Feminist Opposition to Political Islam: Evidence from Social Encounters

• In Event: Increasing Inclusion, Reducing Prejudice

Abstract

We probe the extent which discrimination against Muslim immigrants in democratic societies is driven by perceptions of cultural threat posed by political Islam. We hypothesize that host population stereotypes regarding conservative attitudes held by Muslims towards women and their role in society is a key mechanism underpinning anti-immigrant discrimination. We test this “feminist opposition” hypothesis using a large-scale field intervention in 23 cities across three German states, during which 3,800 unknowing bystanders were exposed to a brief social encounter with a confederate. We vary the religion/religiosity of the confederate, her ethnic identity, and the nature of beliefs she espouses regarding the role of women in the household. Our analysis shows a significant reduction in the level of discrimination towards Muslim confederates when bystanders are exposed to information revealing that the confederate holds progressive attitudes towards women. This effect is primarily driven by female bystanders, who no longer seem to discriminate against Muslim confederates vis-à-vis native confederates when they receive this information. We do not observe similar reduction in discrimination among male bystanders. Our results highlight the centrality of ideational stereotypes in structuring opposition against immigration.

Authors

• Danny Choi, Brown University

• Mathias Poertner, London School of Economics and Political Science

• Nicholas Sambanis, University of Pennsylvania