Authentically Reclaiming the Narrative about Islam and Muslims

When polled, most Americans say they do not know a Muslim. More than 80 percent of media coverage about Islam and Muslims is negative, and Muslims have often found themselves at the center of social and political debate. When it comes to Muslim Americans, the narrative is more often created about our community by the media and by politicians, not by Muslim Americans themselves. If American Muslims do not define themselves individually and collectively, they leave themselves vulnerable to being defined by others.