The American Islamic Community: Which Muslims are Likely to be Encouraged by Other People?

David R. Hodge, Tarek Zidan, Altaf Husain

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    2 Scopus citations

    Abstract

    Encouragement—or expressions of support designed to instill perseverance and hope in the face of challenging circumstances—is an important concept in the strengths perspective and a central feature of social work practice. Encouragement may be a particularly significant factor for Muslims living in post-9/11 America. Yet, little research has examined this topic despite its relevance. To address this gap in the literature, this cross-sectional study employed a community sample of Muslims (N = 274) to identify which Muslims are disproportionately likely to report receiving expressions of support from other people. The results of the logistic regression indicated that Muslims who were single, Middle Eastern, non-Sunni, and frequent Mosque attenders, were more likely to receive expressions of support compared to those who were married, European American, Sunni, and less frequent Mosque attenders. Conversely, Muslims without a 4-year college education and born aboard were less likely to receive expressions of support compared to those with a graduate degree and born in the US. The paper concludes by offering a tentative explanation for the results and suggesting some implications for practice with Muslim clients. Future researchers might build upon the findings by replicating the study with nationally representative samples.

    Original languageEnglish (US)
    Pages (from-to)1-10
    Number of pages10
    JournalJournal of Social Service Research
    DOIs
    StateAccepted/In press - Feb 21 2018

    Keywords

    • Encouragement
    • Muslims
    • Religion
    • Spirituality
    • Strengths
    • Support

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • Social Sciences (miscellaneous)
    • Sociology and Political Science

    Fingerprint

    Dive into the research topics of 'The American Islamic Community: Which Muslims are Likely to be Encouraged by Other People?'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

    Cite this