Anti-Muslim bias has a presence within mainstream faith communities. Religious leaders can be among the most important agents in dismantling it.
Acts of Islamophobia have become increasingly mainstream. ISPU's Islamophobia Index shows sharp rises in anti-Muslim attitudes across the general population — and particularly among white Evangelicals, Catholics, Jews, and Protestants between 2022 and 2025 — revealing that anti-Muslim bias is no longer confined to extremist groups but has grown within mainstream faith communities.
Religious leaders and influential community members can be important agents in dismantling Islamophobia within their communities. There are several organizations doing the work of bringing together religious leaders from different faiths to work on ways to dismantle anti-Muslim animosity and discrimination. The following section highlights relevant report statistics from the American Muslim Poll 2025, insights from additional past reports exploring the issues among segmented audiences, and key recommendations for faith leaders to take action.
According to ISPU’s American Muslim Poll 2025, Muslims are the most ethnically diverse religious group in America, and notably, the only group without a majority racial or ethnic group.
The largest demographic among American Muslims is Black or African American Muslims at 28%, followed closely by those who identify as Asian (24%), white (20%), Arab (12%), and Hispanic (9%). Less than one percent of Muslims identify as Native American or Indigenous. In contrast, as the chart below illustrates, all other faith groups have white as their dominant ethnic majority. Our research finds that within racial/ethnic groups, Islamophobia presents in nuanced forms.
ISPU's American Muslim Poll 2025 found that the vast majority of American Muslims (89%) indicated that religion is important to their daily life, second only to white Evangelicals (97%). Muslims are more likely than Protestants (82%), Catholics (72%), and Jews (44%) to hold this view.
Indicated that religion is important to their daily life — second only to white Evangelicals (97%), and more likely than Protestants (82%), Catholics (72%), and Jews (44%).
This high level of religious commitment is consistent across all age groups among Muslims, with approximately 60%–70% rating religion as very important to daily life regardless of age. This contrasts sharply with the general U.S. population, where religiosity increases significantly with age, from just 17% of young adults to 43% of those 50 and older.
Additionally, 44% of Muslims reported attending religious services once a week or more. This is higher than almost all other groups, including Jews (10%), Catholics (22%), and the general public (23%), and only second to white Evangelicals at 59%.
Data from ISPU’s American Muslim Poll 2025 shows that the majority of all religious groups surveyed did not engage in interfaith work in the year prior. When comparing those who did report participating in interfaith work, however, Muslims (17%) and white Evangelicals (20%) were more likely than all other groups (3%–6%). One implication of this finding may be that most Americans have a very specific or narrow view or definition of interfaith work. Further research is needed to assess Americans’ ideas about the scope of interfaith work.
Troublingly, ISPU’s American Muslim Poll 2025 found that the Islamophobia Index, a tool created by ISPU to measure and track the degree to which people endorse anti-Muslim stereotypes, has risen sharply since 2022. Among the general U.S. population, the index jumped from 25 in 2022 to 33 in 2025.
This increase was felt across faith communities as well. The sharpest rises were recorded among white Evangelicals (up 15 points), Catholics (up 12 points), and Jews (up 11 points) between 2022 and 2025. Protestants also saw a significant increase, rising 7 points from 23 to 30. The only group whose score remained essentially unchanged was the non-affiliated, whose score moved marginally from 22 to 25.
When looking at the Islamophobia Index among racial and ethnic groups, ISPU found the Islamophobia Index score for Black Americans remained relatively stable between 2022 and 2025, rising only modestly from 26 to 29 points; however, the American Muslim Poll 2019 finding that Black Americans exhibited relatively high levels of Islamophobia prompted ISPU and the Muslim Wellness Foundation to conduct a dedicated study exploring the roots of this phenomenon among Black Christians specifically.
The study, Perceptions of American Muslims and Islam among Black Christians: Findings, Recommendations, and Implications for Interfaith Engagement, revealed that much of the mainstream conversation around Islamophobia has been viewed through a white lens, resulting in Islamophobia within minority communities remaining largely unexamined. Several factors were found to shape Black Christians’ perceptions of Islam:
Surprisingly, the Nation of Islam and figures like Malcolm X remained the primary reference points for how many Black Christians perceive Black Muslims, despite the fact that only 2% of Black Muslims identify with the Nation of Islam today.
The study offers the following recommendations for Christian leadership to foster understanding between Christians and Muslims.
For the complete list of recommendations, please visit the study page here.
