 |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
|
|||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||
|
  |
The Impact of the Events of September 11 on everyday life of American Muslims The effects of religion and immigration process on leisure behavior of American Muslims In the spring and summer 2002 Jennifer Livengood, a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Leisure studies along with her advisor, Dr. Monika Stodolska conducted an interpretive study in Champaign-Urbana and in metro-Chicago areas in order to assess the effects of the events of September 11 on everyday life of American Muslims and the coping strategies that they adopted when faced with personal adversities. The second goal of our study was to explore the effects of cultural heritage and immigration process on leisure bahavior of Muslim immigrants. Muslims have been immigrating to America since the beginning of the 19th
century. Currently, there are about 6-7 million Muslims living in the
United States. Since the events of September 11th American Muslims have
been the subject of intense media scrutiny. Even before these events,
Muslims have been misrepresented in the media as barbaric and violent.
They have been the target of discrimination and have experienced profiling at universities and in other public domains at an increasing rate. Additionally, little is known about the leisure behavior and other factors influencing quality of life of Muslims after their immigration to America. We believe it is important to better understand factors that influence daily lives of Muslim immigrants residing in the United States. Improved knowledge about this population will allow us to better serve their needs and to promote mutual understanding between them and mainstream Americans. This study had two objectives. First, the focus of our study was to look at the experiences of Muslim immigrants following the events of September 11, and the ways in which American Muslims dealt with adversities that they faced. The second part of our study focused on the effects of religion, immigration process and the use of community resources on leisure behavior of Muslim immigrants.
In the spring and summer 2002, 25 in-depth interviews have been conducted with Muslims from Lebanon, Palestine, Jordan, Iraq, Egypt, Turkey, Tunisia, Algeria, Pakistan, India, Mexico and Korea. Our results indicate that Muslims have had both positive and negative experiences following the events of September 11th. Most of the negative treatment has been of non-violent nature and has included bad looks, verbal abuse, being watched and followed as well as social isolation. However, more serious experiences such as threats, physical attacks and vandalism have also been reported. These experiences have affected them psychologically causing feelings of fear, insecurity, anxiety, guilt, shame, and depression. They have also affected Muslims' travel and leisure behavior. Muslims experienced restrictions on movement (not being able to go out alone and at certain times of the day), they could not travel at a desired time and to their desired destinations, and they could not engage in certain leisure activities. American Muslims have been found to employ certain negotiation strategies to adapt to their new environment and to cope with their personal feelings. They found relief in religion, being vigilant and conscious about their surroundings, walking in groups, blending in, restricting travel or modifying travel patterns. The results of the study also showed that the effect of Islam on leisure behavior manifests itself through the emphasis on strong family ties and on family oriented leisure among Muslims, the need to teach and supervise children and to pass traditional moral values to subsequent generations, the requirement of modesty in dress, speech and everyday behavior, as well as the restrictions on mix-gender interactions, dating, food and alcohol. The study also suggested that designated places are needed to accommodate religious observances of Muslims, that Muslims need to have access to facilities where men and women could spend their free time separately, and to large recreation-related spaces suitable for multigenerational families. On the page -- top picture represents a Friday's prayer in the Champaign mosque and in the bottom picture you can see Jennifer observing, through a one-way mirror, prayers taking place in the main room of the mosque.
|
 |
 |
|
|
©Diversity Research Laboratory |
