Russel Sage Foundation

The present clash between the United States and Islamic extremists has drawn unprecedented attention to the relationship between Islam and liberal democracy and to the experiences of Muslims in American society. In the hyper-charged post-9/11 political climate, does religious identification alienate American Muslims from the political system or heighten their motivation to participate? Drawing on the first national, large-sample survey data on the religious and political attitudes of American Muslims, sociologist Jen’nan Read will examine the relationship between various aspects of Muslim identity and their political behavior and attitudes.

In her initial exploration of the data, which were collected by Zogby in 2001 and 2004, Read found that Arab Muslim men were more politically active on average than their female counterparts, partially as a result of their greater involvement in mosques. Read will broaden her study to examine the Muslim American population as a whole, and she will investigate how different aspects of religious identity – from personal religiosity to mosque involvement and ideological views on the proper role of mosques in political activity – affect political participation. Given the significant diversity among the American Muslim population – in terms of nationality, race and ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and education – Read will also examine whether demographic variables that have been used to explain differences in political involvement among Americans in general are more or less important than religious attitudes in explaining variation in political behavior across Muslim groups.