Coping with rejection: Perceived discrimination, religious and national identity, and collective action among Muslim Americans

Islamophobia remains a persistent challenge in American society. However, little is known about how Muslim individuals cope with discrimination and hostility tied to their religious identity. Amid a unique socio-political context, this study draws on a cross-sectional sample of 256 Muslim Americans to examine how this minority group responds to discrimination that is perceived at both the group and personal levels. Grounded in two complementary theoretical frameworks, the rejection-identification model (RIM) and the rejection-disidentification model (RDIM), we tested the interplay between measures of perceived group-based and personal discrimination, religious and national identity, and collective action (a form of group-level coping) that is aimed at elevating the status of Muslims. Perceived group-based discrimination was positively associated with Muslim identification, supporting the RIM. Muslim identification was, in turn, positively associated with engagement in collective action. Also, the positive relationship observed between perceived group-based discrimination and engaging in collective action was partially mediated by Muslim identification. Though contrary to our expectations, perceived personal discrimination was associated with lower levels of Muslim identification, and we found no support for the RDIM. Neither form of discrimination was significantly associated with American identification, and this, in turn, was unrelated to collective action. This research extends the application of the RIM and RDIM to an understudied population and contributes to a broader understanding of how Muslims cope with social rejection.