Who We Are

We are a grassroots, interfaith initiative to collect and share stories from our Muslim American neighbors
Getting to Know Our Muslim Neighbors collects and shares stories of Muslim American experience through photography and narrative. This project began in Lafayette, Indiana as part of a larger outreach initiative in which a group of Purdue graduate students began giving presentations at local churches about their experiences as Muslim Americans with the goal of create a safe space to ask questions and create a network of support. It is our belief that getting to know our Muslim neighbors is the first step in dismantling the new wave of Islamophobia present in our country.

Read Ken Chitwood's article, A Radical Response to Islamophobia.

​So who are our Muslim neighbors? Muslim American communities are diverse with regard to race, cultural background, length of residence, education, and faith journey. These communities include individuals who immigrated from countries across the world, first generation Americans, and those whose families have been in America for generations. Muslim Americans are as diverse as America as a whole this diversity epitomizes the Muslim American experience.

This project collects stories of day to day life and what it was like growing up Muslim in America. Many of the individuals participating are intentionally connecting with other Muslims who are at once similar and different in order to figure out how to be spiritual together within a uniquely American context. 

It is not a utopia; there are racial issues, and tensions between different practices of Islam. We do not seek to present a unified portrait of Muslims in America, but demonstrate a range of voices and often untold stories. The common thread is that all these individuals self-identify as Muslim as well as American. 
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These are some of their stories.
In a recent national survey, “Americans are less likely to be friendly to the new family next door if that family is Muslim.” [1] Surveys like this demonstrate just one facet of an increasing volatile political climate that has launched a new wave of discrimination against Muslims because of their religion, better known as Islamophobia. Religious illiteracy, largely negative portrayals of Muslims in the media, and the stereotypical ways Muslims have been regarded historically have all contributed to the general animosity toward Muslim Americans. Islamophobia can be broken with education, interacting and building relationships across cultural and religious lines, and experiential exchange. In other words, getting to know our Muslim neighbors. 
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[1] “Americans are less likely to be friendly if their new neighbors are Muslims, Purdue University poll finds.” Purdue Institute for Civic Communication. March 17, 2016.
Ruth Smith, PhD, is a community artist and researcher with an interest in Muslim and diaspora communities in the United States. She believes that artmaking and exhibition offer a unique opportunity to share experiences and build relationships between individuals from different cultural backgrounds. She is interested in concepts of home, community building, and identity negotiation. 

Check out our latest exhibition at Tippecanoe Arts Federation in Lafayette, IN

We love new projects!
Let's get started.
Are you interested in bringing the Muslim Neighbors initiative to your neighborhood? We are always looking for new places to exhibit and begin new projects. Contact Ruth to get started!