Religion or Race? Using Intersectionality to Examine the Role of Muslim Identity and Evaluations on Belonging in the United States

Abstract How do White Americans evaluate the politics of belonging in United States across different ethnoreligious identity categories? This paper examines this question through two competing frameworks. On one hand, given salience anti-Muslim attitudes States, we consider whether penalize Muslim immigrants to regardless their ethnoracial background. other is often conflated by general public with Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) identity. We argue MENA-Muslim should be understood lens intersectionality. In case, may MENA-Muslims more than Muslims from groups. test these frameworks a conjoint experimental design wherein respondents are asked indicate whom give green card—signaling legal belonging—and how likely immigrant assimilate into America—signaling cultural belonging. Although believe better relative MENA-Muslims, race does not moderate who allowed belong States.