List of American Muslims
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This is an incomplete list of notable Muslims who live or lived in the United States.
Academia
- Asad Abidi – Professor of Electrical Engineering at the University of California, Los Angeles; member of the National Academy of Engineering[1]
- Amjad Masad – Founder and CEO of Replit
- Gul Agha – Professor of Computer Science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
- Akbar S. Ahmed – US resident Pakistani anthropologist; the Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies at American University;[2] producer of the film Journey Into Europe, on Islam in Europe
- Saleem H. Ali – environmental researcher and Associate Dean for Graduate studies at the University of Vermont's Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources; writer and contributor to publications such as the International Herald Tribune; has dual American and Pakistani citizenship[3]
- Talal Asad – Professor of Anthropology and Religious Studies at CUNY[4]
- Farooq Azam – Distinguished Professor at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UCSD; researcher in the field of marine microbiology[5]
- Ayesha Jalal – MacArthur Fellow and Richardson Professor of History at Tufts University[6]
- Mohammad Aslam Khan Khalil – Professor of Physics at Portland State University;[7] a highly cited researcher in the field of atmospheric physics
- Sadaf Jaffer – the first female Muslim American mayor, first female South Asian mayor, and first female Pakistani-American mayor in the United States, of Montgomery in Somerset County, New Jersey.[8]
- Hafeez Malik – Professor of Political Science at Villanova University, in Pennsylvania[9]
- Zia Mian – physicist[10][11][12]
- Adil Najam – Professor of Geography and International Relations and Director of the Pardee Center at Boston University;[13] founding editor of popular blog Pakistaniat[14]
- S. Hamid Nawab, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Biomedical Engineering, Boston University; co-author of widely used textbook Signals and Systems (1997), published by Prentice Hall (Pearson); researcher in signal processing and machine perception with application to auditory, speech, and neuromuscular systems
- Anwar Shaikh – Professor of Economics at the graduate faculty of The New School in New York City[15]
- Sara Suleri – Professor of English at Yale University
- Abdul Jamil Tajik – researcher in clinical medicine[16]
- Muhammad Suhail Zubairy – Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy; holder of the Munnerlyn-Heep Chair in Quantum Optics at the Texas A&M University[17]
Activism and government
- Huma Abedin – aide to United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton; served as traveling chief of staff during Clinton's campaign for the Democratic nomination in the 2008 presidential election[18]
- Saqib Ali – served as delegate to the Maryland House of Delegates, elected in 2006, represented the 39th District[19]
- Tahir Ali – first Pakistani American elected as a National delegate-at-large (R) from Massachusetts, 1992[20]
- Aisha al-Adawiya – American interfaith activist and founder of Women in Islam[21]
- Nihad Awad – National Executive Director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations
- André Carson – Congressman from Indiana[22]
- Shamila N. Chaudhary – US government policy adviser[23]
- Nusrat Jahan Choudhury - civil rights lawyer and District Court judge for the Eastern District of New York. First Muslim woman to serve as a United States federal judge.[24]
- Robert D. Crane – former foreign policy advisor; author[25]
- Sada Cumber – first US envoy to the Organisation of the Islamic Conference[26]
- Hamida Dakane – first Black and first Muslim to serve in the North Dakota House of Representatives[27]
- Keith Ellison – first Muslim congressman from Minnesota[28]
- Louis Farrakhan – leader of the Nation of Islam
- George Bethune English (1787–1828) – American adventurer, diplomat, soldier, and convert to Islam.
- Ghazala Hashmi – Lieutenant Governor of Virginia and first Muslim woman elected to a statewide office in the United States[29]
- Ibrahim Hooper – National Communications Director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)
- Mansoor Ijaz – hedge fund manager and venture capitalist involved in Pakistan–United States relations and peace efforts surrounding the Kashmir conflict
- Arsalan Iftikhar – human rights lawyer, global media commentator, and author of the book Scapegoats: How Islamophobia Helps Our Enemies & Threatens Our Freedoms[30]
- Noor Al-Hussein – anti-nuclear weapons proliferation advocate and former Queen consort of Jordan
- Hakim Jamal – civil rights activist; Member of the Nation of Islam but converted to traditional Islam after the assassination of his cousin Malcolm X.
