Institute for Social Policy and Understanding Facts Are Fuel ANNUAL REPORT 2018 Contents Our vision OUR VISION is a vibrant and truly pluralistic America, where Muslims are strong and equal LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR ............. 3 participants. EIGHT WINS OF 2018 ......................... 4 WHAT WE DISCOVERED ....................... 5 ABED’S STORY ................................... 7 Our mission 2 HOW WE EDUCATED ............................ 8 ISPU CONDUCTS OBJECTIVE, solution-seeking research that empowers American Muslims to MATTHEW’S STORY ........................... 10 develop their community and fully contribute to democracy and pluralism in the United States. WHO WE ENABLED ............................ 11 CATHERINE’S STORY ..........................13 OUR FINANCIALS ...............................14 Our values YOUR SUPPORT .................................15 OUR TEAM .........................................16 COLLABORATIVE · ACTIONABLE · RIGOROUS RESPONSIVE · VISIONARY · EXCELLENT Dr. Zain Abdullah, Associate Professor of Religion at Temple University and a participant in our MAP NYC study / Photo by Syed Yaqeen Letter from the Director VER THE PAST nearly five years, I school administrators wishing to create and shares our research so our legal have had the privilege of leading safer and more inclusive classrooms. We system can become more just. The parent O ISPU and our team through a helped policymakers and government who advocates for their child to have a period of change, opportunity, growth, officials understand the impact of policies safe, inclusive environment at school. and vast expansion of our impact. It is on Muslim communities. your support that has made that possible. And who, ultimately, makes this work In a period of tumultuous change in We spearheaded the first Islamophobia possible? You. You empower us to work 3 America, you have provided facts that Index, empowering advocates and toward an America where our friends fuel positive change through your support interfaith bridge builders. We worked and neighbors who happen to be Muslim of ISPU. with funders to drive resources to don’t just survive—they thrive. And every important initiatives and with mosque day we make progress toward achieving In 2018, we pilot tested our first leaders to create more inclusive spaces. that goal. You are strengthening America, formal journalist training to help We did all this and so much more. In one research project at a time. Thank media professionals cover Muslim short, we put our rigorous research into you! communities and the issues that impact the right hands. them fairly, accurately, and creatively. Warmly, We brought our research to Hollywood, As I sit writing this letter to you, my head inspiring script writers to go beyond is filled with the stories of the people one-dimensional portrayals of Muslims whose lives we changed through our in television and film. We expanded work. The imam who works to help his our work within the school system, masjid evolve to become more welcoming Meira Neggaz providing workshops for teachers and to all. The congressperson who listens ISPU Executive Director Eight wins of 2018 1 2 3 4 OUR RESEARCH NEVER LET UP. OUR WORK WAS AWARD-WINNING. WE ENABLED CHANGE MAKERS. WE CONTRIBUTED TO THE SCHOLARLY CONVERSATION. ISPU conducted 7 research projects The Religion Communicators Council We provided 1,906 national, state, and addressing 28 challenges and engaging presented ISPU with a Wilbur Award local policymakers and community Last year, scholars cited ISPU’s work 71 206 partners. for our video “An America Without leaders with vital resources, data, times in their own published research. 4 Muslims?.” toolkits, and recommendations. 5 6 7 8 WE WERE EVERYWHERE. WE WERE A GO-TO RESOURCE FOR WE STRENGTHENED INSTITUTIONS. WE HAD YOUR SUPPORT! MEDIA. We directly reached 27,614 people with In 2018, we trained leaders from We do what we do because of you. ISPU research and recommendations Our research was cited in media articles 732 institutions—including schools, Thank you for championing and through 47 learning opportunities—plus, 1,166 times last year by news outlets mosques, Hollywood script writers, and supporting our work each and every day. we regularly communicated digitally nationwide and worldwide—that more—on our research findings and with 25,293 people. averages about three per day! recommendations. What we discovered NOTHER YEAR of rigorous, of anti-Muslim animus among motivated violence. Entitled relevant, impactful research various groups. The creation of Equal Treatment: Measuring the A is in the books. From this tool, alongside Georgetown’s Legal and Media Responses to ideologically motivated violence to Bridge Initiative, spurred important Ideologically Motivated Violence the health and welfare of children, dialogue about the impacts of in the United States, this report 5 our 2018 research topics were both internalized Islamophobia, as well put hard numbers to questions of wide-ranging and highly relevant as the public