Islamophobia and Law Enforcement in a Post 9/11 World

Abstract

This study investigated the personal beliefs and attitudes of law enforcement officers toward Muslims and Islam. A consensual qualitative research method analysis (Hill) was performed on data gathered from semi-structured interviews with twelve police officers in training. Qualitative themes emerged from the cross analysis of participant interviews. Nearly all participants endorsed having personally or professionally interacted with Muslims, having previously referred to Muslims as foreigners (un-American others, or belonging to a ethnic/racial group), and expressed willingness and interest in learning more about Muslim culture in order to better serve their communities. Additional typical and variant themes were also found through analysis of the interviews. Study implications, limitations and directions for future research are discussed.