ILLINOIS MUSLIMS:
NEEDS, ASSETS, AND OPPORTUNITIES
JULY 28, 2022 | BY DALIA MOGAHED, DR. JOSEPH HOERETH, OJUS KHANOLKAR, AND UMAIR TARBHAI
RECOMMENDATIONS AND OPPORTUNITIES
The survey and focus group results presented in this report describe a vibrant and diverse Muslim community in Illinois—a community that brings tremendous assets to Illinois’ civic, economic, and cultural spheres, yet also has important and urgent needs. Based on the assets and needs identified in this research, we offer the following recommendations for specific stakeholders.
Funders/Philanthropists
Recognize community diversity and service to all marginalized and often invisible residents. Invest equitably in Muslim-led nonprofits based on demographics and needs.
Invest in social services supporting Muslim communities, especially related to culturally appropriate family safety, elder care, poverty alleviation, accessibility, addiction and affordable health and mental health care services.
Invest in ‘nontraditional’ and, therefore, underfunded Muslim-led nonprofits such as research and civic organizations.
Focus on racial equity by recognizing the racialized nature of Islamophobia and supporting efforts to combat it among the general public and within schools, hospitals, and other public and private institutions.
Leverage community generosity and capacity to donate, engaging with Muslim philanthropists to tackle pressing community challenges.
Invest in civic engagement efforts to support full community participation in our democratic processes and institutions.
Educators
Include implicit bias training related to Islamophobia and religious-based bullying awareness in staff cultural sensitivity training.
Ensure educators have access to resources and experts within the Muslim community to better understand and serve our diverse students.
Partner with Muslim-led community organizations to provide halal options for Muslim students. Also note that all students can consume halal food, so switching to halal providers will address the needs of every student.
Include information on Muslim contributions to the state of Illinois and the nation in curricula based on recently passed laws. Invite Muslim community members to present on career days and to host interns.
Include information on accessing social services to low-income families in school materials to ensure every child has access to nutritious meals and is ready to learn.
Raise awareness about recently passed laws addressing faith-based equity to ensure no discrimination based on faith. See https://www.ilmuslimciviccoalition.org/ for more information.
Direct Social Service Providers
Increase outreach to Muslim communities regarding job training and employment support.
Invest in affordable and culturally appropriate mental health support for Muslims.
Invest in serving Muslims with disabilities, providing addiction prevention and treatment, supporting aging community members and their families, supporting divorcees, and addressing domestic violence and supporting victims.
Educate disadvantaged members of the Muslim community on how to access government programs to alleviate food insecurity and access employment support.
Ensure better access and outreach, provide language access, and connect with trusted messengers and center the voices of Muslim-led organizations to lead this work.
Business Community
Raise awareness in the business community about the Illinois Muslim chambers of commerce, Muslim-led businesses, and the Illinois Muslim community as job creators.
Better understand and cater to the Muslim consumer who has strong disposable income and purchasing power.
Understand halal as a healthy, ethical way of living.
Provide more halal products and services to address the unmet needs of Muslim consumers, especially related to availability of halal food options on college campuses, halal financial options, and halal cultural activities.
For Muslim business leaders, leverage their collective economic and job-creating clout to advocate for those with less privilege with policymakers (see ISPU’s Strategies to Increase Effective Political Engagement Case Study as an example).
Muslim Community Leaders and Members
Invest in and support specialized faith, social, and civic organizations to address specific needs. The Muslim community is large and diverse, and one or few organizations can no longer meet every need. There is no one voice in this diverse community, so intra-community collaboration and coalition-building is critical between races, ethnicities, genders, etc.
Mosque leadership should seek ways to better hear and address the opinions of all congregants, including women, young people, and Black Muslims (see ISPU’s research on Reimagining Muslims Spaces).
Address intra-Muslim racism with education on the impacts and history of white supremacist ideas.
Leverage the Muslim business community as job creators to address Muslim unemployment in Illinois.
Invest in community-based resources providing affordable and culturally appropriate mental health support.
Increase awareness of the Muslim Mental Health Directory.
Invest in and support services and organizations serving people with disabilities, providing addiction prevention and treatment, supporting aging community members and their families, supporting divorcees, and addressing domestic violence and supporting victims.
Engage in civic engagement efforts through support and partnership to build community participation and influence.
Support and educate the community about Laws that empower and help change the narrative about the Muslim Community.
Government and Policymakers
Ensure Muslim experts are at the table when policy is being made, not after it’s already developed.
Increase and sustain outreach to Muslim constituents and communities, in all their diversity, and understand and address needs.
Engage Muslim business leaders as job creators and an economic engine for the state.
Engage Muslim healthcare professionals as a brain trust for health policy in Illinois.
Invest in social services supporting Muslim communities, especially related to culturally appropriate family safety, elder care, poverty alleviation, accessibility, addiction, and affordable health and mental health care services.
Muslims vote, contribute, and engage in the political landscape. Ensure Muslim representation grows in elected office. This will ensure communities are integrated and even more engaged in civic society.
Understand bias/discrimination/Islamophobia, where it comes from, how it manifests, and the role of political rhetoric in both inflaming and dampening it.
Include Muslim communities in racial equity programming and outreach.
Allies, Advocates, and Practitioners
Recognize the presence of and seek education about Muslim communities, their contributions, and the impact of Islamophobia and discrimination. Consider diversity training for board, staff, and others involved to ensure cultural competency.
Amplify the voices of Muslim advocates and community leaders seeking equity and partner with them for greater impact.
Organize and speak up against local efforts to disenfranchise Muslim communities, such as in the form of mosque opposition, as one example.
Partner with Muslim-serving organizations to combine forces for greater impact and culturally appropriate services and programs.
Access expertise in the Muslim community for advisors, boards, and commissions in every sector, not just for faith or religious needs. Muslims are clearly experts in healthcare, business ownership, education, etc.
Ensure that your own and/or your organization’s programs take into account the unique needs of Muslim communities and their diverse populations.
Future Researchers
Further research that robustly examines the perspectives of Black Muslims.
Further research that focuses on the needs of economically disadvantaged Muslims in Illinois.
Greater exploration of the health care needs of Muslim patients, especially why they are less likely than the general public to receive care when they need it.
Deeper dives into some of the issue areas discussed in this report to understand their contributing and mitigating factors and uncover evidence-based solutions to challenges identified.
Further research on the mental health impact of the added cognitive and emotional labor of caring for parents and children at the same time.
