Methodology
Conversion to Islam is not a decision taken lightly and deserves a more in-depth analysis than statistics on demographics. This IRB-approved mixed-methods study goes deeper. It asks converts to speak for themselves.
Overview
The Feeling Muslim study began with a gap in the scholarly literature: studies of the identity formation of converts to Islam that do not attempt to analyze experiences and acknowledge emotions within different stages of the conversion process. To my knowledge, this is the first study to directly ask converts about their feelings of Muslimness, or what feeling Muslim means to them.
In 2014, 459 women responded to my survey, Feeling Muslim: An Intimate Portrait of Identity Cultivation among American Female Converts to Islam. Of those 459 participants, 257 self-identified as American (U.S.-born) female converts to Islam and completed both the quantitative and the qualitative strands of the survey in their entirety. These 257 women form the cohort of the thesis. An additional 143 participants completed the full quantitative portion, bringing the total number of complete quantitative responses to 400. The remaining participants included 24 women who completed the survey but identified outside the U.S.-born cohort; their responses, along with the partial responses, are reserved for future analysis. For a voluntary, anonymous, IRB-approved mixed-methods study offering no incentive of any kind, participation of this depth is remarkable.
As an American female convert to Islam myself, I knew that the most sensitive questions required the safety of anonymity: no face-to-face interaction, and no identifying information collected at any point. I asked myself whether I would be comfortable answering these questions in front of a stranger. My answer was no. That conviction shaped every methodological decision that followed.
By the numbers
The Survey · Complete Instrument
Feeling Muslim: An Intimate Portrait of Identity Cultivation among American Female Converts to Islam
The survey opened with a letter of introduction in my own words, beginning with Bismillah and the greeting of peace, followed by IRB-approved informed consent (Q1 and Q2). Wherever possible, the questions that followed were open ended, allowing each woman to self-identify rather than be forced into fixed categories. A truer representation of the diversity of the respondents unfolds when women describe themselves in their own words. What follows is the complete instrument, Q3 through Q40, presented in sequence.
Q3 to Q14 · Who the women are
What is your gender?
What is your country of birth?
Are you an American convert to Islam?
Which of the following do you prefer to be called with regard to being Muslim, and why? Convert, Revert, Other.
What is your race/ethnicity?
What is the highest degree or level of school you have completed? If currently enrolled, highest degree received.
What was your age at the time of your conversion to Islam?
How long have you been Muslim?
What was your marital status at the time of your conversion to Islam?
What is your current marital status?
What was your religion/belief prior to Islam?
Do you associate yourself with any particular branch(es) of Islam? Check all that apply. Sunni, Shi'a, Sufi, Nation of Islam, Other.
Q15 to Q17 · The road to Islam
How did you first come to know about Islam? Please be as detailed as possible.
What do you feel led you to the particular branch of Islam you are associated with? Please be as detailed as possible.
What brought you to the decision that you should convert to Islam? How did you make the decision? Were there any overarching factors that influenced your decision? Was there any one 'thing' that tipped the scale and helped you make your decision?
Q18 to Q29 · The Heart of the Study
Before answering, each respondent was reminded: "The questions will give you the opportunity to tell us more about your personal experiences. Please answer openly and truthfully."
For you, is there a difference between being/becoming Muslim by taking the shahada (Islamic testimony of faith), and feeling Muslim? If no, please explain how they are one and the same. If yes, please explain how they differ.
Once you converted to Islam, did you instantly feel Muslim?
How would you define feeling Muslim? What does feeling Muslim mean to you?
When did you begin to feel Muslim?
Were there any outside influences that nurtured or hindered your feelings of Muslimness? If yes, what and/or who? Please explain in as much detail as possible. If no, please explain what you believe caused your feelings of Muslimness to develop.
How does feeling Muslim make you feel about the following: 1. About yourself. 2. About yourself and your relationship with God. 3. About yourself as a member of the local and global Muslim communities. 4. About yourself as an American.
Did your family support you (spiritually, socially, emotionally, financially, etc.) before your conversion to Islam? If yes, please explain. If no, please explain.
Does your family support you (spiritually, socially, emotionally, financially, etc.) since your conversion to Islam? If yes, is the support the same as prior to your conversion to Islam? If no, please explain how your family support has changed.
Do Islamic gender roles play any part in your feelings of Muslimness? If yes, how?
Are you satisfied or content with your feelings of Muslimness?
If female, do you wear the hijab, or other attire that would make you outwardly identifiable as a Muslim to the American public?
Is your choice of attire related to your feelings of Muslimness? If so, how?
Q30 to Q40 · Community and Belonging
Do you have a home Muslim community? If no, please explain why you do not have a home Muslim community. If yes, is the community meeting your needs as a convert to Islam? If your community is meeting your needs as a convert, please explain how. If your community is not meeting your needs as a convert, please explain what needs are not being met.