The 2024 ISPU report Hindu Nationalism in America: Assessing the Influence of Hindutva Ideology in the U.S. was produced against the backdrop of growing concern about the transnational spread of Hindutva, an ethno-religious nationalism rooted in the belief in Hindu civilizational supremacy, from India into American political and civic life. The study was motivated in part by the influence of Indian diaspora groups in mobilizing U.S. support for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s BJP government, which has overseen discriminatory laws and rising anti-Muslim rhetoric in India since its 2014 election victory.
Surveying 604 self-identified Hindus residing in the U.S. alongside 704 members of the general public, the study found notable disparities in anti-Muslim sentiment between the two groups. Using ISPU’s Islamophobia Index, a five-point scale measuring endorsement of false negative stereotypes about Muslims, researchers found that Hindu respondents scored higher than the general public (44 vs. 36). Hindu respondents were more likely to endorse four of the five index measures, including associations of Muslims with violence, hostility to the U.S., being less civilized, and collective blame for the actions of other Muslims. Particularly striking was the finding that political identity offered little moderating effect: Hindu respondents with self-described liberal views scored nearly identically to those with non-liberal views (43 vs. 44), a pattern that stands in sharp contrast to the general public, where liberal respondents scored lower than their non-liberal counterparts (27 vs. 40). These attitudes extended into policy as well: while an overwhelming majority of Hindu respondents (78%) expressed a desire to live in a country where no one is targeted for their religion, 38% supported banning the hijab in public schools and universities in the U.S., which is significantly higher than the rate of the general public (22%). The study did find, however, that interpersonal contact offers some corrective: Hindu respondents with a close Muslim friend scored substantially lower on the Islamophobia Index than those without such a relationship (37 vs. 52), suggesting that proximity and personal connection can chip away at even deeply held bias.
The study did find that interpersonal contact offers some corrective: Hindu respondents with a close Muslim friend scored substantially lower on the Islamophobia Index than those without such a relationship — suggesting that proximity and personal connection can chip away at even deeply held bias.
Despite the troubling rise in Islamophobia, there are encouraging signs worth highlighting. Support for the “Muslim Ban” has declined meaningfully since it was first introduced during President Trump’s first term in office. This has held true especially among Jewish communities, as support dropped from 24% in 2018 to 15% in 2025. The general public followed a similar trend, with support falling from 28% in 2018 to 20% in 2025. While there is still work to be done, these declines suggest that sustained education and interfaith efforts are successful in shifting public opinion over time.
Additionally, ISPU’s American Muslim Poll 2025 found that there was notable common ground between Muslims and Jews on a few key policy issues. The majority of both communities oppose the Trump administration policies aimed at suppressing pro-Palestinian activism and free expression, including the displacement of Palestinians from Gaza, opposed by 63% of Muslims and 52% of Jews, as well as the deportation of students for pro-Palestinian speech and protests, opposed by 64% of Muslims and 61% of Jews.
This shared opposition has also been visible on the ground: significant numbers of Jewish Americans, particularly students, have stood in solidarity with Muslims through protest and direct action, and faith communities across traditions have joined interfaith calls to end U.S. funding of the war in Gaza. Together, these shared positions point to meaningful opportunities for interfaith solidarity and coalition-building on issues of civil liberties and human rights.
The Latino community offers another encouraging example of interfaith common ground. ISPU’s American Muslim Poll 2019 found that Latino Americans have significantly lower levels of Islamophobia compared to white and Black Americans (23 vs. 28 and 33, respectively). This finding prompted a dedicated study, Latino Attitudes toward American Muslims and Islam, which examined the views of Latino Americans who were not Muslims to better understand this phenomenon. The research identified several contributing factors: a sense of solidarity rooted in shared experiences with discrimination; a common immigrant experience centered on hard work and family values; personal interactions with Muslims in schools, workplaces, and neighborhoods; and a recognition of parallels between Islam and Christianity. This latter factor is particularly relevant given that approximately 67% of Latino Americans identify as Christian. The American Muslim Poll 2025, however, revealed a troubling shift: the Islamophobia Index rose most sharply among Latino Americans in the general public, jumping from 25 in 2022 to 34 in 2025, suggesting these protective factors may be eroding.
Yet even in 2019, the study found that Islamophobia persisted within the Latino community. The primary driver was perceived misogyny, as many participants believed Muslim women are mistreated, drawing comparisons to machismo culture while viewing Latino culture as more progressive. Additionally, media stereotypes of Muslims as violent or extremist and perceptions of Islam as too strict or exclusive compared to Christianity were also contributing factors.
Encouragingly, these attitudes were found to be far from entrenched. When participants were provided with brief and basic educational information about Islam, many were open to shifting their views, suggesting that targeted outreach and interfaith engagement within Latino communities holds real promise for reducing Islamophobia further.
