CNN asked more than 100 American Muslims who they think the most influential Muslims in their field are, in order to reflect more of the voices of the “diverse and dynamic” U.S. Muslim population. The reporters sought nominees for whom religion is part of their public identity and then let the nominees do the talking.
The result is a “crowd-sourced list of 25 influential American Muslims. They are comedians and congressman, activists and Olympians, fashionistas and political fighters, converts and from-the-cradle believers. They are the children of immigrants and African-Americans whose roots in this country reach back centuries”.
The article contains the profiles and voices of influential Muslims in culture, education, politics, belief and practice, and the media. These include Ibtihaj Muhammad, the first Muslim-American to wear a hijab in an Olympic competition (2016), who also has a Barbie doll modelled after her, and Representative Keith Ellison, the first American-Muslim elected to serve in Congress.
The article can be read here.
Sources
Burke, D. and Stix, M. (2018) ’25 Influential American Muslims’. [online] https://edition.cnn.com/interactive/2018/05/us/influential-muslims/. [Accessed 7 May 2018].
