Islamophobia pre- and post-September 11th, 2001.
Although much academic research has addressed racism, religious discrimination has been largely ignored. The current study investigates levels of self-reported racial and religious discrimination in a sample of 222 British Muslims. Respondents indicate that following September 11th, 2001, levels of implicit or indirect discrimination rose by 82.6% and experiences of overt discrimination by 76.3%. Thus, the current work demonstrates that major world events may affect not only stereotypes of minority groups but also prejudice toward minorities. Results suggest that religious affiliation may be a more meaningful predictor of prejudice than race or ethnicity. General Health Questionnaire scores indicate that 35.6% of participants likely suffered mental health problems, with significant associations between problem-indicative scores and reports of experiencing a specific abusive incident of September 11th-related abuse by respondents. The dearth of empirical work pertaining to religious discrimination and its effects is a cause for concern.
Sheridan
Lorraine P
LP
Forensic Psychology, University of Leicester, United Kingdom. LPH1@leicester.ac.uk
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D018864:Cultural Diversity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D007514:Islam; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011287:Prejudice; D047851:September 11 Terrorist Attacks / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012938:Social Perception; D013240:Stereotyping; D013334:Students; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D006113:United Kingdom