Beyond immigrant generation: religious approach, perceptions of discrimination, and the stress process model

Scholars explain immigrant generational differences in perceptions of discrimination through differential exposure to social norms and milieu of the host society. This logic, however, fails to explain why differences persist even for acts of egregious violence. In this chapter, I draw on theories of everyday racism, boundaries, and imagined communities to explore divergences in how inclusivist and exclusivist reflexive Muslim participants frame similar experiences of Islamophobic racism. Exclusivist Muslim participants, who view only one approach to Islam as correct, quickly recall discriminatory experiences, describe the incidents in language that evokes pain and insecurity, and identify Islamophobia as a major problem in Canada. Inclusivist Muslim participants, who view multiple approaches to religion as correct, have trouble recalling discriminatory experiences, use strategies to dismiss those incidents, and simultaneously recognize and dismiss tension around Islamophobia in Canada. These findings have implications for the role and utility of religiosity in the stress process model.