The Mosque, Immigration Status, and Voting Participation among Muslim Americans

• In Event: 469 - Section on International Migration Roundtables (one-hour)
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 06. Civic Engagement

Abstract

Research in the sociology of religion argues that religious organizations offer a free space for minority and immigrant groups where they can build a stronger identity and learn how to improve their group’s conditions. Political sociologists find that these factors lead to an increase in political engagement. Research looking at Muslim Americans has found that attending events at the mosque does lead to greater political engagement but excludes voting from the analysis. In this study, I look at voting participation in the 2004 presidential elections using a nationally representative sample of Muslim American voters. I find that participation in the mosque does not increase the likelihood of voting even for recent immigrants, which might be explained by the nature of voting and the unique experience of Muslims in the U.S.. Instead, I find that Muslims born in the U.S. or who have lived in the U.S. for longer are more likely to vote than recent immigrants, regardless of their involvement in the mosque.

Author

• Tamara van der Does, Indiana University