Arizona State University Showcases Muslim American Contributions and Accomplishments

Arizona State University Showcases Muslim American Contributions and Accomplishments The Center of Muslim Experience in the United States draws on ASU’s charter of inclusivity, public values and community impact

BY ANDREA CHATWOOD

Yasmin Saikia and Chad Haines

The Center of Muslim Experience in the United States (CME-US) at Arizona State University (AUS) reflects a pioneering endeavor to advance research and deepen public knowledge on the understudied history of Muslims in the U.S. and their many contributions to American society and culture.

With a student-centered approach, CME-US will facilitate belonging for Muslim students at ASU and work to build mutually beneficial partnerships between Muslim communities across the country and the university. The center, which will be housed in the School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies, is part of the humanities division in The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

“In creating the vision of CME-US, we were inspired by ASU’s mission of being ‘measured not by whom we exclude, but rather by whom we include and how they succeed,’ and by its commitment to research defined by public value,” Chad Haines (associate professor, religious studies, the School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies; co-director, CME-US) told ASU News on August 29. “These values connect with Islamic ethics of acceptance and working for the social good that is evident in Muslim American communities and their experiences, providing CME-US a unique opportunity to bridge diverse worlds and advance ASU’s mission.”

During the first three years, Haines and co-director Yasmin Saikia (Hardt-Nickachos Chair in Peace Studies, the Center for the Study of Religion and Conflict; professor of history, the School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies) will work to develop a faculty- and student-led academic project and write a report on “Global Phoenix and Muslim Lives and Contributions.” The study will document the long history of Muslims in the Valley [of the Sun – a moniker earned for its year-round sun and warm temperatures] and their richly diverse cultures, along with their many contributions to making Phoenix a uniquely global city.

In addition, they plan to conduct a “Connections” seminar bringing together faculty, graduate students and journalists to work on writing about Muslims from a new perspective for wider public dissemination. This work will lead to the creation of a digital virtual museum on Muslim experiences in the U.S.

“The Muslim contribution to world history and culture would be difficult to overstate — and the Muslim experience in the United States has helped to shape the nation,” says Jeffrey Cohen, dean of humanities. “ASU has a population of over 8,000 Muslim faculty, staff and students. They deserve to have their stories, histories and rich cultures valued and shared. Under the leadership of Dr. Haines and Dr. Saikia, CME-US will change the narrative, both locally and nationally, to ensure that the Muslim experience in the U.S. receives the attention it deserves.”

“By creating a space for students to share their own stories, both Muslim and non-Muslim students will benefit from knowing one another and learning to appreciate that socio-cultural differences

can benefit improved community-building locally,” Haines states.

The CME-US will also highlight the diversity and creativity of Muslim Americans and their contributions to American culture by organizing events and performances. The center plans to host poetry readings and musical performances, curate exhibits documenting Muslim lives and invite Muslim stand-up comics, actors, inspirational speakers and writers to ASU for public events.

The husband-and-wife duo of Haines and Saikia have co-edited three books: “Women and Peace in the Islamic World” (2014), “People’s Peace” (2019) and “On Othering” (forthcoming).

“The focus of our books is on sustainable peace forged by everyday lived ethics between people rather than the BandAid solutions of conflict management by international organizations that dominate the field of peace studies. We decided to focus our work on the most misrepresented group in the United States — the Muslims — and tell their story from their perspective to transform the relationship between

IN CREATING THE VISION OF CME-US, WE

WERE INSPIRED BY ASU’S MISSION OF BEING

‘MEASURED NOT BY WHOM WE EXCLUDE, BUT RATHER BY WHOM WE INCLUDE AND HOW THEY

SUCCEED,’ AND BY ITS COMMITMENT TO

RESEARCH DEFINED BY PUBLIC VALUE,” CHAD

HAINES TOLD ASU NEWS ON AUGUST 29.

Muslims and the wider American public,” Saikia says.

She adds, “at the heart of the many misconceptions of Islam are Muslim women. This needs addressing and discussing so we can transform the skewed image and show the reality of how Muslim women in America are contributing to multiple facets of American community life and well-being.”

The center will develop workshops, public lectures and community outreach to schools and local organizations to educate and advance scholarship of ASU faculty and graduate students on Muslim American women.

