Personal, Social or Moral Norms: Acceptance of Muslim Religious Practices

Debates about multiculturalism and cultural diversity in western societies increasingly focus on the accommodation of Muslim (religious) practices and beliefs. An often heard argument is that certain practices are at odds with ‘western’ norms and should therefore not be accepted. Based on an online survey among 159 German research participants, the current study examines to what extent acceptance of Muslim beliefs and practices depends on whether these pertain to a moral, social-conventional, or personal norm. Furthermore, we assessed the possible moderating role of the endorsement of multiculturalism, perceptions of threat and the overall attitude towards Muslims and Islam. Results show that fasting during Ramadan (personal norm) is more widely accepted than the refusal to shake hands with someone of the opposite sex (social-conventional norm) or ritual slaughter (moral norm). In addition, we found that the impact of individual orientations towards diversity in general and Muslims and Islam in particular depend on the domain these practice relates to: Individual orientations have a strong impact on the acceptance of a practice relating to the personal norms, but a smaller or even insignificant impact on a practice that infringe on moral norms. By highlighting the relevance of the social-cognitive domain to which religious practices pertain, this study contributes to the current debates on the accommodation of Muslim (religious) practices and beliefs.