- Mustafa T. Kasubhai - first Muslim federal judge in the United States
- Zalmay Khalilzad – former US Ambassador to the United Nations; former U.S. Ambassador to Iraq and Afghanistan[31]
- Yuri Kochiyama – Japanese American activist who converted to Sunni Islam from Protestantism in 1971[32]
- Edina Lekovic – Communications Director of the Muslim Public Affairs Council[33]
- Zohran Mamdani – first Muslim elected Mayor of New York City[34]
- Gholam Mujtaba – chair of the Pakistan Policy Institute, a think tank dedicated to improve the US-Pakistan relationship
- Ilhan Omar – One of the first two Muslim women elected to Congress.[35]
- Farah Pandith – Special Representative to Muslim Communities for the US Department of State; official advisor to President Obama on Muslim matters
- Zahid Quraishi – first Muslim Article III district court judge in the United States[36]
- Zainab Salbi – co-founder and president for Women for Women International
- Betty Shabazz (also known as Betty X) – civil rights activist and educator; widow of Malcolm X[37]
- Ilyasah Shabazz – social activist and daughter of Malcolm X
- Malcolm Shabazz – activist and grandson of Malcolm X; Murdered during a labor rights tour in Mexico
- el-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz (also known as Malcolm X) – human rights activist, civil rights activist, public speaker and Black Muslim minister;[38] Joined the Nation of Islam in 1952, before converting to Sunni Islam in 1964.
- Azadeh Shahshahani – human rights attorney and past president of the National Lawyers Guild[39]
- Saghir "Saggy" Tahir – New Hampshire State Representative; the only elected Pakistani American in the Republican Party;[40] re-elected in 2006 for a fourth term to represent Ward 2, District 9 in his home town of Manchester[41]
- Shirin R. Tahir-Kheli – White House appointee at various senior posts in the executive branch and the State department during five Republican administrations.
- Rashida Tlaib – One of the first two Muslim women elected to Congress.[35]
- James Yee – former U.S. Army chaplain with the rank of Captain[42]
- Elias Zerhouni – Director, National Institutes of Health[43]
- Haz Al-Din- American Communist Party chairman
- Bushra Amiwala- Skokie, Illinois board of education member
- Darializa Avila Chevalier- Candidate for New York's 13th congressional district
- Abdul El-Sayed- Democratic nominee for the 2026 United States Senate election in Michigan
Armed forces
- Kareem Rashad Sultan Khan – United States Army Soldier killed in Iraq[44]
- Humayun Khan – United States Army Soldier killed in Iraq[45]
Foreign military service
- Ma Dunjing – Chinese Muslim General of the National Revolutionary Army, immigrated to Los Angeles in the United States after retirement in 1950
- Ma Hongkui – Chinese Muslim General of the National Revolutionary Army, immigrated to Los Angeles in the United States after retirement in 1950
Art
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- Kameelah Janan Rasheed — Artist based in New York City
- Deana Haggag – Egyptian-American art museum curator, President and CEO of United States Artists in Chicago
- Shirin Neshat – Iranian-American visual artist and film director. Awarded The Dorothy and Lillian Gish Prize in 2006, and the Silver Lion in 2009[46]
- Shahzia Sikander – Pakistani-American artist and MacArthur Fellow[47][48]
- Minoosh Zomorodinia – Iranian-born American visual artist and curator[49]
Business
- Javed Ahmed – former chief executive of Tate & Lyle,[50] a FTSE 250 company and one of Britain's oldest brands[51]
