Semester of Graduation
Fall 2025
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
International Conflict Management
Department
Conflict Management, Peacebuilding and Development
Committee Chair/First Advisor
Dr. Darina Lepadatu
Second Advisor
Dr. Anisah Bagasra
Third Advisor
Dr. Brian Starks
Abstract
The influx of Muslim immigrants and changing attitudes towards interfaith marriages in American society has contributed to an increase in unions between Muslim and non-Muslims, especially Christians. This study seeks to understand how contemporary Christian-Muslim families living in the U.S. negotiate their differences and interpret and resolve conflicts. Based on 30 in-depth interviews with adults currently in interfaith relationships and adult children of such unions, this research uses narratives to understand how religious identity, belonging, and conflict are managed within these relationships. Using Social Identity Theory, Intersectionality Theory, and the Tomas-Kilmann Conflict Management Model as guiding principles, this study examines how Christian-Muslim families manage conflict and develop hybrid identities, filling the gap in the literature on conflict and the role of religion in modern Christian-Muslim families. Findings reveal that religion is rarely a direct source of conflict. Instead, cultural practices and external pressures more often contribute to family conflict. Most participants consist of Muslim immigrant fathers and Christian mothers, a dynamic that influences how conflicts are managed. Muslim fathers often display more competitive conflict styles, while their Christian wives are more compromising or avoidant, suggesting that at least one compromising or avoidant style has a stabilizing effect on the relationships. Religious identity development for adult children also follows two dominant paths: rejecting religion or identifying as Muslim. This aligns with broader demographic trends of rising numbers of religiously unaffiliated individuals and Muslims. This research contributes to scholarship on Christian-Muslim family dynamics in the U.S., social development, and identity negotiation.