Research
Making an Impact
ISPU provides objective research and education about American Muslims to support well- informed dialogue and decision-making.
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
Page: Home
Page: Home
Page: Home
Our Research
Our work makes impact in the following areas:
How We Create Impact
Discover
Educate
We translate research into accessible resources, toolkits, and educational materials for diverse audiences.
Equip
Our strategy of equipping leaders multiplies our impact as the data lives on in the work of those who catalyze change.
ISPU in the News
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.
Challenges We Address
Misinformation & Bias
Addressing misconceptions and providing factual data about American Muslim communities.
Policy Gaps
Community Needs
Understanding and articulating the diverse needs of American Muslim families.
Explore More Recent Reports
Choose To Power Research
Featured Toolkit
COUNTERING AND DISMANTLING ISLAMOPHOBIA
ISPU Scholars
Manijeh Daneshpour is a professor of marriage and family therapy in the department of couple and family therapy at Alliant International University in Irvine, California and a licensed
Faiqa Mahmood is a researcher at the Institute of Social Policy and Understanding (ISPU), whose efforts have been instrumental on the Reimagining Muslim Spaces (RMS) study. Ms. Mahmood
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,
Nancy A. Khalil completed her PhD in Anthropology at Harvard University and is currently a Postdoctoral Fellow at Yale’s Center on Race, Indigeneity and Transnational Migration. Her research
Hamada Hamid Altalib is a Senior Fellow and former Director for the Center for Global Health at ISPU. He is also an Assistant Professor in the Departments of
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
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
John O. Voll is Professor Emeritus of Islamic History and past Associate Director of the Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.
Quaiser Abdullah, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Communication and Social Influence Department in Klein College of Media and Communication at Temple University. He primarily teaches courses
Brennan McDaniel is a PhD student in the Department of American Studies at Yale University. Drawing from Native American studies, Islamic studies, postcolonialism, and psychoanalysis, his research concentrates
Dr. Ayaz Hyder is an Associate Professor in the College of Public Health and Core Faculty in the Translational Data Analytics Institute at The Ohio State University. Dr.
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
Halima Al-Khattab is an experienced health behavior researcher and community leader with a demonstrated history of working in academic, clinical, and community settings. Al-Khattab is skilled in nonprofit
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
Lance D. Laird is Assistant Professor in the Family Medicine Department and the Graduate Division of Religious Studies at Boston University. He began studying the Islamic tradition as
Daniel Tutt, Ph.D. is a filmmaker, philosopher and interfaith activist. His research for ISPU looks at Muslims in America, Islamophobia, and inter-religious dialogue. Daniel is co-editor of a
What Can You Do?
What Can You Do?
Toolkits for Practitioners
ISPU enables changemakers across sectors with effective, implementable resources
Policymakers
Educators
Community Leaders
Journalists
Explore More Recent Reports
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
