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Paper long abstract:

There is a growing body of literature, which argues that immigrants become more religious after migration due to isolation, marginalization, and difficulties adjusting to the new culture. This research explores whether Muslim immigrants become more devout after migrating to the United States through the case study of Kyrgyz migrants in the United States. Kyrgyzstan, a former Soviet country, was selected as an example, because it has a majority Muslim population, which was largely secular during the Soviet era. Due to the fact that the Soviet government banned all religious information and knowledge sources, the population at large does not have a solid background in Islam and is not well versed in its theological foundation. We, therefore, also examined where Muslim immigrants from this community turn for knowledge about Islam and which online sources (if any) they peruse. The data are drawn from a survey of Kyrgyz migrants in Chicago, IL, who self-identify as religious. In addition, a directed content analysis has been conducted to determine whether the online sources, which respondents reported using promulgate mainstream or extremist Islamist ideology. In conclusion, we offer policy recommendations to better integrate Muslim Americans in the American society and prevent radicalization in this community.