List of American Muslims

• Asad Abidi – Professor of Electrical Engineering at the University of California, Los Angeles; member of the National Academy of Engineering^[1]
• 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]
• Nergis Mavalvala, Kathleen Marble Professor of Astrophysics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and 2010 MacArthur Fellow; part of the team that made the first direct gravitational wave observation
• 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]

• 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]
• Arif Alikhan – former appointee to the Obama Administration where he served as Assistant Secretary for Policy Development at the United States Department of Homeland Security; former Deputy Mayor of Homeland Security and Public Safety for the City of Los Angeles; visiting Professor of Homeland Security and Counterterrorism at the National Defense University's (NDU) College of International Security Affairs in Washington, DC
• Nihad Awad – National Executive Director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations
• André Carson – Congressman from Indiana^[21]
• Shamila N. Chaudhary – US government policy adviser^[22]
• Robert D. Crane – former foreign policy advisor; author^[23]
• Sada Cumber – first US envoy to the Organisation of the Islamic Conference^[24]
• Hamida Dakane – first Black and first Muslim to serve in the North Dakota House of Representatives^[25]
• Keith Ellison – first Muslim congressman from Minnesota^[26]
• Louis Farrakhan – leader of the Nation of Islam
• George Bethune English (1787–1828) – American adventurer, diplomat, soldier, and convert to Islam.
• 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^[27]
• 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.
• Zalmay Khalilzad – former US Ambassador to the United Nations; former U.S. Ambassador to Iraq and Afghanistan^[28]
• Yuri Kochiyama – Japanese American activist who converted to Sunni Islam from Protestantism in 1971^[29]
• Umar Lee – Activist and Writer
• Edina Lekovic – Communications Director of the Muslim Public Affairs Council^[30]
• 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.^[31]
• 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 United States federal district court judge in the United States^[32]
• 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^[33]
• 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;^[34] 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^[35]
• Saghir "Saggy" Tahir – New Hampshire State Representative; the only elected Pakistani American in the Republican Party;^[36] re-elected in 2006 for a fourth term to represent Ward 2, District 9 in his home town of Manchester^[37]
• 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.^[31]
• James Yee – former U.S. Army chaplain with the rank of Captain^[38]
• Elias Zerhouni – Director, National Institutes of Health^[39]
• Nusrat Jahan Choudhury - civil rights lawyer, United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York.^[40]

• Kareem Rashad Sultan Khan – United States Army Soldier killed in Iraq^[41]
• Humayun Khan – United States Army Soldier killed in Iraq^[42]

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

• 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^[43]
• Shahzia Sikander – Pakistani-American artist and MacArthur Fellow^[44][45]
• Minoosh Zomorodinia – Iranian-born American visual artist and curator^[46]

• Javed Ahmed – former chief executive of Tate & Lyle,^[47] a FTSE 250 company and one of Britain's oldest brands^[48]
• Michael Chowdry (1955–2001) – Forbes 400 businessman; founder of air cargo company Atlas Air, which in 2001 was worth over $1.39 billion^[49]
• 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^[50]
• Tariq Farid – founder and chief executive of Edible Arrangements^[51]
• Nabeel Gareeb – president and chief executive of renewable energy company MEMC (now SunEdison) from 2002 to 2008;^[52] ranked 6th highest-earning U.S. CEO in 2008^[53]
• 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.^[54]
• Mansoor Ijaz – founder and chairman of Crescent Investment Management, television commentator^[55]
• Jawed Karim – co-founder of YouTube^[56]
• Farooq Kathwari – chairman, president and chief executive of Ethan Allen^[57][58]
• 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^[59]
• Safi Qureshey – co-founder and former CEO of AST Research, philanthropist^[60]
• 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,^[61][62] received the UN Global Leadership Award and the Global Citizen Prize^[63][64]

