Identity Practices, Ingroup Projection, and the Evaluation of Subgroups: A Study Among Turkish-Dutch Sunnis

Abstract

This research focuses on religious subgroup evaluations by examining the attitude of Turkish-Dutch Sunni Muslims towards Alevi and Shiite Muslims. Following the Ingroup Projection Model, it was expected that Sunni participants who practice Islam will project their self-defining subgroup practices on the superordinate Muslim category, which will be related to more ingroup bias towards Alevis, a Muslim subgroup that performs different religious practices. Two studies yielded consistent evidence that practicing Islam increased ingroup bias towards Alevis. Furthermore, in Study 2, we found evidence that the effect of practicing Islam on ingroup bias was mediated by relative ingroup prototypicality (RIP). Moreover, practicing Islam did not affect RIP in relation to Shiites who perform the same religious practices that we examined. These findings support the Ingroup Projection Model.

Inter-religious feelings of Sunni and Alevi Muslim minorities: The role of religious commitment and host national identification

“…Specifically, this means that it can be expected that the more Sunnis and Alevis engage in their specific Muslim practices (e.g., mosque attendance versus Cem house meetings) the more negative they will be towards Christians, Jews and non-believers. In addition, and in line with the Ingroup Projection Model (Wenzel et al, 2007), practicing Sunnis and Alevis will also be more negative towards each other because their religious practices clearly differ and each group views their practices as more typically Islamic (Lie and Verkuyten, 2012). Importantly, the more individualistic and 'voluntary' nature of Alevism makes it likely that Alevis -compared to Sunni -are less involved in enacting their religious identity through religious practices.…”

“…As a result, the out-group is judged as deviating from this normative standard, and is therefore evaluated unfavorably. In-group projection has been found to lead to more negative out-group attitudes (Wenzel et al, 2007), also among Sunni Muslims with respect to Alevis (Lie & Verkuyten, 2012). Due to the contrasting processes captured by the Common In-group Identity Model and the In-group Projection Model we will explore the relationship between religious identification and feelings towards the Muslim out-group.…”

Dual identity, in‐group projection, and out‐group feelings among ethnic minority groups

“…Studies that focus on different minority groups and on inter‐minority relations are important because of the increasing number of social contexts in which many different minorities live together. Hence, it is increasingly important to examine the conditions and factors that contribute to in‐group projection processes among minority groups and in relation to other minorities (Lie & Verkuyten, ).…”

Islamist terrorism as identity threat: the case of ambivalent identification and self‐stereotyping among Turkish Muslims

“…Still, the present research also revealed a finding with possibly troubling implications. Muslims are a group that includes roughly 1 billion individuals who form a large variety of sects and other groups (Esposito & Mogahed, ); moreover, there are many divisions among Muslims based on religious tradition and practice (e.g., Lie & Verkuyten, ). The present study hinted that Islamist terrorist attacks have the potential of fostering sectarianism where Muslims of one sect emphasize the distinctness of their own religious faction from that of the sect of the attackers.…”