Muslim immigrants' sense of identity and belonging in the Western world: A comprehensive review

Abstract

In recent years, much has been written about the growth of anti-immigrant sentiment in Western countries. Propagated by the fastest growing party family, far right-wing parties, there is growing support in Western populations in favour of scapegoating Muslim immigrants for economic, cultural and security problems. However, less has been written on how Muslim immigrants feel about their host country. What is their sense of belonging and identification with their country of residence? In this review article, we summarise the results of 29 studies that explicitly focus on questions of integration, national identity and sense of belonging of Muslim immigrants. The studies we review document a range of outcomes, varying from a low sense of belonging and attachment to the country of residence to extremely high integration levels and loyalty. It seems that most variation depends on the country of residence at the macro-level and on their education at the individual level.