Impact of Islamophobia on post-secondary Muslim students attending Ontario universities

ABSTRACT

This study investigated the experiences of Muslim students attending Canadian institutions of higher education in the context of increasing Islamophobia. Qualitative semi-structured interviewing was used to explore the impact of anti-Muslim sentiment on the academic experiences of Muslim students and patterns of identity construction subsequent to recent national and international terrorism-labeled events such as the 2015 Paris bombings and 2015 San Bernardino mass shooting. Analysis of interview data yielded two major themes: (a) the formation of a strong religious identity in response to experiences of Islamophobia and (b) a distinction between general Islamophobia and gendered Islamophobia. The findings suggest that Muslim students in the current post 9/11 era are becoming increasingly devout, have a strong attachment to their religious identity, and are at the forefront of advocating for Muslims through education, activism, civic participation, and interfaith dialogue.

KEYWORDS:

• Islamophobia
• Muslim
• higher education
• religious identity
• resistance

Acknowledgments

The author wishes to extend special thanks to Dr. Lee Airton for their careful review of the initial draft of this paper and the valuable support and suggestions provided.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. The word ‘terrorism’ is mostly used to refer to a particular racial profile of perpetrator

2. The terms ‘Islamic’ and ‘Muslim’ are used synonymously and interchangeably throughout the article.