ISPU works towards an America where all Muslims are thriving and equal. We study the most diverse faith community in America and strive to ensure that all Muslim communities are represented through our research and education projects.
It is therefore vitally important to uplift Black Muslim experiences throughout our work and organization. However, we have yet to successfully create equity with the presence of Black Muslim voices, experiences, and expertise—despite the fact that Black Muslims represent one-third of the American Muslim community, pioneered in establishing and growing Islam in America, and have borne the brunt of racial injustice and racism throughout our county’s history.
To continue to address this important priority, ISPU established a staff and board racial equity committee. This committee is charged with addressing racial equity throughout the organization.
As part of this initiative, and to specifically address racial equity within our research and education work, we successfully secured funding for the Black Muslim Research Working Group in 2020, a project we conceptualized three years before as a part of our organization’s strategic planning. The Working Group provides a proactive way to examine our research and education projects to ensure that we are amplifying and uplifting Black Muslim experiences and creating an anti-racist organizational culture within our programming. The ISPU Working Group on Black Muslim Research is a key component of our broader racial equity work. It is also an integral component of our research and education work overall, informing every aspect of our projects from inception to implementation.
The ISPU Working Group on Black Muslim Research was critical in shaping the Black Muslim Experiences Research Fellowship, as well as selecting our inaugural Black Muslim Experiences Research Fellow, Rasheed El Shabazz. Working group members will continue to work with Mr. Shabazz in an advisory capacity throughout his fellowship.
We are pleased to announce that we have secured funding to continue the ISPU Working Group for Black Muslim Research for another year between April 2022–March 2023. Meet these leaders and scholars below.
Ihsan Bagby is an associate professor in the department of Islamic Studies at the University of Kentucky whose research focuses on Muslims in America. In 2001, he published the results of the first comprehensive study of mosques in America, entitled The Mosque in America: A National Portrait. Based on the 2001 study, Dr. Bagby published four articles, “Imams and Mosque Organizations in the United States” in Muslims in the United States, “A Profile of African American Mosques” in Journal of the Interdenominational Theological Center, “Attitudes of Mosque Participants Towards America” in A Nation of Religions: The Politics of Pluralism in Multireligious America, and “The Mosque in the American Public Square” in Muslims’ Place in the American Public Square.
Dr. Bagby is the author of the US Mosque Survey, a comprehensive statistical study of mosques located in the United States. The survey is an ongoing decadal survey which was conducted previously in 2000 and 2010. The US Mosque Survey 2020 was co-published by ISPU in collaboration with the Center on Muslim Philanthropy and the Islamic Society of North America.
Latifat O. Cabirou, Ph.D. (pronouns she/her) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Special Education, Rehabilitation and Counseling at Auburn University and Licensed Clinical Psychologist. Her scholarship examines how the intersections of race, ethnicity, and immigration influence psychological health and relational functioning among Black diasporans. Her current research agenda focuses on acculturation, cultural identity and cultural socialization experiences of black African immigrants. Her scholarship seeks to advance culturally responsive theory, practice and policy by promoting culturally grounded understandings of resilience, identity and psychological well-being. Dr. Cabirou is also a dedicated teacher and mentor. She enjoys teaching courses in clinical skills and interventions, research methods, psychopathology, and multicultural counseling. She is dedicated to mentoring students, supporting them throughout their training, and guiding them toward achieving their career goals. Dr. Cabirou also has a clinical practice where she provides therapy services to adolescents and adults, as well as mental health and diversity consultation services to community organizations.
Salima Suswell is a highly accomplished entrepreneur, political strategist, organizer, and community leader. She has established and continues to expertly guide multiple companies and organizations, all with the underlying goal of enhancing and empowering underserved communities. Among her various roles, Suswell is Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Evolve Solutions LLC, an award-winning management consulting firm serving at the intersection of politics and public policy.
In 2023, Suswell founded the Black Muslim Leadership Council (BLMC), where she serves as Chief Executive Officer. This national nonprofit organization with a 501(c)(4) arm is dedicated to policy advocacy for urban communities, nonpartisan voter registration and turnout, civic education, and leadership development. In the State of Pennsylvania, Suswell made history in 2017 as the first Muslim woman appointed to the Pennsylvania Governor’s Advisory Commission on Women by Governor Tom Wolf. She was reappointed to this prestigious Commission in 2023 by Governor Josh Shapiro. In the City of Philadelphia, Suswell was appointed by Mayor Jim Kenney in 2020 to the Mayor’s Commission for Faith-Based and Interfaith Affairs. In 2024, she was appointed by Mayor Cherelle Parker to the Mayor’s Commission for Muslim Engagement. Suswell has been recognized with numerous awards and distinguished honors by the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, Pennsylvania State Senate, Philadelphia City Council, Women-UP Organization, Muslim Youth Association, The Philadelphia Public Record, and The Philadelphia Tribune, among others. She was honored by The Philadelphia Inquirer as a Diversity and Inclusion Pioneer in 2019, and named a Faith Leader to Watch in 2022 by the Center for American Progress. In 2023, Suswell was presented with the Keeper of the Flame Award by the United Negro College Fund (UNCF), where she serves on the Leadership Council for the organization’s Philadelphia Chapter. In 2024, she received the Impact Award from City & State Pennsylvania magazine, and the Leader in Community Service Award from The Muslim Journal. Suswell is a graduate of Drexel University’s Lebow College of Business. She and her family reside in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Dr. Nisa Muhammad is the Assistant Dean for Religious Life. She is responsible for programming that serves the faith, service, and justice needs of the Howard University community. Dr. Muhammad organizes Muslim worship services and answers questions about challenges from race to religion to relationships. She is also the advisor to the Muslim Students Association, the Youth Justice Advocates, the Nepalese Students Association and the Chess Club. Dr. Muhammad is on the executive boards of the ACSLHE (Association for Chaplaincy and Spiritual Life in Higher Education) and the Institute for Muslim Mental Health. She is the past president of the Association of Muslim Chaplains.
2021: Quaiser Abdullah, PhD, Zaheer Ali, Muhammad Khalifa, PhD, Precious Muhammad
2022: Quaiser Abdullah, PhD, Ihsan Bagby, PhD, Precious Muhammad, Kameelah Mu’min Oseguera, PsyD
2023: Quaiser Abdullah, PhD, Ihsan Bagby, PhD, Precious Muhammad, Jamillah Karim, PhD
2024: Su’ad Abdul Khabeer, PhD, Ihsan Bagby, PhD Precious Muhammad, Jamillah Karim, PhD
2025: Su’ad Abdul Khabeer, PhD, Ihsan Bagby, PhD, Precious Muhammad, Jamillah Karim, PhD
