What is the New Muslim Survey?
The New Muslim Survey is the data collection phase of a bigger research/dawah project that will be later presented in a book form. It comprises of mainly open-ended questions where you can freely answer in as much detail as you want. This research will attempt to describe the profiles and the drivers of those who have chosen Islam in different parts of the world, without being restricted to any specific country, gender or language. The methodology employed in the analysis of data will help us to identify patterns and trends from the answers rather than forcing the views of new Muslims into the interpretations of non-muslims writers. We aim to present the opinions of new Muslims around the world. That is why you need to make your voice heard.
What are the aims of the survey?
The objective of the survey is to create a common base on which we can compare the experiences and opinions of new Muslims coming from very different backgrounds and countries around the world. Asking a new Muslim to write freely his or her own conversion story would not allow us to make these comparisons; therefore it would make the idea for our book simply impossible. To do this, we need new Muslims to answer questions that have to do with different aspects of their journeys to Islam. To give a few examples, among other things, we ask about one’s relationship to Islamic knowledge, one’s opinions on contemporary social issues and how Islamic concepts and teachings come into one’s daily lives.
Why should I take the survey?
This book will allow us to show the reality of new Muslims around the world, therefore if you are one of them it would be important for your voice to be heard.Since there is a gap between academic style books on new Muslims, novel-like books on new Muslims and books that simply collect stories of new Muslims; we want to create a book where the data we collect is analyzed with academic rigor, presented in an absorbing and fascinating way that is accessible to everybody and that also lets new Muslims speak for themselves without having the researchers impose their own theories and opinions on them.
I embraced Islam long ago, can I still participate?
Yes!
Is this for everyone?
Yes! We have also come across born Muslims who believe they are new Muslims because they discovered the deen in adult age and felt the need to take the shahada again, also we have come across born-Muslims coming from countries where religion was banned altogether who feel like new Muslims because of their particular journeys to Islam. Other born-Muslims may have come from other backgrounds and feel that they are ‘new’ to the deen. If you feel that you are a “new Muslim” please fill in the survey and tell us why you believe you are a new Muslim.
What is it different about this project?
Since there is a gap between academic style books on new Muslims, novel-like books on new Muslims and books that simply collect stories of new Muslims, we want to create a book where the collected data is analyzed with academic rigor, presented in an absorbing and fascinating way that is accessible to everybody and that also lets new Muslims speak for themselves without having the non muslim researchers impose their own theories and opinions on them.
Who is doing it?
We are a group of graduate sisters of different ages and from very different backgrounds currently living in London. Our educational backgrounds range from anthropology to communications, from mathematics to political sciences, from theology, and Islamic studies to linguistics. We have degrees from universities based in different continents. We are both born-Muslims and new Muslims.
When will the results be known?
We cannot answer this question at the present time, we aim to collect data for approximately 5-6 months, if we are satisfied with the number of responses then we will continue with the rest of the research, inshallah. We aim to keep all the brothers and sisters and everyone interested up to date with interesting information and statistics on the progress of the project through our blog and our facebook page, inshallah.
