Statewide Listening Tour: Building Civic Justice in Illinois
Muslim Civic Coalition | Summer 2026
With the spring legislative session behind us, the Muslim Civic Coalition is hitting the road. This summer, we are investing in what matters most — spending quality time in community across Illinois, deepening relationships, listening to what people need, and ensuring that every community's voice shapes the work we bring back to Springfield.
Built in Community. Carried to Springfield.
Federal cuts are stripping SNAP benefits from families who depend on them. ICE is targeting our communities. Anti-Muslim hate is rising. The institutions that are supposed to protect people are failing them — and the communities bearing that weight are the ones we serve.
Civic power is built in neighborhoods and carried to Springfield. That journey starts with listening and with showing up for the people most impacted and building the trust that makes coordinated action possible. The Muslim Civic Coalition has passed 8 laws in 6 years that way. This summer, we are doing that work again, across Illinois, alongside the coalition partners who show up every time.
Who We Are: Muslims Across Illinois
According to the Illinois Muslim Report, the first comprehensive, evidence-based portrait of Illinois Muslims, conducted by Muslim Civic Coalition with the University of Illinois Chicago and the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding, Illinois has approximately 2,800 Muslims per 100,000 residents, the largest Muslim population per capita in the nation. Muslims here are the youngest and most diverse faith community in the state.
400K+ Muslims in Illinois
#1 largest Muslim population per capita nationally
55% born outside the United States
50% between the ages of 18 and 35
40% hold a college degree or higher
52% have experienced religious discrimination
Source: Illinois Muslim Report, Muslim Civic Coalition & ISPU, 2022. Arab identity is not captured as a separate racial category in these figures. Half of respondents who identified their faith community also reported speaking a language other than English at home.
A snapshot of Illinois Muslims is a snapshot of America's diversity: Black and South Asian and Arab and African and Southeast Asian and Latino, immigrants and fourth-generation Americans, university students and working professionals.
Where We Are Going: Communities Across Illinois
Muslim communities exist in every region of Illinois — each with its own story, institutions, and vision of civic power. Urbana-Champaign is the birthplace of the first MSA in America and home to CIMIC, serving 16+ counties. Peoria's Islamic Center anchors Central Illinois, where immigrant and African American Muslim traditions run side by side. Springfield is the state capital — Muslim voices belong in every conversation that shapes it. From Rockford and Aurora to Moline, Bloomington-Normal, Decatur, and all the way south to Carbondale, Muslims live, work, and contribute in ways that are rarely counted.
Downstate Muslim communities are deeply rooted — and deeply exposed. Climate impacts, data centers, industrial development, and mental health resource deserts hit working communities first. These are the voices rarely centered in statewide conversations. That is why we are going to them.
We Want to Hear From You
What does it mean to truly support Muslim communities across Illinois? Especially amid rising anti-Muslim hate.
What are the issues shaping daily life — and what needs more attention?
Whose voices are missing from statewide conversations — and how do we change that?
What does civic power look like when it is built from the ground up?
Look for a Session Near You
Listening and learning sessions are being scheduled now across Illinois — open to Muslim community members, faith leaders, nonprofits, and anyone committed to building civic justice in their region.
Is the Muslim Civic Coalition coming to your community? If you want to host or attend a session, we want to hear from you info@muslimciviccoalition.org