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Wayne State University

Patriotism Among Muslim American Opinion Leaders

Abstract

dc:description.abstract

<p>A significant degree of public opinion research has been conducted on Muslim Americans, but very little has focused on their perceptions. This study explores how opinion leaders address the question of patriotism, Americanness, hyphenated identities, and the implications of such a discourse. The study is confined to Wayne County, MI, because of the significant role Muslim Americans have played in labor struggles, local culture, civil rights, and their visibility. This study is significant because ongoing issues have triggered media attention on Muslim Americans and questioned their patriotism and Americanness, such as the "Ground Zero Mosque" debate, the "anti-Sharia" bill proposals, the Patriot Act, the NDAA, the NYPD's spying on MSAs, and the increase of hate crimes occurring at varying places of worship. This study explores how messages of Americanness and patriotism are transmitted from opinion leaders to their followers among Muslim Americans. Through interviewing opinion leaders from a "perspectival" approach, archetypes (classifications) of what it means to be an American Muslim will be developed as well as conceptual patriotism continuum.</p> <p> <strong>Keywords:</strong> patriotism, patriot, Muslim, American, Muslim-American, americanness, identity, political identity, opinion leaders, Wayne County, hyphenated identity, double-consciousness, citizenship, loyalty, nation, nationalism.</p>

Degree

thesis:*
Name thesis:degree_name
Ph.D.
Level thesis:degree_level
Open Access Dissertation
Discipline thesis:degree_discipline
Political Science
Year dc:date.available
2014

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • Abou-Samra, Reem
Contributors dc:contributor
  • Ronald E. Brown

Subjects

dc:subject × 9

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:digitalcommons.wayne.edu:oa_dissertations-2037

Chain of custody

source
Harvested from
Wayne State University
Base URL
digitalcommons.wayne.edu/do/oai/
Last updated
2026-07-24
Source record
OAI-PMH GetRecord
citation

Abou-Samra, Reem. Patriotism Among Muslim American Opinion Leaders. Open Access Dissertation thesis, 2014. https://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/oa_dissertations/1038