Dissertation
Anonymous online comments on Muslim women in hijab: a qualitative study
University of Iowa
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), University of Iowa
Summer 2022
DOI: 10.25820/etd.006547
Abstract
Feminism in Islam has received increased scrutiny in the last three decades (Ali et al., 2017) as the visibility and attention to Muslim women’s issues have increased. This examination is particularly important for Muslim women in the current political climate. The purpose of this study is to examine the overarching themes of online comments in response to an article discussing journalist Noor Tagouri’s argument for Muslim women’s freedom of choice to dress modestly in hopes to better understand people’s conceptions of Muslim women. This study employs an intersectional feminist lens, uncovering overlapping Islamophobia and misogyny that some Muslim women may experience. This research will provide further insight into people’s perceptions of Muslim women in their own words without consequence of personal identifiers. The results provide valuable information for psychologists working with Muslim women so they may broaden their understanding of the dialogues and attitudes their clients receive in a Western environment. Considering the increasing Islamophobia and xenophobia in the Western world (Council on American-Islamic Relations, 2008) and the historical and present day political issues regarding the policing of women’s bodies (Chesney-Lind, 2017), the intersectional experiences of Muslim women are particularly critical to understand.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Anonymous online comments on Muslim women in hijab: a qualitative study
- Creators
- Sara Heshmati
- Contributors
- Saba R Ali (Advisor)Charles Bermingham (Committee Member)Stacey McElroy-Heltzel (Committee Member)Dennis M Kivlighan III (Committee Member)Stewart Ehly (Committee Member)
- Resource Type
- Dissertation
- Degree Awarded
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), University of Iowa
- Degree in
- Psychological and Quantitative Foundations (Counseling Psychology)
- Date degree season
- Summer 2022
- DOI
- 10.25820/etd.006547
- Publisher
- University of Iowa
- Number of pages
- vii, 46 pages
- Copyright
- Copyright 2021 Sara Heshmati
- Language
- English
- Description bibliographic
- Includes bibliographical references (pages 39-46).
- Public Abstract (ETD)
Muslim women have experienced increased challenges in the years since September 11, 2001. While the discrimination they face is not new, Muslim women’s issues are becoming increasingly visible to the public. However, their issues remain understudied in the field of psychology. This study focuses on the themes in an online comment section of an online article discussing journalist Noor Tagouri’s argument for Muslim women’s freedom of choice to dress modestly. The purpose of this study is to better understand people’s attitudes towards Muslim women. The results of this study showed that online comments were generally comprised of five main themes. These comments were either Islamophobic, Sexist/Misogynistic, Resisting Oppressive Ideology, Attempted Allyship but Microaggressive, and Supportive. The results are helpful for psychologists working with Muslim women to understand the dialogues and attitudes they receive in an online Western environment.
- Academic Unit
- Psychological and Quantitative Foundations
- Record Identifier
- 9984285052502771
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