Causes and Effects of Conversion to Islam by White and Latina American Women: A Study of Community, Ethnicity, and Geography

Anglo;Latina;Conversion;Islam

Mansuri, Aroosha

University:Havard University

Department:International Relations

关键词: Anglo;    Latina;    Conversion;    Islam;   

Others  :  https://dash.harvard.edu/bitstream/handle/1/37364555/MANSURI-DOCUMENT-2018.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

美国|英语

来源: Digital Access to Scholarship at Harvard

【 摘 要 】

This study deepens our understanding of the processes of religious conversion toIslam by identifying similarities and differences in the conversion processes of white andLatina women in the US, and comparing the results with previous research on converts inEurope and the Americas. The study employs a qualitative research design, drawing fromsemi-structured biographical interviews with nineteen converts, eight Latina and elevenwhite, from the Boston and Los Angeles areas. Findings are presented within aframework based on a modification of Lewis Rambo’s seven stages for understandingreligious conversion and concentrates on understanding differences and similarities interms of 1) context, crisis and quest; 2) first encounter and interaction; 3) commitment;and 4) consequences of conversion to Islam. The study finds similarities between thesetwo groups in many respects, including an unexpected preference for gender separation atmosques, but finds differences in the ways Latinas respond to ethnocentrism fromimmigrant Muslims by forming their own Latina Muslim associations. The studyconcludes by presenting several key areas for further research.