• Ahmed Ahmed – standup comedian, actor^[65]
• Mohammed Amer – standup comedian^[66]
• Dave Chappelle – standup comedian (converted in 1998)^[67]
• Negin Farsad – comedian, actress, writer, filmmaker^[68]
• Maz Jobrani – standup comedian, actor^[69]
• Aasif Mandvi – comedian, actor^[70]
• Hasan Minhaj – comedian, Daily Show correspondent^[71]
• Preacher Moss – standup comedian, comedy writer^[66]
• Zahra Noorbakhsh – comedian, writer, actor, co-host of #GoodMuslimBadMuslim podcast
• Dean Obeidallah – standup comedian^[65]
• Azhar Usman – standup comedian^[72][73]
• Maysoon Zayid – standup comedian, actress^[65]

• Hasan Akbar – convicted of premeditated murder in a grenade attack on fellow soldiers^[74]
• Hesham Mohamed Hadayet – Egyptian-American who killed 2 people at the El Al counter at Los Angeles International Airport^[75]
• Wadih el-Hage – al-Qaeda member serving life imprisonment in the US for his part in the 1998 United States embassy bombings^[76]
• 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^[77]
• Muzzammil Hassan – founder of Bridges TV, a Muslim television network; received sentence of 25 to life for killing his wife^[78]
• Mir Aimal Kansi – Pakistani-American convicted and executed for the shootings at the Central Intelligence Agency headquarters^[79]
• John Walker Lindh – member of the Taliban^[80]
• John Allen Muhammad – executed beltway sniper^[81]
• José Padilla – convicted of aiding terrorists and litigant before the United States Supreme Court in Rumsfeld v. Padilla^[82][83]
• 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.^[84]

• Nabil Abou-Harb – filmmaker; writer and director of Arab in America^[85]
• Shohreh Aghdashloo – Academy Award-nominated Iranian-born actress^[86]
• Moustapha Akkad – film director, producer^[87]
• Mahershala Ali – Oscar-winning actor.^[88]
• Lewis Arquette – film actor, writer, and producer^[89][90]
• Sayed Badreya – actor, filmmaker^[91]
• Saïd Taghmaoui – actor^[92]
• Faran Tahir – actor^[93]

• Halima Aden – Somali-American fashion model^[94]
• Iman – supermodel and widow of David Bowie^[95]
• Bella Hadid – fashion model and daughter of real-estate developer Mohamed Hadid and former model Yolanda Hadid^[96][97]

• Ahmad Jamal – jazz pianist^[98]
• Ahmet Ertegün – Songwriter and founder of Atlantic Records^[99]
• Akon – R&B and hip-hop artist^[100][101]
• Ali Shaheed Muhammad – producer, DJ and rapper, formerly of A Tribe Called Quest; Sunni Muslim^[60]
• Art Blakey – jazz drummer and bandleader^[102]
• Beanie Sigel – rapper^{[103][104][105]}
• Brother Ali – rapper; converted to Islam^[60][106]
• Chali 2na – rapper, formerly of the alternative hip-hop group Jurassic 5, and of Ozomatli^[107]
• DJ Khaled – rap artist and DJ^[108][109]
• Everlast – rapper from the Irish-American hip-hop group House of Pain; converted to Islam^{[60][110][111]}
• Freeway – rapper; Sunni Muslim^{[60][105][112][113]}
• Ghostface Killah – rapper, member of the hip-hip group the Wu-Tang Clan^[103][114]
• Ice Cube – rapper and producer^[115]
• Jermaine Jackson – singer, bass guitarist^[116][117]
• Kevin Gates – rapper^[118][119]
• Lupe Fiasco – rapper; Sunni Muslim^{[60][103][120]}
• MC Ren – rapper^[121]
• Mona Haydar rapper; Sunni Muslim^[122]
• Mos Def – rapper; initially joined the Nation of Islam before converting to Islam^{[60][103][123]}
• Napoleon – former member of Tupac Shakur's rap group the Outlawz, now a motivational Muslim speaker^[124]
• Native Deen – rap group^[125]
• Q-Tip – rapper, formerly of A Tribe Called Quest; Sunni Muslim^[60][126]
• Raekwon – rapper, member of the hip-hip group the Wu-Tang Clan^{[127][128][129][130]}
• Rhymefest – Grammy Award-winning hip-hop artist; co-writer of the single "Jesus Walks"^[131]
• Richard Thompson – British folk rock singer, Sufi Muslim since 1974^[132][133]
• Scarface – rapper^[103][134]
• Vinnie Paz – rapper in the hip-hop group Jedi Mind Tricks^[135]
• Yusef Lateef – jazz musician and Grammy Award winner^[60][136]

