Muslim minorities’ experiences of Islamophobia in the West: A systematic review

Islamophobia across the western world appears to be on the rise yet very little is known about it. This review systematically examines qualitative literature to gain an in-depth understanding of Muslim minorities’ experiences of ‘Islamophobia’, and how it may impact upon their psychosocial wellbeing. 180 initial studies were identified across six databases; PsycINFO, ASSIA, Humanities Abstracts (EBSCO), IBSS, CINAHL and MEDLINE, 9 of which met the inclusion and quality criteria. The studies included were analysed using Thematic Synthesis and four key themes were identified; ‘Construction of The Other’, ‘Stigmatisation of Appearance and Attire’, ‘Homogeneity of Identity and Experience’ and ‘Concealing and Normalising Behaviour’. The findings of this review are consistent with previous literature and highlight the difficulties Muslims experience as victims of ‘Islamophobia’. In conclusion, the implications for psychological research and practice are discussed.

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