Differences, not divisiveness: bridging the binaries of male/female and white/brown while exploring the phenomenon of becoming Muslim

• In Event: Rethinking Qualitative Research Methodologies and the Roles of Resistance for Critical Self-Determination

Abstract

Using a theoretical framework grounded in a blend of Postcolonialism, Feminist Theory, and Islamic epistemology, this qualitative study explored the subjective experience of white American males’ conversion to Islam and expanded on the conceptualization of Islam in the U.S. (Freire, 2007; Said, 1979; Stonebanks, 2008). The study had multiple dimensions and identities at play between researcher and subject - female and male, white and brown, born-Muslim and Muslim convert - creating the space necessary to bridge the divide through mutual exchange and understanding. Once we look at ourselves as relational, then an agency can be imagined as mutually constitutive rather than opposed (Giddens, 1984; Sewell, 1992).
The research methodology was designed with the desire to respect and honor the participants and considered Islamic adab (manners) in the way Muslims interact with others and each other. The result was a Culturally Responsive Research Method that intersected with Postcolonial and Feminist theories. In these contexts, decolonizing considerations were made, including reciprocity and shared control to keep the interests of the participants and their community in mind and sensitively pursued.
This phenomenological study described the subjective experiences of three white American males’ conversion to Islam, their experiences prior to and following conversion, as well as how their whiteness and masculinity influenced their life decisions. Zinn (2003) describes struggle and resistance as the reality of those historically seen within the U.S. as racially, economically, sexually, and religiously different from the center, and, within a religious context, these traditionally privileged participants experienced the struggle and resistance of those marginalized. The findings reveal that these participants experienced marginalization due to non-white aligned or non-masculine aligned characteristics prior to their conversion to Islam. Findings also revealed how the individual characteristics of the participants were moved out of a position of marginalization within the American Muslim community causing a sense of social comfort.
The study involved questions around how white American males integrated both their Islamic and American values which provides insight into a unique identity blend as the modern understanding of diversity becomes more complex. These understandings of diversity have been usefully applied to support identity formation of young American Muslims over the last 15 years in my role as principal. Considering today’s political climate of campus protests, ICE raids in sports arenas, the Israeli-Palestinian conflicts, and growing division among Americans, this study, grounded in an ethic of care, may provide a framework to build bridges of understanding and peace by bringing differences together in more mutually respectful ways.
The implications and significance of this study hinges on the notion of creating a third space, drawing on those who are both privileged and marginalized, to help bridge across differences; specifically, differences in culture, gender, values, and beliefs. The study provides an opportunity to imagine an alternative approach that can be used in organizational leadership with practical application in building ‘community’ among a diverse group of individuals where differences are not placed within a hierarchical structure but, rather, seen as complements and equally valued.

Author

• Dina M. Eletreby, Chapman University