Bangladeshi Muslims in Montreal : A Case of Divided Loyalty

The author points out that most of the studies carried out in the 1980s and early 1990s hypothesized that Muslim youth, like youth of other immigrant parents, identify primarily with American or Canadian values and secondarily with the Islamic value system their parents communicate. However, she contends, since 9/11 some of the Canadian-born children of the Bangladeshi immigrants turned out to be strict Muslims. They consider themselves 'Muslims' rather than 'Bangladeshi-Canadians' or just 'Canadians.' Their ethnic identity is based on their religion rather than their ethnicity. The author contends that this is particularly interesting as these Canadian-born youth are more religious than their immigrant parents, and their identity is increasingly differentiated from their parents'. They have lost a significant part of their Bangladeshi heritage, and instead are focusing on their Islamic identity. The objective of the author's article is to answer two questions: Why are some of the Canadian-born children of immigrant parents embracing Islam in order to develop their self identity? Can an Instrumental perspective of ethnic identity explain this phenomenon?

International Journal of Sociology of the Family

Vol. 31

no. 2

109-122

Autumn 2005

en