As a convert, do you feel that your current community is meeting your spiritual needs? If yes, please explain how. If no, please explain what you think the community could do to help meet the spiritual needs of the convert community.
As a convert, do you feel that your current community is meeting your emotional needs? If yes, please explain how. If no, please explain what you think the community could do to help meet the emotional needs of the convert community.
As a convert, do you feel that your current community is meeting your social needs? If yes, please explain how. If no, please explain what you think the community could do to help meet the social needs of the convert community.
As a convert, do you feel that your current community is meeting any financial needs you may have? If yes, please explain how. If not, please explain what you think the community could do to help meet the financial needs of the convert community.
As an American convert to Islam, do you feel welcome in your Muslim community? If yes, please explain what makes you feel welcome. If no, please explain what makes you feel unwelcome and what could be done to change this.
As an American convert to Islam, do you feel that you are an integral part of your Muslim community? If yes, please explain what makes you feel you are an integral part. If no, please explain what makes you feel you are not an integral part of your Muslim community.
Would you like to be an integral part of your Muslim community?
Have you ever thought about leaving Islam? If no, please answer 'No'. If yes, please explain what led to these feelings.
Do you believe there should be classes held specifically for American converts to Islam?
Overall, what do you think Muslim communities around the United States could do to help new converts to Islam feel Muslim?
The full instrument, including the introductory letter and informed consent, appears as Appendix D of the thesis, Feeling Muslim: An Intimate Portrait of Identity Cultivation among American Female Converts to Islam.
Design
This study models Joseph Maxwell's Interactive Research Design, a system in which each component is an integral part of the whole. The research questions sit at the center, connecting all other components.
To understand the nuances in conversion experiences of American female converts to Islam, identifying key factors in the development of feelings of Muslimness, enabling communities to better assist converts.
Grounded in the recognition that studies of Muslim Americans do not necessarily include converts, leaving a significant gap in the scholarly literature that this research directly addresses.
An anonymous online survey using a convergent, parallel data-validation variant of mixed methods design, allowing open-ended qualitative and closed-ended quantitative questions to validate one another.
Quantitative and qualitative strands analyzed independently, then merged. Results summarized and interpreted, with discussion of where data converges, diverges, or produces a more complete picture.
Large sample size representative across sects of Islam, races, ethnicities, ages, education levels, and sexual orientations. Frequent member-checks and active searches for discrepant evidence.
Full IRB approval from the University of Georgia. Anonymity was a foundational ethical commitment: no face-to-face interaction, and no identifying information collected at any point.
Context
of images of Muslim women in U.S. news media portray them as passive victims, compared with only 15% of Muslim men portrayed this way. This study provides a very different picture.
Women outnumber men in conversions to Islam approximately four to one, according to CAIR surveys. Yet women's conversion experiences remain understudied.
People convert to Islam in the United States each year. Understanding their experiences, especially the development of their feelings of Muslimness, has never been more urgent.
"An understanding of American female converts to Islam and what makes them feel Muslim could not come at a better time."
Karla N. Kovacik, M.A.
Timeline
Survey distribution begins
Thousands of women received a link via Facebook, Twitter, Yahoo Groups, and direct outreach to Islamic organizations across the United States.
Data collection closes
After three months, 459 women had participated. In total, 400 completed the full quantitative portion, and 257 U.S.-born female converts to Islam completed both the quantitative and qualitative strands in their entirety.
Analysis & writing
Quantitative and qualitative strands analyzed independently at the University of Georgia, then merged. Themes coded, categorized, and compared across individuals.
MA thesis completed
Feeling Muslim: Prolegomena to the Study of American Female Converts to Islam submitted and accepted at the University of Georgia under the direction of Dr. Alan 'Abd al-Haqq Godlas.
The project expands
The Feeling Muslim Project launches as a public-facing scholarly hub. The study is expanding to include men and new voices from around the world.
Validity
459 participants and 400 complete quantitative responses, with 257 women completing both strands in full: a sample size that is large for mixed-methods research and representative across all branches of Islam, races, ethnicities, ages at conversion, education levels, marital statuses, and varying sexual orientations.
Quantitative and qualitative strands analyzed independently using both manual techniques and QDAMiner with WordStat (CAQDAS), then merged. Independent analysis before merging increases the validity of the study.
Most importantly, the research allows converts to speak for themselves: to define the subject of feeling Muslim, outline their personal journeys, and convey what makes them feel Muslim and what nurtures or hinders those feelings.
How to cite this study
Evans, Karla N. "Feeling Muslim: Prolegomena to the Study of American Female Converts to Islam." Master's thesis, University of Georgia, 2015.
Chicago Manual of Style. The thesis was published under the author's former name, Karla N. Evans; the author now publishes as Karla N. Kovacik.
"Growth in grace is accomplished by slow degrees, and not per saltum... Why does the formation of an infant take nine months? Because God's method is to work by slow degrees."
Jalāl al-Dīn Rūmī · Mathnawī · Book VI · tr. Reynold A. Nicholson