The Bay area, not to mention the entire national Muslim community, is an understudied segment within the larger american society due to its small size. The community’s high level of nation-wide diffusion makes it an even greater challenge for scholars. This report has only scratched the surface and provided a ground-breaking general picture of the Bay area’s Muslim community.
Thus its results have increased the questions and avenues for further research.
The survey for this project had 105 questions, which was a shortened form of the original list.
The researchers wanted to learn and examine every aspect of a previously studied and non-surveyed community. Quite naturally, the limitations of time and resources dictated the scope of what could be done. The researchers hope that others will build upon their efforts.
In this regard, future research projects should:
1. Focus on socioeconomic disparities as well as the needs and services available to these communities.
3. Focus on youth in order to identify their needs, challenges, and how they deal with bullying and identity issues at school and in society in general.
4. study youth educational programs and interfaith work.
5. assess the kind of education that youth in the Bay area receive at the mosque and in islamic schools.
6. determine the number of disengaged youth, why they avoid the community’s institutions, and how this can be remedied.
7. study newer immigrants who live in the inner city, the challenges they face, and possible solutions.
8. Conduct more in-depth research on civic engagement and the link between religious practice and civic engagement.
9. Conduct healthcare-related research, which is badly needed, with a particular focus on Muslim refugees with PTsd-related problems.
10. research the role of Muslim artists and their contributions to and impact on constructing an american Muslim identity under duress.
11. research the Bay area’s growing Muslim lGBT community.
12. study the Msas’ role in the area and their continued involvement.
13. assess silicon Valley success stories and its contribution to the region’s economic progress and its impact (or lack thereof) within the community.
14. determine the rate and experience of mixed marriages and how diversity impacts established social patterns for both immigrants and converts.
15. Further work and research on islamophobia in general and the role of the arts in the community and in opposing islamophobia.
16. establish additional monolingual focus groups (e.g., arabic, Pashto, and Farsi).
17. study the american-born children of Muslim immigrants along with these immigrants’
different streams of migration.
18. understand the increased mainstreaming of salafi islam that, some argue, marginalizes women.
19. research the unique challenges of the somali and larger african diaspora communities, as well as war refugees settled in inner cities, and identify what resources should be developed to address these challenges.
20. study the Muslim non-profit sector’s institutions and charitable organizations, the roles they play, and how to maximize the resources available to the community.
Terms
da’wah: missionizing or proselytizing.
deen: arabic for “faith.”
deobandi: This is a religious movement, centered primarily in india, Pakistan, afghanistan, and Bangladesh, consisting of Muslims committed to a literal and austere interpretation of the Qur’an.
it is based upon the hanafi jurisprudential school of sunni islam.
eid al-Adha: also known as the Feast of the sacrifice, it is one of the two major islamic festivals.
This festival marks the end of the pilgrimage and commemorates abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his first-born son ishmael to God.
Hanbali school: One of sunni islam’s four jurisprudential schools. Named after its intellectual founder imam ahmad ibn hanbal (d. 855), it is the strictest and most conservative sunni school of thought. it is also considered to be the main legal influence upon the salafis, a fundamentalist movement that claims to be guided only by the Qur’an and the transmitted sayings of the Prophet.
Ja’afari school: The legal school of thought representing shi’i islam. it is named after imam Ja’far ibn Muhammad al-sadiq (d. 765), a highly revered figure for most shi’as and a descendant of the Prophet.
Hajj: The annual pilgrimage to Makka and one of islam’s five pillars.
Hanafi school: One of sunni islam’s four jurisprudential schools. it is named after its intellectual founder imam abu hanifa (al-Nu’man ibn Thabit) (d. 765).
hijab: a veil or scarf that covers a Muslim woman’s hair.
Jamatkhana: an urdu word denoting a gathering space. its primary purpose is to facilitate the ismaili shi’a Muslims’ religious and ritual life.
masjid: arabic for “mosque.”
APPEnDIX A
pejorative term.
khutba: The sermon delivered during the congregational Friday prayer.
kufi: a small brimless skull cap worn by men.
maliki school: One of sunni islam’s four jurisprudential schools. it is named after its intellectual founder imam Malik ibn anas al-asbahi (d. 795).
niqab: a facial covering that conceals everything but the woman’s eyes.
thobe: The traditional long ankle-length gown worn by arab men.
Salafism: a broader puritanical theological and legal movement, as opposed to a sunni legal school per se, this trend draws much of its intellectual inspiration from the hanbali school.
Shafi’i school: One of sunni islam’s four jurisprudential schools. it is named after its intellectual founder imam Muhammad ibn idris al-shafi’i (d. 820).