Revisiting the Religious Openness Hypothesis in a Migration Context: The Case of Muslims with a Turkish Migration Background in Germany

Demmrich, Sarah; Akçe, Havagül

Zusammenfassung

The religious openness hypothesis, which states that religious traditions have thepotential to integrate faith with intellect, is examined in this study within a migra-tion context for the first time. Based on two lines of research, our central question iswhether the sociological context or the Islamic tradition per se explains the (in)com-patibility of faith and intellect orientation and their relation to psychological openness.Religious openness, psychological openness (ambiguity tolerance and acculturationstrategies) and religiosity were measured among Muslims with a Turkish migrationbackground in Germany. Our findings show a non-significant relationship betweenfaith and intellect orientation and we therefore propose that the secular context isthe crucial explaining factor. Religious reflection also moderates the link between dif-ferent forms of religiosity and ambiguity tolerance. Finally, heterogeneous religiousrationalities were uncovered that challenge the negative view of Muslims as fanatic,closed-minded people which prevails among the German majority society.