Islamitische Afghaanse vluchtelingen in Nederland

De rol van ervaren discriminatie in de relatie tussen religieuze praktijken en welbevinden

Samenvatting

Minorities who face negative interactions with other groups may experience both an increased identification with their ethnic group and a decreased identification with a majority group. First, we argue that it is important to understand the associations minorities have with negative interactions with other groups, especially among minorities who are rarely included in empirical research. Muslim refugees are often treated differently and experience more negative interactions than other immigrants. Second, we combine insights (a) about the role of religiosity in acculturation, suggesting that religiosity does not have positive effects on well-being in societies that do not value (a specific) religion (the religiosity-as-social-value hypothesis), and (b) insights from rejection (dis)identification models, to understand which aspects of being Muslim are associated with discrimination, (dis)identification, and well-being. The central research question is whether the religious practices of Muslims, but not their religious beliefs, coping mechanisms, or principles, are associated with increased perceived discrimination and identification, suggesting that this is due to the high visibility of such practices. Data from Islamic Afghan refugees in the Netherlands (N = 183) shows that only religious practices are positively related to perceived discrimination. Perceived discrimination intensifies the relationship between religious practices and disidentification with the majority group, as well as the relationship between religious practices and well-being. We propose that the visibility of an individual’s religious behavior is relevant to the outcomes of the acculturation process.