NATIVE AMERICAN AND INDIGENOUS MUSLIM STORIES:

Provide an accurate representation of Native American and Indigenous Muslims, on their own terms.

Raise awareness, facilitate cultural competency, and offer educational materials tailored for broader community understanding.

Identify the specific needs and assets of Native American and Indigenous Muslims more broadly.

Gain a greater understanding of the views of Native American and Indigenous people of other faiths and no faiths toward Muslims and Islam.

VISIONS AND VOICES

Visions and Voices is the first-ever photo narrative project to center the lived experiences of Native American and Indigenous Muslims in the United States. ISPU researchers conducted 17 in-depth, semi-structured interviews with Native American Muslims over a period of six months. Interviews explored identity, ways to navigate multiple marginalized communities, and insights into participants’ struggles, hopes, and dreams.

NAIMS: VISIONS AND VOICES

TRENDS AND TREASUres

Trends and Treasures is a thematic report of the strengths and struggles of Native American and Indigenous Muslims. It draws on the narratives of participants in the Visions and Voices portion, as well as on a series of focus groups with Native American and Indigenous people of other faiths and no faith.

NAIMS: TRENDS AND TREASURES

Although the research is complete, the concerted, public-facing efforts ISPU has engaged in with the NAIMS project will not end with the publication of this report. There are several important next steps that will continue to unfold in the months and years to come.

Bringing Native and Indigenous Muslim communities together
Our project has brought together a group of Native American and Indigenous Muslims, the majority of whom did not know any other people like them. Several media and public opportunities for engagement have already emerged which have invited our interviewees to participate in. ISPU will continue to share opportunities to participants using the outreach resources available to us.

Future talks
There will continue to be a number of public talks related to the project and its findings. Follow ISPU’s social media profiles to see current event info.

Exhibiting photo narratives
ISPU plans to exhibit the photo-narrative project for years to come. We welcome invitations from museums, Islamic schools, mosques, and any other interested communities who may be interested in displaying the work in their locations.

1. Native Americans’ Muslim Roots & History by Louis Butcher Jr. present at ISNA-MAS Convention in 2017

2. American Genocide – podcast produced by Illuminative

3. Article by Ned Blackhawk: Without Indigenous History, there is no US History

4. A Critical Perspective on Settler Colonialism, White Supremacy, and Social Justice in Social Work, by Autumn Blackdeer and Maria Ocampo

5. The Red Nation Podcast

6. Facts about missing and murdered indigenous women

7. Sovereign Bodies Institute

Brennan McDaniel
Primary Investigator Ph.D. student, Yale University

Dalia Mogahed
Director of Research, Institute for Social Policy and Understanding

Dr. Nida Ahmad
Research Associate Independent researcher and consultant

Huda Rahman
Research Associate Undergraduate student, Vassar College

Nura Maznavi
Writer and editor

Ayesha Mattu
Writer and editor

Maha Elsinbawi
Research Project Manager, Institute for Social Policy and Understanding

Erum Ikramullah
Senior Research Project Manager, Institute for Social Policy and Understanding

Katherine Coplen
Director of Communications, Institute for Social Policy and Understanding

Rebecka Green
Communications and Creative Media Manager, Institute for Social Policy and Understanding

Tahirah Blanding
Communications Campaigns Specialist, Institute for Social Policy and Understanding

Dr. Kyle T. Mays (Saginaw Chippewa)
Ph.D. Associate Professor, Department of African American Studies, the Department of American Indian Studies, & the Department of History, University of California, Los Angeles

Dr. Jennifer Graber
Professor and Associate Chair of Religious Studies, Shive, Lindsay, and Gray Professor in the History of Christianity, and Assistant Director of the Native American & Indigenous Studies Program, University of Texas at Austin (Texas/Tejas)

Leah Salgado (Pascua Yaqui)
Chief Impact Officer, IllumiNative

Photography for this project was conducted by iDigiMedia + Swish Marketing Agency. Stories were developed by Nura Maznavi and Ayesha Mattu.

Suggested citation:

McDaniel, Brennan, Ahmad, Nida, and Rahman, Huda. Native American and Indigenous Muslim Stories: Reclaiming the Narrative Trends and Treasures. ISPU, 2023