- Michael Chowdry (1955–2001) – Forbes 400 businessman; founder of air cargo company Atlas Air, which in 2001 was worth over $1.39 billion[52]
- Mohamed El-Erian – chief economic adviser of Allianz, the parent company of PIMCO, where El-Erian was CEO and manager of over $1 trillion in global assets; president of Queens' College, Cambridge[53]
- Tariq Farid – founder and chief executive of Edible Arrangements[54]
- Nabeel Gareeb – president and chief executive of renewable energy company MEMC (now SunEdison) from 2002 to 2008;[55] ranked 6th highest-earning U.S. CEO in 2008[56]
- Fred Hassan – chairman of investment company Caret Group, director of private equity firm Warburg Pincus, former chief executive of pharmaceutical companies including Schering-Plough from 2003 to 2009, when the company completed its merger with Merck & Co.[57]
- Mansoor Ijaz – founder and chairman of Crescent Investment Management, television commentator[58]
- Jawed Karim – co-founder of YouTube[59]
- Farooq Kathwari – chairman, president and chief executive of Ethan Allen[60][61]
- Shahid Khan – owner of sports teams the Jacksonville Jaguars and Fulham F.C., and autoparts maker Flex-N-Gate, lead investor in All Elite Wrestling[62]
- Safi Qureshey – co-founder and former CEO of AST Research, philanthropist[63]
- Hamdi Ulukaya – billionaire founder and chief executive of foods maker Chobani; activist and philanthropist, signed the Giving Pledge to donate the majority of his wealth, founded the Tent Foundation,[64][65] received the UN Global Leadership Award and the Global Citizen Prize[66][67]
Comedy
- Ahmed Ahmed – standup comedian, actor[68]
- Mohammed Amer – standup comedian[69]
- Dave Chappelle – standup comedian (converted in 1998)[70]
- Negin Farsad – comedian, actress, writer, filmmaker[71]
- Maz Jobrani – standup comedian, actor[72]
- Aasif Mandvi – comedian, actor[73]
- Hasan Minhaj – comedian, Daily Show correspondent[74]
- Preacher Moss – standup comedian, comedy writer[69]
- Zahra Noorbakhsh – comedian, writer, actor, co-host of #GoodMuslimBadMuslim podcast
- Dean Obeidallah – standup comedian[68]
- Azhar Usman – standup comedian[75][76]
- Maysoon Zayid – standup comedian, actress[68]
Crime
- Hasan Akbar – convicted of premeditated murder in a grenade attack on fellow soldiers[77]
- Hesham Mohamed Hadayet – Egyptian-American who killed 2 people at the El Al counter at Los Angeles International Airport[78]
- Wadih el-Hage – al-Qaeda member serving life imprisonment in the US for his part in the 1998 United States embassy bombings[79]
- Mujahid Abdul Halim – Served 45 years in prison for taking part in the assassination of Malcolm X; Long-time member of the Nation of Islam but converted to traditional Islam while in prison.
- Nidal Hasan – former soldier convicted of the 2009 Fort Hood shooting[80]
- Muzzammil Hassan – founder of Bridges TV, a Muslim television network; received sentence of 25 to life for killing his wife[81]
- Mir Aimal Kansi – Pakistani-American convicted and executed for the shootings at the Central Intelligence Agency headquarters[82]
- John Walker Lindh – member of the Taliban[83]
- John Allen Muhammad – executed beltway sniper[84]
- José Padilla – convicted of aiding terrorists and litigant before the United States Supreme Court in Rumsfeld v. Padilla[85][86]
- Dzhokhar Tsarnaev – Kyrgyzstani-American citizen who was convicted of planting bombs at the Boston Marathon on April 15, 2013, together with his brother Tamerlan Tsarnaev.