hazard of politicized fairness in the justice system and to the complicated country we all Islamophobia. journalism world. Our research share. revealed that perpetrators of Our first research project published violence perceived to be Muslim Our year began with fielding survey in 2018 was a groundbreaking two- are subject to more severe legal questions for our third annual pronged analysis of ideologically charges, up to three times the prison American Muslim Poll, which continues to set the standard in tracking policy preferences and attitudes on topics impacting “Without ISPU, our understanding of ourselves —as American Muslims. This year’s poll, Pride and Prejudice, introduced the Muslim Americans—would be severely diminished. We first-ever national Islamophobia need ISPU to compile the research, tell the stories, and Index, which measures the amount Mehdi Hasan moderates the panel at the launch have the knowledge of self to drive our work.” of our American Muslim Poll 2018 (May 2018) KHALED BEYDOUN, ISPU scholar and law professor at University of Arkansas School of Law sentence, and more than seven recommendations for teachers, times the media coverage compared parents, administrators, and to non-Muslim perpetrators. community members to address Perpetrators perceived as Muslim religious-based bullying in schools. are also much more likely to be targeted for undercover law School-aged children continued DID YOU KNOW? enforcement operations providing to be an area of focus for ISPU them with weapons of fake in 2018, as we finalized a report explosives. featuring recommendations gleaned Around 768,767 Muslims live from our 2017 Islamic Schools in New York City as of 2016, ISPU celebrated Independence Convening. In partnership with making up about Day with a new installment of our the John Templeton Foundation, Muslims for American Progress we gathered evidence from experts 9% (MAP) project on July 4, this time about best practices for fostering of the city’s total population. highlighting the Muslims of New character development in weekend York City. We paired hard facts with Islamic schools. human faces to show the impact WHAT WE DISCOVERED WHAT of Muslims on New York City 95,816 across different areas, including small businesses in NYC are economics, nonprofit institutions, owned by Muslims. STEM, arts and entertainment, WEEKEND ISLAMIC [ MUSLIMS FOR AMERICAN sports, and more. PROGRESS, 2018 ] SCHOOLS 6 Also in 2018, we partnered Published with the American Muslim August 2018 Health Professionals (AMHP) to publish the results from the first National Interfaith Anti-Bullying Summit. This included concise Mohamed Bahi, one of the founders and director of Muslims Giving Back and a participant in our MAP NYC study / Photo by Syed Yaqeen ABED’S STORY “The [ISPU] report gave us the numbers to show the board and the attorneys that Solutions to real this was a systemic problem.” problems BED AYOUB, National that these cases getting much problem. The concern was the Legal & Policy Director of harsher sentencing was a systematic disparities are not documented. A the American-Arab Anti- problem and couldn’t convince the Now we are reorganizing so that Discrimination Committee, needed community we needed to target when we become aware of these proof. Proof that Muslim-perceived 7 resources to it.” cases, we want to be proactive.” perpetrators accused of ideologically motivated violence were receiving Enter ISPU’s 2018 report Equal Ayoub plans to use Equal harsher treatment from the legal Treatment?. Treatment? in meetings with system. lawyers, judges, and the Department “The report covered a topic we of Justice to help ensure that equal “We would have cases like the one in assumed to be true, that Muslims conduct receives equal treatment. the ISPU report come in and often were being treated harsher. We do a couldn’t work on them. We would lot of work on the defense side [but] “We are now able to convince our refer them out because our defense we were never able to quantify or board and donors that we should team and board didn’t think it was put down on paper that this was an work on this issue and get in front a priority and told us to work on issue.” of it before these people become Muslim ban or immigration issues. a statistic. We are now creating a And now? “The report gave us the strategy of how to help their defense “We had no documented proof numbers to show the board and the to address the disparities.” attorneys that this was a systemic How we educated DID YOU KNOW? ISPU visited 7,614 PEOPLE. That’s how new report with a panel of experts many individuals we directly at NYU-DC. 27 educated with ISPU research cities in 13 states in 2018, 2 Our Muslims for American Progress informing communities in 2018. And we reached millions by sharing our research more through social media and (MAP) portrait and narrative series 8 findings and evidence-based our work with journalists. To reach was a reminder that data displays recommendations through that many people, our staff kept can be beautiful and powerful.