Stigmatized Identities: Too Muslim to Be American, Too American to Be Muslim

In the United States today, Muslim identity is highly stigmatized. Much of this can be attributed to an increasing climate of Islamophobia. The current study finds that some Muslim Americans are confronted with another source of stigma: other Muslims. Using interview data with 23 Muslim Americans in and around Houston, TX, this study examines the intersection of religious out-group and in-group stigma in the lives of Muslim Americans. Findings suggest that stigma comes not only from non-Muslims, but also from other Muslims. Some Muslim Americans are especially vulnerable to religious in-group stigma. Those who are most acculturated to non-Muslim, Western culture often face criticism from Muslim communities, be they inside or outside the United States. These Muslim Americans find that they are not perceived as fully Muslim or fully American, and therefore denied the full benefits of either status while simultaneously bearing the burden of both. This paper articulates the multiple dimensions of stigma faced by Muslims in America.