The Selective Integration of Muslim Immigrant Women in the United States: Explaining Islam's Paradoxical Impact

This paper empirically examines the role of religion on immigrant integration outcomes. Specifically it focuses on Islam and tests the validity of the clash of cultures' hypothesis to find out whether high levels of attachment to Islamic values, practices and Muslim identity impede the cultural and civic integration of Muslim immigrant women into American society and polity. The statistical analysis of two original surveys administered to first- and second-generation Muslim immigrant women in Southern California indicated a paradox in their integration patterns. Commitment to Islam increased Muslim immigrant women's civic and political engagement but decreased their cultural and psychological integration into US society. The findings from the narrative analysis of in-depth interviews conducted with a selected subgroup of survey respondents help to explain Islam's paradoxical impact on Muslim immigrant communities' integration outcomes.