The Religious Support Scale (RSS; Fiala, Bjorck, & Gorsuch, 2002) includes Christian terminology (e.g., church, congregation), limiting its generalizability. We modified the RSS and assessed the reliability and validity of our new Multi-Faith Religious Support Scale (MFRSS) with 539 Muslim women in the United States. The MFRSS replicated the RSS's three-factor structure and subscale reliabilities. The three subscales respectively assess perceived support from religious peers (fellow adherents), from religious leaders, and from Allah. Moreover, even after controlling for social support, support from religious leaders and from Allah were both related to more life satisfaction. Support from Allah was also associated with less depression. Religious support's value among Muslim women is discussed, and the generalizability of the MFRSS is addressed.

Fuller Theological SeminaryNine reported reasons for converting to Islam were quantitatively assessed regarding prevalence and importance among 304 women in the United States. The appeal of Muslim moral values and dissatisfaction with one's former faith were primary reasons, followed closely by enhanced sense of identity and alignment with cultural views (regarding ethnic diversity and gender roles). Active (theological and personal) reasons for conversion were more important and prevalent than passive (social) reasons. Qualitative analyses of additional write-in responses suggested four other reasons for conversion, including the appeal of Muslim tenets and an increased sense of significance/meaning. Findings are discussed in terms of implications for future research.

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