Muslims and Public Places: A Platform for Inclusion or Exclusion?

This thesis investigates the experiences of first-generation and second-generation Muslim immigrants in Knoxville, Tennessee. It is based on fieldwork, participant observation, and interviews conducted from August 2017 to June 2018. The interviews were conducted with fifteen individuals, eleven women and four men who were recruited through Muslim Centers in Knoxville and the University of Tennessee campus. I argue that social pressure and the negative climate affects the way Muslims are treated in the United States in public places. Muslim immigrants in Knoxville had positive and negative experiences of being in public places. They use public places for religious holidays and festivals organized by the Muslim Community of Knoxville, small-scale events organized by several Muslim organizations, and general leisure activities. Positive experiences of using public places include socializing with others within the community, involvement in city life, and assertion of their Muslim identity as part of Knoxville. Reported negative experiences ranged from stares to verbal attacks in public. My findings showed that Muslim women wearing hijab are more at risk of having negative experiences, compared to Muslim men or Muslim women who do not wear hijab. Responses to discrimination included ignoring stares and comments, responding to them, taking extra precautions, and avoiding certain public places. However, for most of the Muslim immigrants interviewed, the negative experiences did not cause them to avoid using public places. In particular, Muslim immigrants in Knoxville prefer to spend their leisure time engaging in group activities with friends, family, and other members of their various immigrant communities using urban green spaces that are not crowded and that provide picnic areas and grassy areas for group sports.