- Bryant Neal Vinas – convicted of participating in and supporting al-Qaeda plots in Afghanistan and the U.S.[87]
Film
- Nabil Abou-Harb – filmmaker; writer and director of Arab in America[88]
- Shohreh Aghdashloo – Academy Award-nominated Iranian-born actress[89]
- Moustapha Akkad – film director, producer[90]
- Mahershala Ali – Oscar-winning actor.[91]
- Lewis Arquette – film actor, writer, and producer[92][93]
- Sayed Badreya – actor, filmmaker[94]
- Saïd Taghmaoui – actor[95]
- Faran Tahir – actor[96]
- Giancarlo Esposito- Breaking Bad actor
Modeling
- Halima Aden – Somali-American fashion model[97]
- Iman – supermodel and widow of David Bowie[98]
- Bella Hadid – fashion model and daughter of real-estate developer Mohamed Hadid and former model Yolanda Hadid[99][100]
- Leana Deeb - Content creator
Music
- Ahmad Jamal – jazz pianist[101]
- Ahmet Ertegün – Songwriter and founder of Atlantic Records[102]
- Akon – R&B and hip-hop artist[103][104]
- Ali Shaheed Muhammad – producer, DJ and rapper, formerly of A Tribe Called Quest; Sunni Muslim[63]
- Art Blakey – jazz drummer and bandleader[105]
- Beanie Sigel – rapper[106][107][108]
- Brother Ali – rapper; converted to Islam[63][109]
- Chali 2na – rapper, formerly of the alternative hip-hop group Jurassic 5, and of Ozomatli[110]
- DJ Khaled – rap artist and DJ[111][112]
- Everlast – rapper from the Irish-American hip-hop group House of Pain; converted to Islam[63][113][114]
- Freeway – rapper; Sunni Muslim[63][108][115][116]
- Ghostface Killah – rapper, member of the hip-hip group the Wu-Tang Clan[106][117]
- Ice Cube – rapper and producer[118]
- Jermaine Jackson – singer, bass guitarist[119][120]
- Kevin Gates – rapper[121][122]
- Lupe Fiasco – rapper; Sunni Muslim[63][106][123]
- MC Ren – rapper[124]
- Mona Haydar rapper; Sunni Muslim[125]
- Mos Def – rapper; initially joined the Nation of Islam before converting to Islam[63][106][126]
- Napoleon – former member of Tupac Shakur's rap group the Outlawz, now a motivational Muslim speaker[127]
- Native Deen – rap group[128]
- Q-Tip – rapper, formerly of A Tribe Called Quest; Sunni Muslim[63][129]
- Raekwon – rapper, member of the hip-hip group the Wu-Tang Clan[130][131][132][133]
- Rhymefest – Grammy Award-winning hip-hop artist; co-writer of the single "Jesus Walks"[134]
- Richard Thompson – British folk rock singer, Sufi Muslim since 1974[135][136]
- Scarface – rapper[106][137]
- Vinnie Paz – rapper in the hip-hop group Jedi Mind Tricks[138]
- Yusef Lateef – jazz musician and Grammy Award winner[63][139]
Religion
Estimated proportion of Muslim Americans in each U.S. state, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico as of the 2020 U.S. Religion Census
- Abu Ammar Yasir Qadhi – Muslim Scholar.
- Omar Suleiman – Muslim activist and Imam.
- Dalia Mogahed – Muslim speaker and activist.
- Yasmin Mogahed – Muslim speaker and activist.
- Ismail al-Faruqi – Muslim philosopher and scholar
- Jonathan A C Brown – Muslim lecturer and scholar.