Combining ASU’s power as the country’s largest university, the support of ASU’s administration and the state’s vibrant and fastest-growing local Muslim community, Saikia and Haines look forward to the work ahead.

Their aim is to show how Muslim experiences can help make the U.S. a more dynamic and inclusive country. ih

Andrea Chatwood is communications specialist at The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

[Editor’s note: Edited and published with permission. See ASU News, Aug. 29, 2022]

Politics and the Pandemic

ISPU’s American Muslim Poll 2022 presents an updated demographic profile of American Muslims

BY DALIA MOGAHED AND ERUM IKRAMULLAH

Fielded between mid-February and mid-March, the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding’s (ISPU) “American Muslim Poll 2022: A Politics and Pandemic Status Report” provides a snapshot of American Muslims, as well as Americans of other faiths and no faith two years into the Covid-19 pandemic as we enter a new phase: living with the virus.

In its sixth installment, this poll presents an updated demographic profile of Muslim Americans, a pre-midterm election exploration of several hot-button issues (e.g., gun control and climate change) and an updated Islamophobia Index among American faith and non-faith groups. Based on the research, we offer a selection of recommendations to various stakeholders in a position to address some of the identified challenges facing American Muslim communities.

CHARACTERISTICS OF MUSLIM AMERICANS ➤ More Likely to Be Young and Low Income, but Just as Likely to be College-Educated

Muslim Americans are younger than all the groups surveyed. About one-quarter of them are between 18 and 29 years old, compared with 2%–12% of the other groups surveyed. Moreover, 7% are aged 65 or older, compared with 22%–39% of the other groups. A younger community is more likely to contribute to the labor force, pay taxes and grow their families. Furthermore, a younger Muslim community means that its youngest members came of age when their community was being targeted and surveilled, never knowing a pre-9/11 America.

Muslim Americans are also the most likely faith community to have low income. One-third of them (33%) have a total household income of $30,000 or less, compared with 12%–26% of the other groups surveyed. About one-fifth of them (22%) have a total household income of $100,000 or more, on par with most of the other groups. Finally, among those aged 25 and older, Muslim Americans (46%) are just as likely as all other groups, except Jews (60%), to have a college degree or higher. ➤ Job Creators

Roughly one in ten Muslims (8%) report being self-employed or owning their own business. This is just as likely or more likely than the other groups. Self-employed Muslims employ an average of eight workers, resulting in an estimated 1.37 million jobs created. ➤ On Par with Other Faith and NonFaith Groups in Military Service

Roughly 83% of Muslims are U.S. citizens, which is the least likely of all other groups (92%–99%). But despite this, they are as likely as others to serve in the military (11% of Muslims, 10% of Catholics and Protestants, 13% of white Evangelicals, and 9% of both the nonaffiliated and the general public). ➤ Across Age and Race, They Remain among the Most Devoted to Their Faith

Seven in ten Muslim Americans say religion is very important to them, second only to white Evangelicals (83%) and more likely than all the other faith groups (35%–65%). Muslims of all ages were equally likely to rate religion as “very important” to their daily life, suggesting that devotion to faith will endure in the next generation. Muslim Americans of different races and ethnicities were also equally likely to hold this view, suggesting that devotion to faith is a common factor unites this diverse community. ➤ The “In sha’ Allah Voter” Gap Closes

Among Muslims who are eligible to vote, 81% are registered, as compared to eligible Protestants (85%), the nonaffiliated (79%) and the general public (84%). Muslim men are more likely than women to be registered (88% vs. 72%, respectively), presenting an opportunity to direct get out the vote (GOTV) efforts to the latter.

In 2016, ISPU identified a segment of the Muslim community as the “in sha’ Allah voter,” those who say they intend to vote but haven’t registered. For the first time in six years, we find no difference between the percentage intending to vote (79%) and the percentage registered to vote (81%). Previously, we found the proportion who actually voted was roughly 20% less than the proportion who said they intended to vote, signaling the need for GOTV campaigning even after people are registered. ➤ Internalized Islamophobia on the Rise

For the fourth year, we measured the Islamophobia Index in regard to the level of the public endorsement of five negative stereotypes associated with this country’s Muslims. The general public scored 25 (on a scale of 0 to 100), on par with 27 in 2020. Muslim Americans scored 26

on the Islamophobia Index, higher than Jewish Americans (17), Protestants (23), the nonaffiliated (22), Catholics (28) and white Evangelicals (30). For Muslims, these scores have increased from 18 (2018) to 26 (2022).

