Research
Making an Impact
ISPU provides objective research and education about American Muslims to support well- informed dialogue and decision-making.
Countering and Dismantling Islamophobia and Anti-Muslim Discrimination
Effectively Address Islamophobia in your Field
Our comprehensive guide for individuals and organizations has a dual purpose. First, to deepen an understanding of what Islamophobia actually is and how it operates. Second, to provide practical, field-specific strategies that people across sectors can use to dismantle it within their own spheres of influence.
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.
Upcoming Events
Upcoming Events
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
Nazita Lajevardi is a political scientist and attorney working primarily in race, ethnic politics, and American politics. Dr. Lajevardi’s research lies at the intersection of religion, race, ethnic
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
Kathleen E. Foley is the founder and principal of Mirador Consulting, LLC. Mirador draws on the diversity of Dr. Foley’s professional training and experience, offering clients services from
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
Dr. Tasneem Siddiqui is a Visiting Assistant Professor in the Department of History, Politics, and Social Justice at Winston-Salem State University. She was an ISPU Fellow and the
Dalia Mogahed is a scholar at the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding. Mogahed is the former Director of Research at ISPU, where she led the organization’s pioneering
Cyra Akila Choudhury is a professor of law at FIU College of Law in Miami, Florida. Her scholarship focuses on religion and property, international and comparative gender, human
Rebecca Karam is a doctoral candidate in sociology at the CUNY Graduate Center in New York City. She received her BA in sociology from University of Michigan-Dearborn. Rebecca
Amal Killawi is a clinical social worker, researcher, and community educator. She serves as a research fellow with the Family & Youth Institute and scholar with the Institute
Moustafa Bayoumi is the author of the critically acclaimed How Does It Feel To Be a Problem?: Being Young and Arab in America (Penguin), which won an American
Hatem Bazian is a co-founder and professor of Islamic law and theology at Zaytuna College, the first accredited Muslim liberal arts college in the United States. In addition,
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
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
Sahar F. Aziz is a Professor of Law and Chancellor’s Social Justice Scholar at Rutgers Law School. Previously she was a Professor of Law at Texas A&M University
Laila Alawa is the Founder and CEO of The Tempest, the global tech and media company changing the narrative of diverse millennial women in the world. Previously, Laila
Radwan Ziadeh is a scholar at the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding (ISPU), a senior fellow at the United States Institute for Peace, and a Dubai Initiative
What Can You Do?
What Can You Do?
Toolkits for Practitioners
ISPU enables changemakers across sectors with effective, implementable resources
Journalists
Policymakers
Educators
Community Leaders
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