- Amina Wadud - Islamic scholar and activist
- Suhaib Webb – Muslim lecturer and activist; Imam of the Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center, the largest mosque in the New England area[140][141][142]
- Hamza Yusuf – Muslim scholar[143]
- Hassan Hathout – Muslim scholar[144]
- Hassan Al-Qazwini – Muslim scholar[145]
- Hisham Kabbani – Muslim sufi scholar and shaykh[146]
- Yusuf Estes – Muslim preacher[147]
- Souleiman Ghali – Founder of the Islamic Society of San Francisco[148]
- Sherman Jackson – Muslim scholar[149]
- Nouman Ali Khan – Muslim speaker and founder, CEO and lead instructor at Bayyinah, the Institute for Arabic and Qur'anic Studies.[150]
- Sadullah Khan – Muslim scholar[151]
- Ingrid Mattson – Muslim scholar[152]
- Warith Deen Mohammed – former leader of the largest Muslim organization, the American Society of Muslims (son of Nation of Islam leader)[153][154][155]
- Daniel Haqiqatjou - Muslim polemicist, debator, and Da'ee
- Louay M. Safi – Muslim scholar[156]
- Zaid Shakir – Muslim scholar[157]
- Siraj Wahhaj – Muslim scholar[158]
- Omar Khalidi – Muslim scholar[159][160]
- Amir Hussain – Muslim scholar, editor of the Journal of the American Academy of Religion
- Asifa Quraishi - Muslim legal scholar
- Azizah al-Hibri - Muslim legal scholar
- Laleh Bakhtiar - translator of the Quran
Science
- Shereef Elnahal – commissioner, New Jersey Department of Health, transitioning to CEO of University Hospital, Newark in July 2019
- Fazlur Khan – structural engineer (designed the Sears Tower, John Hancock Center)[161]
- Ayub K. Ommaya – neurosurgeon, inventor of the Ommaya reservoir[162]
- Ahmed Zewail – Nobel Prize winner in Chemistry, 1999 for his work on femtochemistry[163]
- Aziz Sancar – Nobel Prize winner in Chemistry, 2015 along with Tomas Lindahl and Paul L. Modrich for their mechanistic studies of DNA repair[164]
- Anousheh Ansari - engineer and first person of Iranian descent in space
Sports
Boxing
- Muhammad Ali – became a member of the Nation of Islam in 1964,[165] converted to Sunni Islam in 1975[166][167]
- Bernard Hopkins – former Middleweight and Light Heavyweight world champion[168]
- Eddie Mustafa Muhammad – former Light Heavyweight Champion
- Matthew Saad Muhammad – former Light Heavyweight Champion[169]
- Dwight Muhammad Qawi – former Light Heavyweight and Cruiserweight Champion[170]
- Hasim Rahman – former Heavyweight champion[171]
- Mike Tyson – Undisputed Heavyweight Champion in 1987; converted in 1994 (influenced by preacher in prison)[172]
- Gervonta Davis – former Super Featherweight and Light Welterweight champion, Lightweight world champion as of January 2024, converted to Islam in 2023[173]
Basketball
- DeSagana Diop – Senegalese basketball player for the Charlotte Bobcats
- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – converted to Islam from Catholicism in 1968, initially joining the Nation of Islam before retaking the Shahada and converting to Sunni Islam that very summer[63][174]
- Enes Kanter – Turkish basketball player for the Portland Trail Blazers[175]
- Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf – former player for Denver Nuggets (converted in 1991, formerly Chris Jackson)[176]
- Shareef Abdur-Rahim – retired player, named NBA All-Star in 2001–02 season[177]
- Hassan Adams – drafted by and played for the New Jersey Nets, later the Cleveland Cavaliers, then KK Vojvodina (in Serbia).