Further analysis reveals that higher Islamophobia Index scores among Muslims are driven primarily by Muslims who identify as “white.” In 2020, white Muslims showed increased Islamophobia with a score of 27, followed by an even larger increase in 2022 with a score of 40, significantly higher than white Evangelicals (30). Further research is news media, political rhetoric and policy. Research suggests that this steady drumbeat of bigoted ideas and state actions have a detrimental impact on the target group’s self-image and mental health.

Another noteworthy and alarming finding was the disproportionately negative views among white Muslims, who are also the most likely to report experiencing “regular” religious discrimination. Some studies on internalized racism have surprisingly found that endorsing negative stereotypes about one’s own group is associated with a higher locus of control.

COMPARED WITH OLDER MUSLIMS, INTERNALIZED ISLAMOPHOBIA IS MORE PREVALENT AMONG YOUNGER MUSLIMS WHO HAVE LIVED MOST OF THEIR POST-9/11 LIVES IN A COUNTRY THAT HAS DEMONIZED THEIR IDENTITY IN POPULAR CULTURE, NEWS MEDIA, POLITICAL RHETORIC AND POLICY.

needed to explain why there has been such a large increase in Islamophobia among white Muslims.

Endorsing negative stereotypes about one’s own community is referred to as “internalized oppression.” According to ISPU scholar Dr. Muniba Saleem (associate professor in media psychology, Intergroup Communication and Diversity, the University of California), “There are well-documented studies showing that minorities can internalize the negative stereotypes of their group and that can influence their self-esteem, psychological distress, motivation, and performance (David et al., 2019; Siy & Cheryan, 2013; Steele et al., 2002). Other research has examined the negative consequences of media stereotypes on minorities’ self-esteem and experiences of shame and embarrassment (Ramasubramanian et al., 2017; Schmadet et al., 2015), as well as concerns of how the majority group will view them (Fujioka, 2005; Tsfati, 2007).”

Compared with older Muslims, internalized Islamophobia is more prevalent among younger Muslims who have lived most of their post-9/11 lives in a country that has demonized their identity in popular culture,

This suggests that internalized prejudice may actually be a defense mechanism against the trauma of bigotry at the hands of the dominant group by agreeing with those in power, but believing that one has the choice to not be like those tropes. More research is needed to fully understand the why and how of internalized Islamophobia. ➤ Remain the Most Likely to Report Experiencing Religious Discrimination

Roughly six in 10 (62%) Muslim Americans report facing religious discrimination in the past year, more likely than all other groups surveyed and on par with levels of discrimination reported in the past five years. About half of the Jewish Americans reported facing religious discrimination, making them the next group most likely to do so compared with the other groups (13%–32%).

Among those who reported facing religious discrimination in the past year, we asked about whether it occurred in various settings. We find Muslims were more likely than the general public to experience religious discrimination when applying for a job (37% vs. 6%, respectively), interacting with law enforcement (38% vs. 10%, respectively), at the airport (44% vs. 3%, respectively), seeking healthcare services (27% vs. 8%, respectively), and on social media from social media platforms themselves (46% vs. 36%, respectively).

Muslims were also more likely to face religious discrimination in interpersonal interactions. Roughly four in 10 Muslims (43%) reported facing discrimination from co-workers, more often than Jews (29%) and the general public (23%). Additionally, 56% of Muslims who report experiencing discrimination said it came from other social media users, on par with the 51% of Jews and more likely than the general public (45%). ➤ Muslims Families Remain the Most Likely to Have Child Bullied for Their Religion

As noted in 2017 and 2020, Islamophobia’s impact isn’t limited to adults. Their children are also impacted in the form of bullying. In 2022, we find that 48% of Muslim families with school-age children reported having a child who faced religious-based bullying during the past year. This is more likely than Jewish families (13%) and the general public (18%). One-fifth of Muslim families report that the bullying occurred nearly every day. When asked who bullied their child, the parents mentioned students and adults, both online and in person. ih

Dalia Mogahed is director of research at the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding in Washington, D.C. Erum Ikramullah is research project manager at ISPU.