1. Patriots under Pressure: The Influence of Social Norms on American Muslim Patriotism.
- Author
-
Suhay, Elizabeth, Calfano, Brian Robert, and Dawe, Ryan
- Subjects
- *
SOCIAL norms , *SOCIAL control , *AMERICANS , *MUSLIMS , *PATRIOTISM - Abstract
Recent events have drawn attention to Muslim Americans, in particular whether Islam is compatible with American values. Muslim Americans" fidelity to the U.S. in particular has been called into question. Drawing on a national survey-experiment of Muslim Americans, we explore the impact of social norms on Muslim Americans" patriotism. We examine the impact of social norms of the "narrow" in-group as well as of mainstream American society. The evidence suggests participants became more patriotic and supportive of government in response to patriotic norms among both Muslim Americans and Americans in general. However, participants did not become less patriotic in response to norms suggestive of widespread alienation. Furthermore, participants who were registered to vote were most responsive to patriotic social norms among Americans in general, suggesting that political incorporation encourages acculturation. These findings suggest that Muslim Americans do not identify as Muslims, then Americans, but instead as Muslims and Americans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2010