This benchmark study, the first of its kind on the Bay Area’s Muslim community, serves many purposes including providing groundbreaking data on its demographics, sense of identity, economic well being, political and civic engagement, and the challenges that it faces. The resulting data is useful for academics and practitioners wishing to pursue further research, as well as for the community and its leaders, philanthropists and foundations, policymakers, and the general public. As a source of information, it will serve as an important tool for advocacy and media purposes, given that data about the community has often been misrepresented. Finally, the report will add to and complement the growing body of empirical data on local Muslim communities and the national portrait. ... » read more

This report assesses the constitutional changes under discussion as Turkey, Egypt, and Tunisia draft new constitutions; compares their judicial systems, civil institutions, civil and minority rights; and analyzes Islam’s role in each country to evaluate its relationship to democracy. Turkey’s success has been largely due to its healthy economy, which can serve as a key learning model for Tunisia and Egypt. Despite their individual differences, the Turkish model remains an example to observe, learn from, and emulate, especially as Turkey moves forward in its foreign policy to become a leading voice among Muslim nations. ... » read more

This pilot study initiates the process of documenting the prevalence of alcohol use among this specific population and to explore potential areas of intervention. In particular, this pilot study examines the relationship of alcohol use and various factors: family, religiosity, personal beliefs, and social influences. Our research combined an innovative sampling technique – respondent-driven sampling – with a web-based survey to gather data on this difficult-to-reach group. ... » read more

This report is for American Muslims who want to better understand sharia in order to explain it to others, and for non-Muslim Americans who seek an explanation of sharia at a higher level of sophistication than is available in popular media. It should be noted that this report does not seek to change the minds of anti-sharia advocates or to provide point-by-point responses to their propaganda. Rather, it seeks to provide an informed exposition of some basic concepts of Islamic law so that Americans can intelligently engage in and raise the quality of this ongoing public conversation. ... » read more

This report assesses the radicalization of Muslim prisoners in post-9/11 America. In the last decade, Muslim prisoners have been scrutinized for ties to terrorist and other extremist organizations, not to mention characterized as both a “threat” and a “danger” to national security, due to the in?uence of foreign jihadist movements. However, closer scrutiny shows that these fears have failed to materialize—indeed, despite the existence of an estimated 350,000 Muslim prisoners, there is little evidence of widespread radicalization or successful foreign recruitment, and only one documented case of prison-based terrorist activity. ... » read more