Note
Authors affiliated with:
University of Melbourne ;
Department of Sociology and Legal Studies, University of Waterloo.
"TSAS is supported as a national strategic initiative funded by SSHRC and Public Safety Canada, along with the following departments of the federal government: Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC), Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP)".
Summary
"This pilot study has sought to better understand the causes and processes of Islamic conversion, and to try to begin to determine the scale of Islamic conversion growth in Canada through a small study of Muslim converts in Ontario. In so doing, the study represents an initial step toward correcting negative public media discourses on Muslim converts and provides the first empirical evidence for policy makers to reflect upon. This working paper presents preliminary findings. It also clarifies and attempts to situate emerging concerns over the security dimensions related to Muslim converts by examining the wider societal context within which Canadian Muslims convert and live their new religion.
The research essentially explores how social contexts affect converts’ beliefs, experiences, attitudes, and behaviour. Islamic conversion is treated as a normal social phenomenon to be understood rather than being some form of "outlier" or "irrational" behaviour."--Includes text from Introduction.
Contents
Introduction -- 1. Context, and why this research is important -- 2. Converts as "securitized" subjects -- 3. Muslim converts in Ontario: methods and data -- 4. Key findings -- 4.1. Theoretical framework and our data -- 4.1.1. Context -- 4.1.2. Crisis -- 4.1.3. Quest -- 4.1.4. Encounter and interaction -- 4.1.5. Commitment and consequences -- 5. Concluding remarks -- 5.1. Security in the context of society -- 5.2. Policy -- Appendix -- References.