When Agony Begets Zealotry: The Differential Role of Globalization Threats in Mediating the Effect of Competitive Victimhood on Muslims’ Religious Fundamentalism

The current investigations examine how globalization signifying either identity threat or realistic threat has a differential role in mediating the effect of competitive victimhood on Muslims’ religious fundamentalism. Study 1 ( N= 119) revealed that identity globalization threat and not realistic globalization threat significantly mediated the effect of competitive victimhood on Muslims’ religious fundamentalism. Study 2 ( N= 155) successfully replicated the finding in Study 1. Moreover, Study 2 also revealed that such mediating role of identity globalization threat was stronger among participants perceiving Muslims as having high than low group entitativity, which refers to the extent to which Muslims as a group are considered to be a one, homogenous collective rather than an aggregation of individuals. Theoretical implications for understanding situational or social factors of Muslims’ religious fundamentalism are discussed, as are strategies to reduce competitive victimhood among members of this religious group.