Unequal Citizens: Documenting the civic lives of American Muslim Youth

American Muslim communities face pervasive racism that undermines their ability to be included as full participants in the civic and political life of the U.S. Our national study is focusing on the effects of this climate on youth, with attention to differences by gender, sexuality, region, national origin, and religiosity. We are exploring the ways in which young people from diverse Muslim immigrant communities develop a range of understandings about, and practices in relation to, civic identity and civic actions. Moreover, we are focusing on youth between the ages of 13-21 who have grown up in the post-9/11 environment, where their citizenship and civic belonging have been called into question. We are exploring how young people develop civic identities and engage in civic actions amid (and in relation to) the constraints and opportunities they encounter across educational, home, and community settings. We are documenting (1) the differentiated civic consequences of sustained structural and ideological experiences of exclusion and misrepresentation; (2) the conditions under which educational institutions and community organizations can nurture young people’s civic belonging and engagement. ,