- Larry Johnson – retired player, played for the Charlotte Hornets and New York Knicks[178]
- Nazr Mohammed – player for the Charlotte Bobcats[179]
- Mehmet Okur – Turkish player of the Utah Jazz[180]
- Shaquille O'Neal – former player for the Los Angeles Lakers; rapper and actor[181]
- Hakeem Olajuwon – former player for the Houston Rockets[182]
- Rasheed Wallace – former player for the Detroit Pistons[183][184]
- Kyrie Irving - player for Brooklyn Nets[185]
- Jaylen Brown - player for Boston Celtics[186]
- Satou Sabally - player for New York Liberty[187]
- Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir - former player for University of Memphis[188]
- Jamad Fiin- former player for Emmanuel College (Massachusetts)[189]
- Shayla Smith- player for Pennsylvania State University[190]
- Taliah Scott- player for Baylor University[191]
Fencing
- Ibtihaj Muhammad - Olympic bronze medalist[192]
Mixed martial arts
- Muhammed Lawal – former Strikeforce Light Heavyweight World Champion
- Kamaru Usman – current UFC Welterweight Champion
NFL
- Ameer Abdullah – running back, drafted by the Detroit Lions in 2015, currently with the Minnesota Vikings[193]
- Oday Aboushi – guard, drafted by the New York Jets in 2013, currently with the Detroit Lions.[194]
- Dominique Easley – linebacker, drafted by the New England Patriots in 2014, currently a free agent.[195]
- Mohamed Sanu – wide receiver, drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in 2012, currently with the San Francisco 49ers[196]
- Muhammad Wilkerson – defensive end, drafted by the New York Jets in 2011, currently a free agent.[197]
- Hamza Abdullah – former safety for the Cleveland Browns[198][199]
- Husain Abdullah – former safety for the Minnesota Vikings[200]
- Az-Zahir Hakim – former wide receiver for the St. Louis Rams[201]
- Ryan Harris – former offensive tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers.[202]
- Abdul Hodge – former linebacker for the Carolina Panthers[203]
- Josh Palmer – Wide receiver for the Los Angeles Chargers[204][205]
- Ahmad Rashad – former wide receiver for Minnesota Vikings, award-winning sportscaster (converted in 1972)[206][207]
- Ephraim Salaam – former offensive tackle for the Detroit Lions[208]
- Robert Saleh – Defensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers former Head Coach for the New York Jets.[209][210][211]
- Malik Mustapha - player for the San Francisco 49ers[212]
- Azeez Al-Shaair - player for the Houston Texans[213]
- Abdul Carter - player for the New York Giants[214]
- Mansoor Delane - player for the Kansas City Chiefs[215]
- Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah - player for the Cleveland Browns
Soccer
- Yunus Musah - USMNT player
Track and field
- Khalid Khannouchi – marathon runner
- Dalilah Muhammad - Olympic gold and silver medalist
- Yasmine Mansi- former runner for University of Michigan[216]
Wrestling
- Adeel Alam – Pakistani American, wrestler in WWE
- Khosrow Vaziri – Retired Iranian American wrestler, former WWE Champion[217]
Television
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- Mara Brock Akil – screenwriter, producer[218]
- Usman Ally – actor[219]
- Ahmed Shihab-Eldin – reporter for national news channels[220]
- Zehra Fazal - actress and comedienne
- Rizwan Manji – actor[221]
- Ayman Mohyeldin – reporter for national news channels[222]
- Isaiah Mustafa – actor[223]
- Mehmet Oz – medical doctor, talk show host[224]
- Kamran Pasha – screenwriter, producer[225]
- Tahera Rahman – Newscaster for WHBF-TV and KLJB. Widely covered by the media for being the first American hijabi Muslim newscaster.[226][227][228][229][230][231][232][233][234][235][236]
- Iqbal Theba – actor[237]
- Ali Velshi – Reporter and anchor for national U.S. news channels, from Canada[238]
- Ramy Youssef - Actor and comedian[239]
Writing
- Wael Abdelgawad – author
- Saladin Ahmed – author
- Reza Aslan – author, religious scholar[240]
- Mona Eltahawy – columnist[241]
- Yahiya Emerick – author[242]
- Hafsah Faizal – Author of youth literature, of Sri Lankan and Arab descent.[243]
- Khaled Hosseini – Novelist, physician[244]
- Suad Abdul Khabeer - author
- Laila Lalami – author and essayist
- Melody Moezzi – author and activist[245]
- Ayman Mohyeldin – Al-Jazeera English journalist[246]
- Etaf Rum - Novelist
- Lulu Schwartz – journalist[247]
- Ambreen Tariq – American author, activist and founder of @BrownPeopleCamping[248]
- G. Willow Wilson - comics writer and author
- Michael Wolfe – journalist[249]
- Fareed Zakaria – author, commentator, and host of CNN's Fareed Zakaria GPS[250]