 544 for NW) living in New South Wales and Victoria over 2007 and 2008, using the Personal Wellbeing (PWI) and National Wellbeing (NWI) indices from the Australian Unity Wellbeing Index (AUWI) survey. The PWI looks at satisfaction with life across seven proximal domains: health, personal relationships, safety, standard of living, achieving, community connectedness, and future security, whereas the NWI deals with national satisfaction across six distal domains: the economy, the environment, social conditions, governance, business, and national security. Thus, this article asks: What is the state of subjective wellbeing among Muslims in Australia, particularly in comparison to the general population? It confirms that average Muslim personal wellbeing is comparable to that of the general Australian population, and that national wellbeing of Muslims averages lower than the general population, but still within normative ranges. It nevertheless finds there are differences between the general population and Muslims in some of the specific domains used to assess personal and national wellbeing, namely those of safety, future security, and satisfaction with government.

Beliefs about Jinn, black magic and the evil eye among Muslims: age, gender and first language influences

Mental health services in the UK have been repeatedly criticised for being insensitive to patients' religious and cultural needs. Muslims form Britain's largest ethnic minority group – nearly 3% of the UK population – yet, their health beliefs and practices remain relatively unexplored. We examined Muslims’ beliefs about Jinn, black magic and the evil eye and whether believed affliction by these supernatural entities could cause physical or mental health problems and also whether doctors, religious leaders, or both should treat this. A self-report questionnaire was given to a convenience sample of Muslims aged 18 years and over (n=111). The majority of the sample believed in the existence of Jinn, black magic and the evil eye and approximately half of them stated that these could cause physical and mental health problems and that these problems should be treated by both doctors and religious figures. Our results highlight an important area that demands attention from providers of health care.

Accepting Prejudice and Valuing Freedom: Young Muslims and Everyday Multiculturalism in Hong Kong

This paper shows how the experiences of young Muslims in Hong Kong reveal an alternative account of multiculturalism to that which is often portrayed in works about young Muslims in the West. It presents the everyday multicultural experiences of young people as an important resource to understand the lived experience of ethnic and religious diversity. This discussion is framed by the experiences of a multiethnic sample of young Muslims in Hong Kong. Their experiences demonstrate a pragmatic negotiation of cultural difference and a disinterested acceptance of popular racism. These attitudes are argued as being an adaptation to the popular racism pervasive in Hong Kong culture. Despite the racism they experience, the young Muslims argue that they are safe and very free in the territory, a matter that influences the perception of the racism they encounter. The fact that Islam is not perceived as a threat in Hong Kong society provides an alternative understanding of young Muslims as minorities in the post 9/11 era. It is argued in conclusion that understanding what young Muslims value about life in Hong Kong enables us to recognise alternative representations of multiculturalism and to consider how a variety of different dynamics influence the everyday lives of religious and ethnic minorities as citizens in multicultural societies.

Turning to God in the Face of Ostracism: Effects of Social Exclusion on Religiousness

The present research proposes that individuals who are socially excluded can turn to religion to cope with the experience. Empirical studies conducted to test this hypothesis consistently found that socially excluded persons reported (a) significantly higher levels of religious affiliation (Studies 1, 2, and 4) and (b) stronger intentions to engage in religious behaviors (Study 2) than comparable, nonexcluded individuals. Direct support for the stress-buffering function of religiousness was also found, with a religious prime reducing the aggression-eliciting effects of consequent social rejection (Study 5). These effects were observed in both Christian and Muslim samples, revealing that turning to religion can be a powerful coping response when dealing with social rejection. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.

Validation of the drinking refusal self-efficacy questionnaire in Arab and Asian samples

The influence of an individuals' belief in their ability to resist drinking alcohol has recognised importance in understanding the pattern of drinking behaviours among Caucasian samples. Measures used to investigate this construct, such as the drinking refusal self-efficacy questionnaire-revised (DRSEQ-R; [Oei, T. P. S., Hasking, P. A., & Young, R. M. (2005). Drinking refusal self-efficacy questionnaire-revised (DRSEQ-R): A new factor structure with confirmatory factor analysis. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 78, 297–307.]) have been widely used and have established psychometric properties. However, the exploration of the utility of this questionnaire with samples of different ethnicity, religion and living in different countries remains scarce. In the current study, Arab Muslim samples living in the United Arab Emirates and Oman ( n = 356) and Asian predominately Muslim samples living in Malaysia and Indonesia ( n = 256) were used. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated that the DRSEQ-R has a three factor structure. Internal consistency ranged from α .96 to α .86 and validity was good. This study offers evidence of the utility of this measure with Arab and Asian samples.