Islam, Gender and Migrant Integration : The Case of Somali Immigrant Families

Al Huraibi addresses three questions: how do Somali immigrants negotiate gender notions and practices between those maintained in Somali culture and those adopted from mainstream American culture; how immigrants' understandings of Islamic writings on gender shape the negotiation process and how the integration process shapes their understanding of Islamic gender discourse; and to what extent resultant gender perceptions and practices reflect the transnational integration and cultural hybridism of two or more cultures. Al Huraibi concludes that respondents' cross-cultural selection of aspects from both cultures indicates a transnational pattern of integration in a globalized world. She argues, contrary to common perceptions, that Islam enables Muslim immigrants to distance themselves from certain aspects of the culture left behind and to embrace aspects from the host culture. All in order to be better Muslims.