Muslims in Non-Muslim Majority Societies: China, Sri Lanka and the U.S.; Islam, Islamophobia and Future

• In Event: Rhetoric and the Politics of Belonging

Abstract

Muslims in Non-Muslim Majority Societies: China, Sri Lanka, and the U.S.

A.R.M. Imtiyaz

This article examines the conditions of Muslims living in China, Sri Lanka, and the U.S. The article focuses on Muslims’ quest for identity-based on Islam, challenges faced by Muslims in non-Muslim majority societies' life practices and choices, and Muslim response to the rising Islamophobia. By focusing on these central issues, the study will attempt to answer some critical questions: What role does Islam play in their daily lives in these societies? why is assimilation a rather hard choice for Muslims? Do Muslims’ lifestyles provoke Islamophobia from non-Muslims?
I have extensive living experiences in Sri Lanka, China, and the U.S. The study mainly uses primary data to gain a better understanding of the current situation. I interviewed Hui Muslims during my stay in China (2016-2020), and data from Sri Lanka were collected through Zoom interviews and my field trip to Sri Lanka where I was born, and American Muslims' problems and concerns were collected by engaging Muslims at home.

Keywords: Islam, Muslims, Sri Lanka, China, the U.S. Muslims, non-Muslims, Islamophobia

Author

• A.R.M Imtiyaz, South Asia Center, University of Pennsylvania