Migration reshapes gender roles, religious practices, and family structures, especially for Yoruba Muslim women in the U.S. diaspora. While social media narratives often portray these women as either liberated or rebellious, such representations oversimplify their lived experiences. Instead of viewing migration as a rupture from tradition, this paper explores how Yoruba Muslim women actively negotiate their freedom within specific cultural and religious contexts. Through Islamic practices, digital faith networks, and communal religious spaces, these women engage in a continuous process of self-fashioning, adapting their religious commitments while navigating shifting social and economic landscapes. Saba Mahmood’s concept of ethical self-formation (2005) illuminates how Yoruba Muslim women define freedom not as a rejection of tradition but as an embodied practice of religious devotion and moral agency. Migration introduces new challenges—economic independence, shifts in marital dynamics, and cultural tensions—yet these women turn to Islam as a stabilizing force rather than as a constraint. Their engagement with religious communities and digital spaces reflects a conscious effort to uphold their values while adapting to a new environment. Asad's (2003) notion of discursive tradition further clarifies that Islamic beliefs and practices do not remain static but are continually reshaped in new social contexts. These women do not simply replicate their faith from Nigeria; rather, they reinterpret and reinforce it in response to their evolving realities. Digital platforms serve as both sites of empowerment and arenas of contention. Birgit Meyer’s (2009) work on religion as a mediated experience explains how platforms like Facebook, WhatsApp groups, and online Asalatu networks allow Yoruba Muslim women to share religious knowledge, seek moral guidance, and counter negative stereotypes surrounding their migration. However, these same platforms can also reinforce patriarchal narratives, framing these women as abandoning their cultural responsibilities. The digital landscape reflects broader anxieties about shifting gender roles, positioning social media as a key battleground for negotiating freedom. Aihwa Ong’s theory of flexible citizenship (1999) is relevant here, as these women strategically navigate multiple identities—Yoruba, Muslim, immigrants, and wives/mothers—within evolving legal and economic frameworks. While some embrace aspects of U.S. legal protections, others retain traditional gender expectations within Islamic ethics, demonstrating that freedom does not come from external forces but arises from active negotiation within religious and cultural frameworks. This study adopts a qualitative approach, melding digital discourse analysis with ethnographic engagement among Yoruba Muslim women in the U.S. It examines public Facebook debates that shape narratives about Yoruba Muslim migrant women, focusing on discussions related to gender roles and religious commitments in online spaces. Observations from private WhatsApp groups provide insights into how women perceive and manage migration-related challenges. These digital venues reveal how Yoruba Muslim women navigate agency, marriage, faith, and motherhood while balancing cultural expectations from home with their lived experiences in the diaspora. Additionally, the study addresses the role of Asalatu gatherings, which serve as sites for religious continuity, mutual support, and moral accountability, illustrating how faith-based communities help women negotiate freedom within specific Islamic and Yoruba cultural frameworks. Ethical considerations guide this research, and any referenced private discussions remain anonymized. Findings reveal that Yoruba Muslim women understand freedom through religious practice, communal ties, and strategic adaptation. Rather than viewing migration as a break from faith, these women reinforce their religious commitments, using Islam to structure their transitions. Both online and offline religious engagements provide moral guidance, emotional support, and cultural connections, challenging the notion that migration inherently erodes spiritual identity. However, the complex nature of freedom surfaces in social media discussions, where patriarchal anxieties about shifting power dynamics become evident. Men’s digital policing of women’s behavior reflects fears of losing control over marriage and family structures. In contrast, women’s responses expose the intricate realities of economic independence, marital transformation, and religious agency. By examining how Yoruba Muslim women negotiate freedom within their cultural and religious contexts, this study contributes to broader discussions on gender, religion, and migration in transnational spaces. It challenges prevailing assumptions that migration either liberates or oppresses women, demonstrating that freedom is neither absolute nor necessarily adversarial to religious tradition, but rather continuously redefined through lived practice. The experiences of Yoruba Muslim women reveal a nuanced landscape where faith and identity intertwine, reflecting their agency in crafting meaningful lives amidst change.
Migration reshapes gender roles, religious practices, and family structures for Yoruba Muslim women in the U.S. diaspora. Social media often portrays them as liberated or rebellious, oversimplifying their lived experiences. This paper examines how these women negotiate freedom within their cultural and religious contexts through Islamic practices, digital faith networks, and communal spaces. Drawing on Saba Mahmood’s concept of ethical self-formation, I argue that they define freedom not by rejecting tradition but by engaging with religious devotion and moral agency. Talal Asad’s notion of discursive tradition shows how they reinterpret faith in response to migration. Birgit Meyer’s concept of religion as a mediated experience frames digital platforms—like Facebook and online Asalatu networks—as spaces of empowerment and reinforcement of patriarchal narratives. Using digital discourse analysis and ethnographic methods, this study highlights how Yoruba Muslim women actively shape their migration experiences, balancing autonomy, religious identity, and resisting digital stereotypes.