The Experiences of Students with Concealable Muslim Identities During Peer Interactions in Undergraduate Biology Courses

The discrimination that Muslim students face on United States (U.S.) university campuses may be heightened in academic biology environments due to perceived stigma against religion in biology. Furthermore, as undergraduate biology courses transition to active learning, interactions among students often increase, so peer interactions may present additional challenges for biology students with <i>concealable</i> Muslim identities as they consider whether they should reveal their identities. In this study, we explored the experiences of 12 students with concealable Muslim identities during peer interactions in their undergraduate biology courses. We found that students felt their Muslim identity was salient during these peer interactions. However, students generally described the culture of biology as unwelcoming to any mention of religion. They anticipated stigma related to their Muslim identity, which contributed to them typically concealing their identity even though most had not actually experienced stigma related to their Muslim identity during peer interactions in biology. Students wished that their peers knew more about Islam and discussed how their own experiences as Muslims may differ based on their racial/ethnic identities. Our findings add to the growing literature on the experiences of Muslim students in academic biology in the U.S.