• Abu Ammar Yasir Qadhi – Muslim Scholar.
• Omar Suleiman – Muslim activist and Imam.
• Dalia Mogahed – Muslim speaker and activist.
• Yasmin Mogahed – Muslim speaker and activist.
• 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^{[137][138][139]}
• Hamza Yusuf – Muslim scholar^[140]
• Hassan Hathout – Muslim scholar^[141]
• Hassan Al-Qazwini – Muslim scholar^[142]
• Hisham Kabbani – Muslim sufi scholar and shaykh^[143]
• Yusuf Estes – Muslim preacher^[144]
• Souleiman Ghali – Founder of the Islamic Society of San Francisco^[145]
• Sherman Jackson – Muslim scholar^[146]
• Nouman Ali Khan – Muslim speaker and founder, CEO and lead instructor at Bayyinah, the Institute for Arabic and Qur'anic Studies.^[147]
• Sadullah Khan – Muslim scholar^[148]
• Ingrid Mattson – Muslim scholar^[149]
• Warith Deen Mohammed – former leader of the largest Muslim organization, the American Society of Muslims (son of Nation of Islam leader)^{[150][151][152]}
• Abdul Malik Mujahid – Imam, community activist supporting interfaith and progressive causes, president of Sound Vision^[153]
• Louay M. Safi – Muslim scholar^[154]
• Zaid Shakir – Muslim scholar^[155]
• Siraj Wahhaj – Muslim scholar^[156]
• Omar Khalidi – Muslim scholar^[157][158]
• 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

• 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)^[159]
• Ayub K. Ommaya – neurosurgeon, inventor of the Ommaya reservoir^[160]
• Ahmed Zewail – Nobel Prize winner in Chemistry, 1999 for his work on femtochemistry^[161]
• Aziz Sancar – Nobel Prize winner in Chemistry, 2015 along with Tomas Lindahl and Paul L. Modrich for their mechanistic studies of DNA repair^[162]
• Anousheh Ansari - engineer and first person of Iranian descent in space

Boxing

• Muhammad Ali – became a member of the Nation of Islam in 1964,^[163] converted to Sunni Islam in 1975^[164][165]
• Bernard Hopkins – former Middleweight and Light Heavyweight world champion^[166]
• Eddie Mustafa Muhammad – former Light Heavyweight Champion
• Matthew Saad Muhammad – former Light Heavyweight Champion^[167]
• Dwight Muhammad Qawi – former Light Heavyweight and Cruiserweight Champion^[168]
• Hasim Rahman – former Heavyweight champion^[169]
• Mike Tyson – Undisputed Heavyweight Champion in 1987; converted in 1994 (influenced by preacher in prison)^[170]
• Gervonta Davis – former Super Featherweight and Light Welterweight champion, Lightweight world champion as of January 2024, converted to Islam in 2023^[171]

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^[60][172]
• Enes Kanter – Turkish basketball player for the Portland Trail Blazers^[173]
• Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf – former player for Denver Nuggets (converted in 1991, formerly Chris Jackson)^[174]
• Shareef Abdur-Rahim – retired player, named NBA All-Star in 2001–02 season^[175]
• 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^[176]
• Nazr Mohammed – player for the Charlotte Bobcats^[177]
• Mehmet Okur – Turkish player of the Utah Jazz^[178]
• Shaquille O'Neal – former player for the Los Angeles Lakers; rapper and actor^[179]
• Hakeem Olajuwon – former player for the Houston Rockets^[180]
• Rasheed Wallace – former player for the Detroit Pistons^[181][182]
• Kyrie Irving - player for Brooklyn Nets^[183]

