Recently Muslim American women have been increasingly visible in political leadership roles. The role of Muslim American women in this arena is fairly new and one that that makes the average American voter uncomfortable since it doesn’t fit the stereotypical narrative of Muslim women. This research provides a lens through which to highlight this phenomenon in the United States and ways in which women are redefining their roles in the political scene. A Pew Research Center poll in April 2017 found that 44% of voters believe there is a “natural conflict” between Islam and democracy. The experience of Muslim women running a political campaign and serving for elected offices has been particularly challenging because of their Islamic faith. Doubly, Muslim women of color and those who wear hijab are vulnerable to further elements of discrimination. Most evident of these examples are elected Congresswomen Ilhan Omar and Rachida Talib, who have broken barriers since their emergence onto the political scene. Their roles have set a new narrative of the contributions of Muslim American women. Faith-based discrimination has been directed towards these women and others who have played visible/supportive roles in campaigning for their elections. The complicated and often unclear legality of religious symbols in politics, and the barriers that exist for Muslim women highlight the complexities of political engagement. Among the many challenges faced by Muslim women in politics is the existence of complex issues that these women must manage and the outcomes that they must face in either dismissing or confronting Islamophobia. This research examines the consequences of the burden placed on Muslim American women, as well as how this affects their political representation, advocacy, and constitutional work all while creating a space for themselves in a white/male dominated sphere. Understanding women from diverse cultural backgrounds is one small part in attempting to understand the much more personal implications of how they form and maintain political identity. Despite the overwhelming and blatant Islamophobia that exists in the media, Muslim American women continue to resist and refuse to allow discrimination to define their political ambitions. Muslim American women who are part of the political space are essentially implementing a “grassroots” form of change. This research examines not only how stereotypes affect Muslim American women in politics, but also how these women are actively shaping a new paradigm.

The da’wa (call to Islam) is a command to spread the message of Allah to Muslims and non-Muslims (mission) worldwide. Despite the irony, da’wa has been on the rise in America since the September-11 attacks. This phenomenon is related in part to the escalation of Islamophobia, which created a da’wa, that acted as a tool to present Islam positively and called for social involvement and dialogue with non-Muslims. One of the figures who has been preaching for this activity is Sheikh Dr. Yasir Qadhi, a famous and influential scholar in America. Although he was considered in his distant past a radical Salafi, he has updated many of his harsh positions and has been calling since, to practice Islam in a manner that fits the residence in a Western democracy. This paper presents the broad doctrine of Qadhi towards da’wa and his ability to temper between the American and the Muslim Identities. I argue that Qadhi’s methodology mainly effected by the American environment that promises religious freedom. That influence reinforces the potential of da’wa in America, in comparison to other Western states, like France, for example, which has restricted religious freedom in the case of Hijab (scarf head for women). The paper includes Quranic, historical, and social examples that Qadhi uses to address his philosophy of da’wa. For example, he supports the legal residence of Muslims in Dar al-Kufr (residence in non-Muslim country) with no condition to their Islamic activities. As opposed to the doctrine of past prominent scholars, such as Ismail al-Faruqi and Shamim A.Siddiqi, who claimed the only permission to live in America is to make da’wa. That argument helps Qadhi to connect Muslims to American society and market the da’wa activity as a social contribution and good manners. This methodology also proves that Qadhi links between Islamophobia and da’wa and continue to use the negative attitude towards Islam and Muslims, as a circulation activity- the more Islamophobia is on the rise, the more da’wa is highlighted. This process can also indicate that the consequences of the September-11 attacks still play a significant pattern in shaping the aspect of da’wa in America.