The Racialization of Muslims in America and Its Impact on Young American Muslims

The Racialization of Muslims in America and Its Impact on Young American Muslims is a study that focuses on how young Muslim students in the Emory University community define their identity and sense of belonging, where they locate themselves in the debate over “integration” or “assimilation,” and how they navigate student life under the suspicion generated by hostile public discourse and increased surveillance by federal authorities. The study seeks to contribute to a growing body of scholarship that asks what it means to form identities under the “weight of the margin.” The scholarly context of the project lies within Muslim youth studies in a post-presidential election era at a private university in the South. This research relies heavily on legal, theoretical, and primary sources, by authors such as LouiseCainkerand Edward Said, in coordination with focus groups and university-wide surveys and applies their significance to the realities young Muslim Americans face. The mixed methodologies of the study built upon one another as the focus groups were largely focused on puzzling responses to survey questions such as Do you think there is a natural conflict between being a devout Muslim living in a modern society, or don’t you think so? and How important is religion in your life