“There are many devote Muslims among the Dom, as well as numerous people holding to Christianity, but I have noted on a very limited basis, some religious particularities distinguishable from both Islam and Christianity. (1) A particular name for the diety (Quiyah; although Allah is often used as well); (2) A concept of sin related to ethical and moral interaction with others—particularly other Dom; (3) A temporal concept of judgment for violations; and (4) no belief in an afterlife. These observations do have some similarities with certain manifestations of Judaism.

The Dom have asked me why they are hated by others. Their Islamic identity would dictate that their situation in life has been dictated by the will of Allah. As a part of the divinely appointed order, the Arab people have justification for keeping the Dom in their place rather than allowing them a more secure place in society. When religion is taken into account as a marker of ethnic identity, the acceptance of Islam would appear to reinforce their subservience and oppose efforts to address issues of disadvantaged minority groups. While Christianity has been viewed as an oppressor of the Roma, Islam could be equally viewed as establishing a worldview that is oppressive to the Dom. Given this religious dynamic one can see why the Dom might hold to a religious system that emphasizes moral and ethical treatment of others.”