Navigating Drinking Cultures Among Muslim Young Adults

A reluctance to investigate religious explanations for the non-use of alcohol, combined with the widespread assumption that Muslims are abstinent, has contributed to Muslims’ invisibility in alcohol research. Drawing on the literature on young adult Muslims and alcohol consumption, we have two interconnected errands: Firstly, we present the most common themes in the literature, and secondly we revisit these themes in light of findings from a recent research project on young adult Muslim women in Denmark. Zooming in on the dilemmas of being Muslim and growing up in societies where alcohol is highly integrated in young people’s social life, we focus on issues that affect both youth life among peers and family/community life and, not least, how they are often interconnected. We show the complexities in the relationship between young adult Muslims and alcohol consumption and discuss how these are related to broader difficulties of merging a Muslim identity with another (national) identity. Finally, we argue that it is central to apply approaches that sensitively point to differences and similarities among and between different groups of young adults to make the results recognizable, which is necessary if we want to improve policy and prevention initiatives.