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DR. MARYAM BLACKEAGLE | Miami Tribe and
Wea Tribe of Indiana | Hubbard Lake, Michigan

NATIVE AMERICAN AND INDIGENOUS MUSLIM STORIES:

Reclaiming the Narrative

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Native Americans are often invisible in our public discussion of America, and even more so in any discussion of Muslims in the United States. As a group, Native Americans broadly make up 1.8% of the US general population. As such, they are often overlooked, invisible and underrepresented in public conversations and decision-making. And Muslims broadly make up an estimated 1.1% of the US general population. Among Muslims in the United States, Native Americans make up just 1-2%. There is an absence of awareness and lack of representation of Native American and Indigenous Muslims both in the broader US public and within the US Muslim community.

Native American and Indigenous Muslim Stories: Reclaiming the Narrative project (NAIMS), the first comprehensive study of its kind, is centered around spreading awareness of the lived experiences of Native American and Indigenous Muslims in the United States.

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This project seeks to:

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.

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Native American and Indigenous Muslim Stories: Reclaiming the Narrative exists in two parts.

HUSSAIN ITAWI | MONACAN INDIAN NATION| DEARBORN, MI

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
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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

AMOR CREY | NAHUA, OTOMI, HUICHOL, WIXARITARI, TARAHUMARA, PURÉPECHA | SAN DIEGO, CA

DOWNLOAD NAIMS: RECLAIMING THE NARRATIVE | TRENDS AND TREASURES REPORT FILES

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This project is published in partnership with and made possible by generous support from the Doris Duke Foundation and with support from IllumiNative.

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The mission of Doris Duke Foundation’s Building Bridges Program is to support national efforts, working with U.S. Muslims, to increase mutual understanding and well-being among diverse populations for the benefit of building stronger, inclusive communities.

IllumiNative is a Native woman-led racial and social justice organization dedicated to challenging the narrative about Native peoples.

ISPU provides objective research and education about American Muslims to support well-informed dialogue and decision-making. Our research aims to educate the general public and enable community change agents, the media, and policymakers to make evidence-based decisions.

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Listen and Learn

Listen to podcast episodes discussing the NAIMS project and to excerpts of participant stories in their own words.

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Native American and Indigenous Muslim Stories: Preview Video
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NEXT STEPS
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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.

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DAVID BALL | Oklahoma Chocktaw | Palo Alto

Bring NAIMS to your neighborhood

Want to set up your own exhibit? ISPU offers downloadable portraits, a discussion guide, and other materials for hosting your own NAIMS exhibit. Fill out this form to receive the materials.

NAIMS EXHIBIT INTEREST FORM
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Educational sources for broader public
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ALYSSA CRAIN | Oglala Lakota | Detroit, MI

RESEARCH TEAM
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
ADVISORS
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
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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