A qualitative exploration of Muslim American college students' experiences of discrimination and coping.

A majority of Muslim American college students have grown up exclusively within a post-9/11 climate of surveillance and discrimination. Recent events such as the Trump administration's "Muslim ban" and the Israel-Hamas War have led to additional spikes in Islamophobia and discrimination against Muslim Americans. Developmentally, college students are particularly susceptible to the impacts of discrimination because of the identity exploration that occurs during emerging adulthood. Yet, the effects of discrimination on Muslim American college students are understudied. This qualitative study sought to understand how 1.5- and second-generation immigrant-origin Muslim American college students (a) experience discrimination, (b) describe the emotional impacts of discrimination, and (c) cope with discrimination. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 13 Muslim American college students between the ages of 18 and 21 years (M = 19.85). Conventional content analysis yielded 14 themes and 9 subthemes. Themes consisted of pride in Muslim identity; complexity of visible markers of Muslim identity; stereotypes; microaggressions; multiple, intersecting forms of oppression; historical, ongoing sociocultural trauma; overt Islamophobia; fear, anxiety, and distrust; impact on identity; sadness and hopelessness about the future; intrapsychic forms of coping; relational forms of coping; shifting actions and behaviors; and generational differences in coping. Findings indicated that discrimination experienced by Muslim American college students is chronic, pervasive, and intersectional. Participants experienced discrimination at various stages in their development, across multiple contexts, and on account of multiple marginalized identities. Notably, participants' experiences of discrimination coexisted with a sense of pride in being Muslim. Implications for research and intervention are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).