Religious Identity Transmission: The Case of Muslim Families in Canada

I introduce the case of the Arab Muslim families in Canada (Montreal and Toronto). Specifically, I focus on the conflicts they cope with surrounding the religious identity transmission to their children (second-generation Muslim Canadians).

I conducted 30 in-depth interviews with second-generation Muslim Canadians, and 21 front line workers, social workers, teachers, community leaders, activists and community organizers who work with second-generation Muslim Canadians. I asked the participants about their lived religion experience as a religious minority in Canada.

The findings indicate that the second-generation in the sample scrutinize their religious identity. They read about Islam, engage in study groups, and raise points of discussion with their parents such as disentangling the cultural aspect of some practices from the religious aspect. They also cope with questions of whether to wear the hijab or to remove it. In addition, some note the barriers in Sunday School where they are sent to learn Arabic and/or about Islam and voice their difficulty with the language barrier.

Yet, for many participants, the process of religious identity transmission might trigger conflict. The conflict within these families strains the parent-child relationship. Factors such as immigrant religion (i.e. changes in the liturgical and interpretational aspects), contact with other Muslim communities and the multireligious diversity, the in-betweenness position of the second-generation, and the transnational familial ties shape the process of religious identity transmission from one generation to the next.

Utilizing the framework of lived religion helps examine the daily religious life and experience of the participants in their own words and voice. Yet, combination of longitudinal qualitative research might augment the robustness of the findings.