NFL

• Ameer Abdullah – running back, drafted by the Detroit Lions in 2015, currently with the Minnesota Vikings^[184]
• Oday Aboushi – guard, drafted by the New York Jets in 2013, currently with the Detroit Lions.^[185]
• Dominique Easley – linebacker, drafted by the New England Patriots in 2014, currently a free agent.^[186]
• Mohamed Sanu – wide receiver, drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in 2012, currently with the San Francisco 49ers^[187]
• Muhammad Wilkerson – defensive end, drafted by the New York Jets in 2011, currently a free agent.^[188]
• Hamza Abdullah – former safety for the Cleveland Browns^[189][190]
• Husain Abdullah – former safety for the Minnesota Vikings^[191]
• Az-Zahir Hakim – former wide receiver for the St. Louis Rams^[192]
• Ryan Harris – former offensive tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers.^[193]
• Abdul Hodge – former linebacker for the Carolina Panthers^[194]
• Ahmad Rashad – former wide receiver for Minnesota Vikings, award-winning sportscaster (converted in 1972)^[195][196]
• Ephraim Salaam – former offensive tackle for the Detroit Lions^[197]

Track and field

• Khalid Khannouchi – marathon runner
• Dalilah Muhammad - Olympic gold and silver medalist

Wrestling

• Adeel Alam – Pakistani American, wrestler in WWE
• Khosrow Vaziri – Retired Iranian American wrestler, former WWE Champion^[198]

Mixed martial arts

• Muhammed Lawal – former Strikeforce Light Heavyweight World Champion
• Kamaru Usman – current UFC Welterweight Champion

• Mara Brock Akil – screenwriter, producer^[199]
• Usman Ally – actor^[200]
• Ahmed Shihab-Eldin – reporter for national news channels^[201]
• Zehra Fazal - actress and comedienne
• Rizwan Manji – actor^[202]
• Ayman Mohyeldin – reporter for national news channels^[203]
• Isaiah Mustafa – actor^[204]
• Mehmet Oz – medical doctor, talk show host^[205]
• Kamran Pasha – screenwriter, producer^[206]
• Tahera Rahman – Newscaster for WHBF-TV and KLJB. Widely covered by the media for being the first American hijabi Muslim newscaster.^{[207][208][209][210][211][212][213][214][215][216][217]}
• Iqbal Theba – actor^[218]
• Ali Velshi – Reporter and anchor for national U.S. news channels, from Canada^[219]
• Ramy Youssef - Actor and comedian^[220]

• Reza Aslan – author, religious scholar^[221]
• Mona Eltahawy – columnist^[222]
• Yahiya Emerick – author^[223]
• Hafsah Faizal – Author of youth literature, of Sri Lankan and Arab descent.^[224]
• Saladin Ahmed – author
• Laila Lalami – author and essayist
• Ayman Mohyeldin – Al-Jazeera English journalist^[225]
• Lulu Schwartz – journalist^[226]
• Michael Wolfe – journalist^[227]
• Fareed Zakaria – author, commentator, and host of CNN's Fareed Zakaria GPS^[228]
• Khaled Hosseini – Novelist, physician^[229]
• Melody Moezzi – author and activist^[230]
• Wael Abdelgawad – author
• G. Willow Wilson - comics writer and author
• Etaf Rum - Novelist

• Glossary of Islamic terms in Arabic
• List of converts to Islam
• List of Islamic and Muslim related topics
• Lists of Muslims
• Lists of people by belief
• Taqwacore

Bibliography

• Fujino, Diane Carol (2005). Heartbeat of Struggle: The Revolutionary Life of Yuri Kochiyama. University of Minnesota Press. ISBN 978-0-8166-4593-0.