Institute for Social Policy and Understanding - ISPU

09/22/2026

Beyond the ballot box: ISPU's latest American Muslim Poll finds Muslim civic engagement has grown substantially since 2019. Muslim contact with federal elected officials rose from 17% to 31% over that period, nearly doubling, and now exceeding the general public's rate of contact.

Muslims also lead all faith groups measured in town hall attendance (23%) and rank among the top groups in campaign volunteering (15%).

For organizations and campaigns building coalitions ahead of the 2026 midterms, this is an electorate that shows up in more ways than one.

Explore more on Muslim civic engagement in our latest deep dive on Muslim voters: https://hubs.li/Q04xHbvg0

09/18/2026

American Muslims participate in civic life at rates comparable to or exceeding most other religious groups. Muslim voter registration climbed from 60% in 2016 to 85% in 2025. Muslims lead all faith groups in town hall attendance. And as of 2026, five Muslims serve in the U.S. Congress, alongside dozens more in state and local office nationwide.

But that growing representation comes with a cost. Muslim candidates face Islamophobic attacks questioning their loyalty and patriotism, from 'terrorist' labeling to explicit calls for deportation. One analysis of a single 2025 mayoral race by the Center for the Study of Organized Hate found over 35,000 Islamophobic posts targeting a Muslim candidate, reaching an estimated 1.5 billion people.

ISPU's toolkit chapter for civic, policy, and political leaders lays out what elected officials and organizers can do: expand civic participation, build authentic community relationships, and take Islamophobia seriously as a threat to democratic norms.

Today, on National Muslim Voter Registration Day, share the toolkit with someone working in this space: https://hubs.li/Q04xFCZv0

09/17/2026

New data: ISPU's Islamophobia Index shows anti-Muslim sentiment among the general public jumped from 25 in 2022 to 33 in 2025, the sharpest rise since ISPU began measuring in 2018. The increase was steepest among white Evangelicals, Catholics, and Jewish Americans.

What's especially notable: ISPU's research links higher Islamophobia scores to greater support for policies like the so-called Muslim Ban and expanded immigration enforcement. Rising anti-Muslim sentiment doesn't just affect Muslims, it predicts support for policies that erode rights more broadly.

Explore more in our new toolkit on countering and dismantling anti-Muslim discrimination: https://hubs.li/Q04xFFkK0

09/15/2026

Today is National Voter Registration Day 📝

Muslim voter registration has climbed from 60% in 2016 to 85% today, putting American Muslims on par with Catholics, Protestants, and the general public, and just behind Jewish Americans.

That's not an accident. It's the result of a decade of work by Muslim-led civic organizations, mosques, and community leaders getting out the vote.

That progress isn't evenly distributed, however. Our 2025 American Muslim Poll found Muslim men are registered at significantly higher rates than Muslim women (92% vs. 76%), and white Muslims are registered at higher rates than non-white Muslims.

For anyone working in civic engagement, voter outreach, or community organizing: these are the populations where the next gains are waiting to be made.

Explore more on Muslim voters at https://hubs.li/Q04###2c0

09/14/2026

Structural Islamophobia is built into systems, but looking at individual stories can illuminate the problem. Consider FBI v. Fikre: an American Muslim was placed on the federal No Fly List after refusing to serve as an informant, then tortured and imprisoned abroad for 106 days. When he sued, the government attempted to render his case moot by removing him from the list. In 2024, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled he could proceed.

ISPU's new toolkit connects cases like this to a broader pattern: TSA's Selectee List and No Fly List draw from an FBI terrorist database widely reported to be overpopulated with Muslim names, and ISPU data shows that Muslims report facing secondary airport screening at roughly twice the rate of the general public.

When due process erodes for one group, it sets a precedent that can reach everyone. Explore more on structural Islamophobia and its impact on democracy in our new tool: https://hubs.li/Q04xprVM0

09/11/2026

Twenty-five years ago, American Muslims grieved alongside the nation on 9/11 — then faced a wave of suspicion and collective blame before they even had time to mourn.

That history is why ISPU exists. Today, 63% of Muslims report religious discrimination in the past year, the highest of any group. We know the structures behind Islamophobia are still deeply rooted. But there are ways to change them.

This week, ISPU launched a new toolkit, Countering and Dismantling Islamophobia and Anti-Muslim Discrimination, built to help educators, journalists, policymakers, and community leaders move from understanding to action.

25 years later, remembrance means more than looking back. Explore the toolkit at https://hubs.li/Q04xfTkQ0 and share it with someone who can create change. 🤍

09/10/2026

Definitions matter. ISPU's toolkit opens with a clear one: Islamophobia is a form of discrimination, bias, and racism against Muslims, and consequently those who appear to be Muslim, that relies on stereotypes of Muslims and Islam and can result in unequal treatment. It is structural, embedded in laws, policy, and media narratives, as well as interpersonal.

It's a problem on the rise: ISPU's Islamophobia Index, tracked since 2018, shows the general public's score rose from 25 in 2022 to 33 in 2025, the sharpest increase recorded to date. Muslims report the highest rate of religious discrimination of any faith group ISPU measures (63%), a figure that has held steady since 2016.

The toolkit's first chapter unpacks the term's history, its critiques, and the full data picture.

Explore it today: https://hubs.li/Q04x8qz40

09/09/2026

Today, ISPU is launching a new toolkit, Countering and Dismantling Islamophobia and Anti-Muslim Discrimination: A Comprehensive Guide for Individuals and Organizations, built for anyone ready to move from understanding to action.

The guide has a dual purpose: to deepen an understanding of what Islamophobia is and how it operates, and to provide practical, field-specific strategies for individuals and organizations across nearly every sector, from classrooms and newsrooms to city councils and congregations, to dismantle it in their own spheres of influence.

Over the next month, we'll be walking you through what's inside: the data, the case studies, and the action steps built for educators, journalists, policymakers, faith leaders, and more. This resource is for everyone. Explore the toolkit using the link below.

Explore:

Defining and dismantling Islamophobia is not merely about protecting one religious group; it is a matter of preserving the democratic values that underpin civil society as a whole.

09/07/2026

What we see on screen can shape how we see each other.

ISPU’s Stereotypes on Screen study found that people who viewed positive Muslim representation reported significantly lower feelings of symbolic threat from Muslims compared with those who viewed negative portrayals.

Representation isn’t just about who gets to be seen. The way Muslims are portrayed can influence how audiences perceive Muslim communities and whether they see them as a threat to their values and way of life.

Read the full study: https://hubs.li/Q04wMC990

09/05/2026

Twenty-five years ago this September, the world changed, and so did life for Muslim, Arab, South Asian, and immigrant communities in the United States. In the years that followed, mass surveillance, religious and racial profiling, secret watchlists, and indefinite detention were introduced as targeted responses to terrorism. Many of those practices didn't stay targeted.

We're hosting a virtual conversation with experts on how the last quarter-century's national security policies shaped the challenges our country is facing today. RSVP to attend: https://bit.ly/4ym9KIx