Religious Elites, (Non)Politicization, and Intergroup Attitudes Among Muslim Immigrants in Germany

How do sermons from religious leaders with different views on the role of religion in politics affect intergroup attitudes among Muslim immigrants in the West? Using a representative survey of 1,671 Muslim immigrants in Germany and a preregistered online survey experiment, we investigate the effects of inclusive religious messages on intergroup attitudes. Our observational analyses indicate that Muslims who hear sermons from non-politicized (vs. politicized) religious leaders are less likely to justify religiously motivated violence, feel hostility toward Christians, and are more likely to identify with both their ethnic and national groups. These effects are mediated by identity inclusiveness. The experimental results reveal that exposure to an inclusive sermon from a prototypical religious leader reduces support for religiously motivated violence and hostility toward Christians but does not affect other attitudes. Finally, we find that immigrants who listen to sermons from politicized religious leaders are no more resistant to changing their attitudes in response to inclusive sermons than others.