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American Muslim personalities

A-Z dossiers for Muslims in the United States aiding humanity.

Browse the United States-facing index of civic leaders, service members, artists, writers, scholars, athletes, entrepreneurs, and public figures. Historical Muslim intellectual profiles now live in the Muslims in History section.

Open Muslims in History
American arts and mediaAmerican business and philanthropyAmerican civic leadershipAmerican literature and thoughtAmerican scholarship and scienceAmerican service and armed forcesAmerican sports and public life
1942-2016

Muhammad Ali

Athlete, humanitarian, and public conscience

Remembered for boxing, anti-war witness, civil-rights-era visibility, philanthropy, and global humanitarian memory.American sports and public life1925-1965

Malcolm X

Minister, organizer, and human rights advocate

A major American Muslim voice whose life connects civil rights, international human rights, self-education, and public transformation.American civic leadership1947-

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Athlete, author, and public intellectual

Known for basketball, writing, cultural criticism, education, and long public advocacy.American sports and public life1963-

Keith Ellison

Attorney general and former U.S. representative

Among the best-known Muslim elected officials in the United States, linked to public service, law, and civic representation.American civic leadership1982-

Ilhan Omar

U.S. representative

A public figure connected to refugee experience, congressional service, representation, and national policy debates.American civic leadership1976-

Rashida Tlaib

U.S. representative and attorney

Known for congressional service, community advocacy, and Palestinian American representation.American civic leadership1974-

André Carson

U.S. representative

A Muslim member of Congress whose profile connects public safety, civic service, and national representation.American civic leadership1976-

Huma Abedin

Public servant and author

Known for public service, political work, memoir, and Muslim American public visibility.American civic leadership1976-

Nusrat Choudhury

Federal judge and civil-rights attorney

A legal figure connected to civil rights, federal service, and representation in the judiciary.American civic leadership1975-

Zahid Quraishi

Federal judge and former military prosecutor

Known for judicial service, military legal service, and public milestones for Muslim Americans.American service and armed forces1976-2004

Humayun Khan

U.S. Army officer

Remembered for military service, sacrifice, public memorialization, and American Muslim civic memory.American service and armed forces1987-2007

Kareem Rashad Sultan Khan

U.S. Army soldier

Remembered for U.S. Army service and as a prominent example in discussions of Muslim American military sacrifice.American service and armed forces1968-

James Yee

Former U.S. Army chaplain and author

Known for military chaplaincy, legal controversy, writing, and debates over civil liberties.American service and armed forces1965-2012

Ahmed Kousay al-Taie

U.S. Army soldier and interpreter

Remembered for U.S. Army service, language work, captivity, and recovery of remains.American service and armed forces1957-

Shirin Neshat

Visual artist and filmmaker

An artist whose work connects identity, gender, exile, visual culture, and museum exhibition.American arts and media1969-

Shahzia Sikander

Artist

Known for contemporary art, manuscript traditions, animation, public art, and global exhibition history.American arts and media1974-

Mahershala Ali

Actor

An award-winning actor whose public profile connects performance, representation, and American Muslim visibility.American arts and media1973-

Dave Chappelle

Comedian and writer

A major comic voice whose public biography includes American Muslim identity and cultural influence.American arts and media1985-

Hasan Minhaj

Comedian, writer, and presenter

Known for political comedy, storytelling, media criticism, and South Asian Muslim American experience.American arts and media1973-

Yasiin Bey

Musician and actor

Known for hip-hop, acting, public thought, and a creative career often discussed with Muslim identity.American arts and media1955-

Iman

Model, entrepreneur, and philanthropist

Known for fashion, business, philanthropy, refugee memory, and global public culture.American arts and media1930-2023

Ahmad Jamal

Jazz pianist and composer

A major jazz musician connected to performance, composition, influence, and American Muslim cultural history.American arts and media1972-

Hamdi Ulukaya

Entrepreneur and philanthropist

Known for Chobani, refugee employment, philanthropy, and business-led social impact.American business and philanthropy1950-

Shahid Khan

Business leader and sports owner

A prominent entrepreneur whose public profile connects manufacturing, sports ownership, philanthropy, and immigrant success.American business and philanthropy1979-

Jawed Karim

Technology entrepreneur

Known as a YouTube co-founder, linking technology, entrepreneurship, and public digital culture.American business and philanthropy1964-

Fareed Zakaria

Journalist and author

Known for journalism, books, interviews, and public analysis of world affairs.American literature and thought1972-

Reza Aslan

Writer, scholar, and media producer

Known for books, religious studies, television work, and public commentary.American literature and thought1965-

Khaled Hosseini

Novelist and humanitarian

Known for fiction, refugee advocacy, and humanitarian work connected to Afghanistan and the United States.American literature and thought1968-

Laila Lalami

Novelist and essayist

Known for fiction, essays, migration narratives, and public literary work.American literature and thought1982-

G. Willow Wilson

Writer

Known for fiction, comics, and creating prominent Muslim representation in American popular culture.American literature and thought1956-

Ayesha Jalal

Historian and academic

Known for South Asian history, public scholarship, and university teaching.American scholarship and science1932-

Talal Asad

Anthropologist

An influential scholar of religion, secularism, anthropology, and modernity.American scholarship and science1943-

Akbar Ahmed

Anthropologist, author, and former diplomat

Known for public scholarship, teaching, interfaith dialogue, and writing on Muslim societies.American scholarship and science1960-

Zia Mian

Physicist and peace-studies scholar

Known for nuclear-policy research, peace studies, public scholarship, and academic service.American scholarship and science1952-

Muhammad Suhail Zubairy

Physicist

Known for quantum optics, research leadership, teaching, and scientific publication.American scholarship and science1946-

Aziz Sancar

Biochemist and Nobel laureate

Known for DNA repair research, teaching, and scientific service in the United States.American scholarship and science