IDENTITY CRISIS AMONG TAMIL MUSLIM YOUTHS IN SINGAPORE: EFFECTS OF PLURAL IDENTITIES ON CULTURE

Abstract

The Tamil Muslim community in Singapore is a minority within a minority. Within the minority Indian community, they are a religious minority. Within the minority Muslim community, they are a racial minority. The community’s cultural and religious life differs from the Indian-Hindu and Malay-Muslim communities in Singapore. The first generation of Tamil Muslims in Singapore had to face a distinct set of problems related to migration and settlement. The difficulties faced by the second generation of Tamil Muslims and beyond differ significantly from the first generation. This paper analyses the issues related to culture and identity faced by Tamil Muslim youths in Singapore in the 21st century. Specifically, this paper explores how Tamil Muslim youths in Singapore navigate issues of language, celebrations and traditions, and social relations. This thesis examines if having a plural identity forged at the intersection of race, language, and religion is a predicament for Tamil Muslim youths in Singapore. To understand how the youth of the community navigate through issues related to culture and identity, Singaporean Tamil Muslim youths were interviewed, and their responses were analysed in light of trends in identity formation and maintenance that past scholarship has highlighted. This paper concludes that Tamil Muslim youths in Singapore have found ways to negotiate their individual stances on the oft-contentious issue of identity.