Zeal of the convert? Comparing religiousness between convert and nonconvert Muslims.

Snook, Daniel W.; Branum‐Martin, Lee; Horgan, John

doi:10.1037/rel0000421

Cited by 5 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…Against common public opinion (Pew Research Center, 2009), our results did not support that Muslim converts were more zealous than lifelong believers, which is the second study to find this trend in MLUS converts (following Snook et al, 2021). In fact, MLUS converts had similar scores of maladaptive R/S and lower scores of adaptive R/S.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 93%

“…Research among MLUS converts is similarly unclear, despite their portrayals as zealots in the media. One recent study of MLUS converts found that converts actually had less conviction compared to lifelong believers and in fact struggle more with their faith (Snook et al, 2021). However, other work has demonstrated that some MLUS experience intense and notable shifts in R/S after conversion that are associated with better mental health outcomes (Wilkinson et al, 2021), and that these shifts lead to a greater identification with Islam and a deep sense of meaning (Bowen, 2009;La Voie, 2017;Maslim & Bjorck, 2009).…”

Section: The Zeal Of a Convertmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Vulnerable—Not zealous: Muslim converts experience greater distress when experiencing religious struggle.

McLaughlin¹,

Ahmad²,

Rodriguez³

et al. 2022

Professional Psychology: Research and Practice

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Muslim converts are an understudied group whose mental health needs are largely unknown, although they are often viewed as more zealous than lifelong believers. While research shows that greater religiousness/ spirituality (R/S) is associated with better mental health for Muslims living in the United States (MLUS), it is unclear how this may apply to converts. Our study, comprised of 350 MLUS (n = 77 converts) acquired via an online panel aggregate, utilized multigroup structural equation modeling to assess the impact of adaptive (e.g., positive coping) and maladaptive (i.e., religious struggle and punishing Allah reappraisals [PAR]) Islamic R/S on psychological distress across conversion status. Converts were not more zealous than their counterparts, endorsing lower adaptive R/S scores. Surprisingly, greater adaptive R/S was associated with greater psychological distress in general. As expected, greater PAR and religious struggle were associated with greater psychological distress, yet the relationship between religious struggle and distress was stronger in converts compared to lifelong Muslims. These findings suggest that highly distressed MLUS may be especially in need of psychological services, as studies have demonstrated adaptive R/S alone has not been enough to reduce distress. Second, converts may be especially vulnerable to crises of faith when compared with lifelong Muslims, which may be missed if clinicians assume a higher level of "zealousness" due to a common but potentially inaccurate belief. Muslim converts may benefit from therapy that aims to better integrate them into the Muslim community and uncovers and helps to alleviate stressors associated with shifts in religious identity. Public Significance StatementThis is the second study to demonstrate that Muslim converts living in the United States do not demonstrate greater zealousness compared to lifelong believers, and to the contrary, indicated lower levels of adaptive religiousness/spirituality (R/S). This study extends this work further, finding Muslim converts seem especially vulnerable to religious struggle and would likely benefit from therapies that take R/S factors into account.

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 93%

Section: The Zeal Of a Convertmentioning

confidence: 99%

Vulnerable—Not zealous: Muslim converts experience greater distress when experiencing religious struggle.

McLaughlin¹,

Ahmad²,

Rodriguez³

et al. 2022

Professional Psychology: Research and Practice

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The notion of the "convert's zeal" in the Islamic context is further problematized by Snook et al (2020), whose comparative analysis of religiousness between American Muslim converts and non-converts "directly contradict the idea that U.S. Muslim converts are especially zealous," with converts exhibiting lower levels of religiousness across a range of variables compared to non-converts. The authors also caution against blind acceptance of the "convert's zeal" theory, asserting that "speculation about this phenomenon has made converting to Islam an even more stigmatizing and marginalizing process" (2021,4).…”

Section: Conversion To Islam and Extremismmentioning

confidence: 99%

Views on political Islam among Australian converts to Islam: findings of a national survey

Mitchell

Rane

Duderija

2023

Politics and Religion

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Over the past few decades, interest in and conversion to Islam among non-Muslims in the West has been on the rise. There is a view in the scholarly literature that Western converts to Islam are overrepresented in regard to politicized interpretations of the religion, commonly referred to as political Islam or Islamism, and even militancy or jihadism. This article presents the findings of a national survey of Muslim Australians. It focuses on views amongst Australian converts to Islam concerning political Islam, including views and understandings of such concepts as the caliphate, shariah, and jihad, and the relationship between Islam and politics, democracy, and conflict. The findings suggest that in the Australian context, converts to Islam are not more likely, and in some cases less likely, than the broader born-Muslim population, to understand and interpret Islam in accordance with political Islamist ideology.

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“…(KR, interview) In socio-reality, it is acknowledged that there seem to be different religious practices between the born Muslims and Muslim convert. Snook has made this phenomenon clearly explained, his study on the structure of Islamic practices between born-Muslim and Muslim convert revealed that there is a meaningful difference in the way that converts have-they perform more simple structure of practice than the born-Muslims (Snook, 2019). Conclusively, born-Muslims and Muslim converts believe then practice Islam in different structure.…”

Section: A Stigma From Inner-circlementioning

confidence: 99%

The White Muslim Converts in Australia: Socio-Religious Reality and Identity Formation

Sukarma,

Farah

2023

Jurnal Dakwah Risalah

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Conversion is not only observed as a theological change in someone’s belief and behavior, but socio-cultural change that affects identity formation. This present study is conducted qualitatively involving ten Muslim converts who are associated with the white Western people. It aims at investigating their identity formulation on the process of becoming and being Muslims in the Western context in Australia, Sydney especially. Also, this research is to find the comparison between male and female converts’ identity formation.Results show that social challenge has the biggest part of the Muslim converts’ identity formation. Further, the study pictures different pattern of social challenges between male vs male and male vs female Muslim converts that leads to their identity formation. This study has highlighted that Muslim converts in the Western context have been challenged more by the socio-religious reality than faith-related practices. This study suggests that the Muslim community and the born Muslim family living in Australia are encouraged to set a program to address this tension.

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Zeal of the convert? Comparing religiousness between convert and nonconvert Muslims.

Cited by 5 publications

References 21 publications

Vulnerable—Not zealous: Muslim converts experience greater distress when experiencing religious struggle.

Vulnerable—Not zealous: Muslim converts experience greater distress when experiencing religious struggle.

Views on political Islam among Australian converts to Islam: findings of a national survey

The White Muslim Converts in Australia: Socio-Religious Reality and Identity Formation

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