Guide to Muslim America

Guide to Muslim America is a research-based, public-facing project currently in development at the Center of Muslim Experience in the United States (CME-US) at Arizona State University. The Guide is being created to offer an accessible, thoughtful introduction to Muslim life in America, grounded in lived experience, scholarship, and community knowledge.

Rather than presenting a single story or a theological manual, the Guide is designed as a practical, interpretive resource that helps readers understand how Muslim values, practices, and identities are lived out in everyday American contexts.

The Guide is being developed as a bridge-building resource for educators, students, community organizations, interfaith partners, and general readers. Its goal is to move beyond surface-level explanations by focusing on how faith, ethics, service, and civic life intersect in real and relatable ways.

The Guide does not claim to represent all Muslims. Instead, it highlights the diversity, nuance, and complexity of Muslim experiences in the United States, emphasizing shared values alongside difference.

The Guide is being built around a values-based framework known as FOCUS + SERVE, which shapes both the structure of the Guide and its approach to storytelling.

FOCUS centers on inward reflection and ethical grounding:

• Faith – how belief provides meaning and moral orientation

• Observe – practices of mindfulness, discipline, and intentional living

• Unite – the importance of community, family, and collective responsibility

• Commit – accountability to values, principles, and integrity

• Strive – continuous effort toward personal and social betterment

SERVE emphasizes outward engagement and responsibility:

• Share – knowledge, culture, and lived experience

• Engage – participation in civic and community life

• Resource – mutual care and support within and beyond Muslim communities

• Volunteer – service as a core expression of values

• Elevate – working toward dignity, justice, and opportunity for all

Together, FOCUS and SERVE form an integrated framework that reflects how Muslim life in America is shaped by both inward values and outward action. The Guide uses this structure to show how religious principles translate into everyday choices, relationships, and contributions to society.

As it is being developed, the Guide draws on historical context, contemporary examples, and community-rooted insights. The emphasis is on clarity and accessibility rather than exhaustive detail, making the Guide suitable for classrooms, community discussions, and public programming.

The Guide is also designed to encourage reflection and dialogue. Rather than offering prescriptive answers, it invites readers to think critically, ask questions, and engage across difference with curiosity and care.

In a social climate where Muslims are often discussed without being meaningfully understood, Guide to Muslim America is being created to support more informed, grounded, and humane conversations. By centering lived experience alongside scholarship, the Guide aims to foster understanding while respecting the internal diversity of Muslim communities.

The project reflects CME-US’s broader commitment to documenting Muslim life in ways that are accurate, contextualized, and rooted in dignity.

Guide to Muslim America is currently in its research and writing phase and is being developed through an iterative process involving scholars, educators, and community voices. As the project evolves, its scope and content will continue to be refined to ensure it remains relevant, thoughtful, and useful.

When completed, the Guide will serve as a durable educational resource that supports learning, dialogue, and a deeper understanding of Muslim life in the United States.