Adherence to Islamic Dress Code and Hijabi Muslim Students' Experiences of Belonging, Social Adjustment, and Islamophobia
[Thesis]
Pouraskari, Neda
Dika, Sandra L.
The University of North Carolina at Charlotte
2020
141
D.Ed.
The University of North Carolina at Charlotte
2020
The purpose of this study was to understand how level of adherence to Islamic dress code relates to sense of belonging, social adjustment, and experiences of Islamophobic microaggressions among hijabi Muslim undergraduate students on U.S. college campuses. Hijabi Muslim refers to women who identify as Muslim and wear a hijab that covers the hair and/or face. Recruitment was primarily carried out electronically via email and social media. A total of 48 women (18-30 years of age) from various colleges participated in the study, with a plurality identifying as White Middle Eastern (43%), and all but one as a U.S. citizen. The survey instrument used for this study was comprised of existing measures of belonging and adjustment, an adapted measure of adherence of Islamic dress code, and items on Islamophobic microaggressions adapted and created by the researcher. Scales showed acceptable to excellent internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha 0.77-0.96). Results indicated there were significant negative correlations between levels of modesty and three sense of belonging scales: peer support, faculty support, and class comfort. Some of the most frequently experienced microaggressions during the past year included being asked where they were born/from, being expected to speak for all Muslim women, being told they were articulate or speak English well, seeing negative messages about Muslims on social media, hearing assumptions they would have an arranged marriage, and being told their name is hard to pronounce. The results illustrate the need for greater awareness and advocacy of college personnel to counteract Islamophobia and promote greater inclusion of hijabi Muslim students.