Research
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ISPU provides objective research and education about American Muslims to support well- informed dialogue and decision-making.
Countering and Dismantling Islamophobia and Anti-Muslim Discrimination
Effectively Address Islamophobia in your Field
Our comprehensive guide for individuals and organizations has a dual purpose. First, to deepen an understanding of what Islamophobia actually is and how it operates. Second, to provide practical, field-specific strategies that people across sectors can use to dismantle it within their own spheres of influence.
Islamophobia Spikes in 2026 Election Cycle
Research shows that Islamophobia intensifies during election seasons, when anti-Muslim rhetoric is deliberately used as a tool to advance specific policies or candidates. And, Saher Selod writes in ISPU’s Substack, as current political rhetoric targeting Muslims increases with campaigning for the midterm elections, Republicans in states like Texas and Oklahoma are in active attack mode against their Muslims constituents. Photo of Ken Paxton by Gage Skidmore
Abdul El-Sayed’s nomination sits at the intersection of two important trends the data bear out: American Muslims are becoming more visible, organized, and engaged in American political life, even as public endorsement of anti-Muslim stereotypes is rising. In a new Substack, Tuqa Nusairat writes about the escalating anti-Muslim rhetoric after El-Sayed’s primary win in Michigan—and how Muslims may respond.
American Muslim Poll 2025
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Our Research
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We translate research into accessible resources, toolkits, and educational materials for diverse audiences.
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Our strategy of equipping leaders multiplies our impact as the data lives on in the work of those who catalyze change.
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to inform stories about Muslim communities in the United States.
Our Impact
I remember the first time I learned ISPU’s facts and data about American Muslims and anti-Muslim discrimination, and the impact it had on my own understanding of the ways that anti-Muslim bigotry shows up in our country. It completely shifted my paradigm of what it means to love my Muslim neighbors from one of charity to mutual solidarity. It helped me to see the role that I have to play from where I’m situated, understanding that my own sense of freedom and dignity is tied to that of my Muslim neighbors.
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Addressing misconceptions and providing factual data about American Muslim communities.
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Understanding and articulating the diverse needs of American Muslim families.
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COUNTERING AND DISMANTLING ISLAMOPHOBIA
ISPU Scholars
Altaf Husain serves as an Associate Professor and chair of the Community, Administration and Policy Practice concentration in the Howard University School of Social Work, in Washington DC.
Maryam Razvi Padela is an educator and researcher. Her particular interests include investigating pedagogy used while teaching and learning about religion. Her dissertation was titled “The Representation and
Dr. Sahar Khamis is an associate professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Maryland, College Park. She is an expert on Arab and Muslim media,
Abdulkader Sinno is an Associate Professor of Political Science and Middle Eastern Studies at Indiana University, Bloomington. He received his PhD from UCLA in 2002, was a CISAC
Dr. Alisa Perkins earned her doctoral degree in anthropology at the University of Texas at Austin. She serves as Associate Professor of comparative religion at Western Michigan University.
Nazita Lajevardi is a political scientist and attorney working primarily in race, ethnic politics, and American politics. Dr. Lajevardi’s research lies at the intersection of religion, race, ethnic
Kumar Rao is a lawyer and advocate with years of experience partnering with grassroots organizations and elected officials in the fight to strengthen our democracy, and for racial
Dalia Mogahed is a scholar at the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding. Mogahed is the former Director of Research at ISPU, where she led the organization’s pioneering
Carey Shenkman is an attorney, litigator, and author specializing in human rights and Constitutional law. He works with numerous organizations, including ISPU, CAIR, the Center for Constitutional Rights
Hatem Bazian is a co-founder and professor of Islamic law and theology at Zaytuna College, the first accredited Muslim liberal arts college in the United States. In addition,
Arsalan Iftikhar is an international human rights lawyer, global media commentator and author of the book SCAPEGOATS: How Islamophobia Helps Our Enemies & Threatens Our Freedoms which President
Kristine J. Ajrouch, PhD, is Professor of Sociology at Eastern Michigan University. She is also Adjunct Research Professor at the Institute for Social Research at the University of
Cyra Akila Choudhury is a professor of law at FIU College of Law in Miami, Florida. Her scholarship focuses on religion and property, international and comparative gender, human
Kathleen E. Foley is the founder and principal of Mirador Consulting, LLC. Mirador draws on the diversity of Dr. Foley’s professional training and experience, offering clients services from
Saeed A. Khan is currently in the Department of History and Lecturer in the Department of Near East & Asian Studies at Wayne State University-Detroit, Michigan, where he
Engy Abdelkader is an award-winning attorney and scholar who has worked with Muslims, Arabs and South Asians since 9/11 to address Islamophobia. Her research and writing explores religious
What Can You Do?
What Can You Do?
Toolkits for Practitioners
ISPU enables changemakers across sectors with effective, implementable resources
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Conducted by the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding (ISPU) in partnership with Stanford’s Muslim Mental Health and Islamic Psychology Lab, this qualitative study
