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Familial Relationships Among Muslim Couples and Parents in the United Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School 2015 Familial Relationships Among Muslim Couples and Parents in the United States: A Qualitative Study Zahra Aqeel Alghafli Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations Part of the Social Work Commons Recommended Citation Alghafli, Zahra Aqeel, "Familial Relationships Among Muslim Couples and Parents in the United States: A Qualitative Study" (2015). LSU Doctoral Dissertations. 3621. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations/3621 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized graduate school editor of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please [email protected]. FAMILIAL RELATIONSHIPS AMONG MUSLIM COUPLES AND PARENTS IN THE UNITED STATES: A QUALITATIVE STUDY A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in The School of Human Ecology by Zahra Alghafli B.A., King Saud University, 2001 M.A., Creighton University, 2010 May 2015 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS First, I would like to thank all of the participants who opened their houses as well as their hearts to me, sharing their stories, expressing their opinions, and articulating their understandings of significant topics. Considering the difficulty and the inconvenience of discussing marital conflicts and hardships with an outsider, I sincerely appreciate the time, the willingness, and the trust they have given me. So, I pray with great sincerity that their marriages and families continue to be strengthened. Without their generosity and openness, I would not know as much as I do now, the field of family science would not have as much data as it does now, and this project could not have happened. Next, I would like to thank my teacher who walked me step by step through this journey with open heart and tireless efforts, Dr. Loren Marks. Dr. Marks’ guidance and consultation was not limited to academic matters; rather he has been, and will always be, a life long teacher. It has been a privilege to study under his guidance. I also want to extend my thanks to my thoughtful and considerate committee members, Dr. Kuttruff, Dr. Chaney, Dr. Mitchell, and Dr. Bickmore, who broaden my horizon and deepen my understanding of family science, making the journey informative and fun at the same time. I appreciate the time, willingness to be a part of my committee, and the guidance you provided me with along the way. I want to thank my personal support network. To each one of my friends and family members who were there for me during this process, you are deeply loved. To my children, Kawthar, Fatimah, Ali, and Haydar who have made this journey so much easier just by being the amazing children that they are. I pray that this journey has taught them the importance of ii knowledge and the significance of contributing to society. Lastly, there are no words to thank my husband, Dr. Hashim Alghafly, enough. Before I married him17 years ago, I was still doubting whether I should pursue my education after high school in order to earn a Bachelor’s degree. However, since he entered my life and occupied the biggest part of it, gaining knowledge and pursuing my education moved to the top of my priority list. Thank you for the support, for bearing the burden of my frustration and stress, for celebrating each milestone, for believing in me, and for being the person I have walked through this journey with, so that this dream could come true. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS…………………………………………………………………ii ABSTRACT…………………………………………………………………………………..v CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION………………………………………………………..….1 CHAPTER 2. REVIEW OF LITERATURE………………………………………………...12 CHAPTER 3. METHODOLOGY…………………………………………………………....32 CHAPTER 4. FINDINGS………………………………………………………………….…43 CHAPTER 5. CONCLUSION………………………………………………………………..79 REFERENCES………………………………………………………………………………..91 APPENDIX A. LETTER TO RECRUIT PARTICIPANTS ………………………………….101 APPENDIX B. STATEMENT OF INFORMED CONSENT ……………………………...102 APPENDIX C. DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION…………………………………….......105 APPENDIX D. INTERVIEW QUESTIONS…………………………………………………106 APPENDIX E. PARTICIPANTS’ DETAILED INFORMATION……………………..........108 APPENDIX F. IRB APPROVAL DOCUMENT……………………………………….........109 VITA ……………………………………………………………………………………….110 iv ABSTRACT Since September 11, 2001, Islam has been the center of many debates, discussions, parodies, and publications. Many Muslims feel that their religion has been portrayed unfairly in Western media. The topics that seem to generate the most criticism relate to gender roles and the treatment of women, both inside the home and in society. The purpose of this project is to employ a qualitative, in-depth interview approach to examine the perceived role of Islam on marital and familial relationships from insiders’ perspectives and to present participants’ reflections on sensitive issues, including gender roles, women’s rights, the concept of Hijab, religious practices, and marital unity. v CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION Religion, for some individuals, is a source of inspiration, meaning, and hope, while for others it is a major source of controversy and disagreement. In both cases, however, religion is influential; thus, in order to understand human culture, history, politics, economics, art, and literature, one should not avoid the consideration of religion and religious influence (Burr, Marks, & Day, 2012). Religion is an essential factor in understanding Middle Eastern politics: the genocide in Sudan, Egypt, and Libya; the poverty in Africa; or the event and aftermath of 9/11 in America. Religious rituals and beliefs are also powerful forces that have shaped many individuals’ lives and (in many cases) govern their relationships. Aspects of religion can form identity across generations. Historically, religion is found in almost all human societies. Even the earliest discovered societies indicate traces of religious symbols and ceremonies. Throughout history, religion has shaped humans’ interaction with their environment and with each other and, for many, it has continued to be a central part of people’s personal and familial lives and experiences. Leonard (1968) described the religious persons of Africa by stating: They are, in the strict and natural sense of the word, a truly and a deeply religious people…They eat religiously, drink religious, bathe religious, dress religiously, and sin religiously. In a few words, the religion of these natives, as I have endeavored to point out, is their existence, and their existence is their religion (p. 409). Social scientists, therefore, study religion both as: (1) a belief system that shapes how people think and how they see the world, and (2) as a social institution that has helped to create patterns of social action organized around sacred beliefs and practices (Kingsley, 1949). Phrased 1 differently, people have used religion as a tool that assists them in developing answers to questions about the meaning of existence. However, across time, religion has also developed organized structures within which members can socialize. These differing expressions of belief, practice, and organized community are all of importance and are worthy of consideration. Social and behavioral scientists several decades ago, however, tended to criticize religion in their conceptual writings (Marks, 2006). Karl Marx saw religion as ‘‘the opium of the people’’ that is used to promote oppression and stratification due to its support of a hierarchy of people on earth and the submission of humankind to divine authority (Marx & Engels, 1964; Stark & Bainbridge, 1987). Ellis (1985) referred to religion as a form of mental illness. Freud likewise defined religion as the universal psychosis and as immature thinking (Freud, 1927). From the prospective of family science, however, studying religion is not merely about examining what people believe; rather it extends into and involves the effort and ability to carefully examine the impact religion has on family relationships. Over the past decade or so, the topic of family and religion has increased markedly as an area of interest. Empirical research on religion and family, in particular, has seen a substantial increase, and correlations between many variables of family and religion are now well established (Burr, Marks, & Day, 2012; Christiano, 2000; Dollahite, Marks, & Goodman, 2004; Koenig, McCullough, & Larson, 2001; Mahoney, 2010; Marks, 2006). According to Houseknecht and Pankhurst (2000), in a time where many societies are experiencing economic and political changes, family and religion are major sources for stability and order. The connection between religion and family, however, is a complex one. Over the past 15 years, the connections between family and both healthy and unhealthy aspects of religion are receiving more comprehensive attention than ever before (Christiano, 2000; Dollahite, Marks, & Goodman, 2004; Koenig, McCullough, & Larson, 2001; 2 Mahoney, Pargament, Tarakeshwar, & Swank, 2008; Marks, 2005; Marks, Dollahite, & Freeman, 2011). Researchers, however, have recognized that research on religion and family life remains in an infancy in many ways (Burr et al., 2012;
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