The study offers recommendations for faith leaders in the Latino community to dismantle Islamophobia and build bridges between Muslims and Christians:
For the complete list of recommendations, please visit the study page here.
The following recommendations are for faith leaders of all traditions seeking to build coalitions, bridge divides, and deepen understanding across religious differences. Learn more and reach out to multifaith organizations and initiatives that are working to address Islamophobia such as the Shoulder to Shoulder Campaign: Standing with American Muslims, Advancing American Ideals. You’ll find there is a much larger ecosystem of people, organizations, and efforts to connect with. The recommendations below are adapted from Countering Anti-Muslim Opposition to Mosque and Islamic Center Construction and Expansion, Shoulder to Shoulder Campaign’s Annual Ramadan Initiative, Allied Against Hate: A Toolkit for Faith Communities, Should to Shoulder Campaign’s A Faith-Rooted Primer for Understanding and Addressing Bigotry in the United States, and the Yaqeen Institute’s Civic Engagement Toolkit.
Stand together in coalition for religious freedoms and fairness and demonstrate unity and mutual respect. Strengthening diverse relationships and coalitions through consistent engagement and community building over time allows for mutual support when it matters the most.
For example, build a coalition with community partners, including local businesses, houses of worship, and civic leaders, to promote civic engagement or to provide testimony in hearings and highlight the positive impact of diverse houses of worship.
The data suggests that Islamophobia is more politically driven (ideology and partisanship) than religious in nature, so reach out to diverse groups and communities, across racial, class, and cultural divides, to people of all faiths and no faith. Dismantle Islamophobia in coalition with other impacted communities, and work to end racism and religious bigotry more generally.
Sharing one meal won’t change the world, but it’s one step toward building the relationships and infrastructures needed to enter into mutual solidarity and to build a society we long to see. Start small and build momentum.
Tenets like loving one’s neighbor, welcoming the stranger, and protecting the vulnerable can be called upon to demonstrate that countering Islamophobia is an essential expression of one’s faith and beliefs.
Be expedient, use positive framing, and avoid reinforcing stereotypes and giving false credence to opposition claims.
Developing religious literacy and learning about Islam alongside other religions is essential. Studies indicate that knowing something about Islam is an even stronger predictor of lower Islamophobia than knowing a Muslim personally.
Incorporate research and evidence into khutbahs to address topics relevant to the concerns of American Muslims and to ground Islamic teachings in the lived experiences of Muslim congregants. Sermons that incorporate research on American Muslims have the potential to build relevance and foster empathy among congregants of all religious backgrounds.
Refrain from engaging with online content that could be harmful or that is not confirmed or validated. Engaging with such content online, even if just to correct it, can increase the reach of these messages based on how algorithms are designed. Similarly, when interacting in person, do not repeat harmful narratives and false tropes as this can reaffirm false messages in people’s minds.
This includes how they worship, where they were born, or what members/leaders of their community do. Lean into your position as a faith leader by providing and showing your communities alternative ways to address fears and grievances.
When engaging with members of your community who are misinformed, seek to “call them in” rather than “call them out.” Prioritize de-escalating the situation first by recognizing and speaking to the feelings and experiences of the person. When defense mechanisms are lowered, share new information based on facts.
Show up for impacted communities, center their voices, and ask how best to support them rather than assuming. Speak up both publicly and within your congregation. Offer continuous support and solidarity with impacted groups in the weeks and months following incidents.
Encourage others to also register and vote through personal messages, phone banking, knocking on doors, and other canvassing options. Stay engaged with people who seek involvement in civic engagement.
Engage in civic participation such as attending city council meetings, staying informed about local bills and ordinances, and join a local campaign to volunteer your strengths and skills for an issue you support.
Give khutbahs that address the social and political realities of Muslims and call for greater civic engagement. Ensure that those delivering sermons are educated on 501c3 rules and are educated about public messaging in an era where recorded content is frequently clipped.
These are spaces where community members can hear from and learn about local candidates, issues, and campaigns
Topics may include how the political system works, voting, know your rights, and the history of Black American political engagement and the Civil Rights Movement.
Islamophobia is a form of discrimination, bias, and racism against Muslims and consequently those who appear to be Muslim that relies on stereotypes of Muslims and Islam that can result in their unequal treatment. Islamophobia is structural and can be seen in American social structures, laws and policies, media narratives, and ideologies. It also exists in interpersonal interactions between individuals that result in the unjust treatment of Muslims and those misidentified as Muslims in society.
