List of American Muslims

This is an incomplete list of notable Muslims who live or lived in the United States.

Activism and politics

• Nihad Awad – National Executive Director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations
• André Carson – Congressman from Indiana^[1]
• Robert D. Crane – Former foreign policy advisor and an author^[2]
• C. Jack Ellis – Former mayor of Macon, Georgia^[3]
• Keith Ellison – First Muslim congressman from Minnesota^[4]
• 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
• Zalmay Khalilzad – Former US Ambassador to the United Nations as well as former U.S. Ambassador to Iraq and Afghanistan^[5]
• Edina Lekovic – Communications Director of the Muslim Public Affairs Council^[6]
• Malcolm X (also known as El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz) – Civil rights activist, public speaker and Black Muslim minister.^[7] Joined the Nation of Islam in 1952, before converting to Sunni Islam in 1964.
• Farah Pandith is the Special Representative to Muslim Communities for the United States Department of State. She is the official advisor to President Obama on Muslim matters.
• Zainab Salbi, co-founder and president for Women for Women International
• Betty Shabazz – Civil rights activist and educator; widow of Malcolm X.^[8]
• James Yee – Former U.S. Army chaplain with the rank of Captain^[9]
• Elias Zerhouni – Director, National Institutes of Health^[10]

Armed forces

• Kareem Rashad Sultan Khan – United States Army Soldier killed in Iraq^[11]

Foreign military service

• Ma Dunjing (1910-2003), 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

Art

• Shirin Neshat – Iranian-American visual artist and film director. Awarded the The Dorothy and Lillian Gish Prize in 2006, and the Silver Lion in 2009.^[12]
• Shahzia Sikander – Pakistani-American artist and MacArthur Fellow.^[13][14]

Business

• Mohamed A. El-Erian – CEO of PIMCO, manager of over $1 trillion in global assets.^[15]
• Fuad El-Hibri – CEO of Emergent BioSolutions^[16][17]
• Jawed Karim – Co-founder of YouTube^[18]
• Shahid Khan - owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL), the English Premier League team Fulham F.C., and automobile parts manufacturer Flex-N-Gate in Urbana, Illinois.^[19]
• Farooq Kathwari – CEO of Ethan Allen Global, Inc.^[20][21]
• Abdul Malik Mujahid – President of Sound Vision and community activist^[22]
• Safi Qureshey – Pakistani-American entrepreneur and philanthropist. He is the co-founder and former CEO of AST Research.^[23]

Crime

• Naser Jason Abdo, former soldier convicted of planning an attack near Fort Hood^[24]
• Sami Al-Arian, professor guilty of conspiracy to contribute services to or for the benefit of a Specially Designated Terrorist organization^[25]
• Anwar al-Awlaki, believed by US officials to be a recruiter involved in planning terrorist operations for the Islamist militant group al-Qaeda^[26]
• Daniel Patrick Boyd, convicted for conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists, and conspiracy to commit murder, maiming and kidnapping overseas.^[27]
• Hasan Akbar – convicted of premeditated murder in a grenade attack on fellow soldiers.^[28]
• Hesham Mohamed Hadayet – Egyptian-American who killed 2 people at the El Al counter at Los Angeles International Airport^[29]
• Wadih el-Hage - al-Qaeda member serving life imprisonment in the US for his part in the 1998 United States embassy bombings.^[30]
• Nidal Malik Hasan, former soldier convicted of the 2009 Fort Hood shooting^[31]
• Muzzammil Hassan – Founder of Bridges TV, a Muslim television network, received sentence of 25 to life for beheading his wife.^[32]
• Mir Aimal Kansi – Pakistani-American convicted and executed for the shootings at the Central Intelligence Agency headquarters.^[33]
• John Walker Lindh – American Taliban^[34]
• John Allen Muhammad – executed beltway sniper.^[35]
• José Padilla – convicted of aiding terrorists and litigant before the United States Supreme Court in Rumsfeld v. Padilla^[36][37]
• Bryant Neal Vinas, convicted of participating in and supporting Al-Qaeda plots in Afghanistan and the U.S.^[38]
• Nidal Malik Hasan, convicted of the 2009 Fort Hood shootings.^[39]

Entertainment

Comedy

• Ahmed Ahmed – standup comedian, actor^[40]
• Mohammed Amer – standup comedian^[41]
• Dave Chappelle – standup comedian (converted in 1998)^[42]
• Maz Jobrani – standup comedian, actor^[43]
• Aasif Mandvi – comedian, actor^[44]
• Preacher Moss – standup comedian, comedy writer^[41]
• Dean Obeidallah – standup comedian^[40]
• Azhar Usman – standup comedian^[45][46]
• Maysoon Zayid – standup comedian, actress^[40]

Film

• Nabil Abou-Harb – filmmaker, Writer/Director of "Arab in America".^[47]
• Shohreh Aghdashloo – Academy Award-nominated Iranian-born actress^[48]
• Moustapha Akkad – film director, producer^[49]
• Lewis Arquette – film actor, writer, and producer^[50][51]
• Sayed Badreya – actor, filmmaker^[52]
• Said Taghmaoui – actor^[53]

Music

• Ahmad Jamal – Jazz pianist^[54]
• Akil – Rapper. Formerly of the alternative hip-hop group Jurassic 5.^[55][56]
• Ahmet Ertegün – Songwriter and founder of Atlantic Records^[57]
• Akon – Rapper^[58][59]
• Ali Shaheed Muhammad – Producer, DJ and rapper. Formerly of A Tribe Called Quest. He is a Sunni Muslim.^[23]
• Art Blakey – American jazz drummer and bandleader^[60]
• B.G. Knocc Out – Rapper from Compton, CA, (converted to Islam in 1999)^[61]
• Beanie Sigel – Rapper^[55][62][63]
• Big Daddy Kane – Rapper. He is a 5 percenter.^[64][65]
• Brother Ali – Rapper. Converted to Islam.^[23][66]
• Busta Rhymes – Hip-hop artist and rapper. He is a 5 percenter.^[23][67]
• Casey Kasem For years an American Druze radio personality known for his top forty DJ format.
• Chali 2na – Rapper. Formerly of the alternative hip-hop group Jurassic 5, and of Ozomatli^[68]
• DJ Khaled – Rap artist and DJ^[69][70]
• Everlast – Rapper from the Irish-American hip-hop group House of Pain. Converted to Islam.^[23][71][72]
• Freeway – Rapper. He is a Sunni Muslim.^{[23][63][73][74]}
• Ghostface Killah – Rapper. Member of the hip-hip group the Wu-Tang Clan^[55][75]
• Ice Cube – Rapper and producer.^[76]
• Immortal Technique – Rapper and social activist.
• Jermaine Jackson – Singer, bass guitarist^[77][78]
• Lupe Fiasco – Rapper. He is a Sunni Muslim.^[23][55][79]
• Mark 7even – Rapper. Formerly of the alternative hip-hop group Jurassic 5^[56]
• MC Ren – Rapper^[80]
• Mos Def – Rapper. Initially joined the Nation of Islam before converting to Islam.^[23][55][81]
• Napoleon – Former member of Tupac Shakur's rap group the Outlawz, now a motivational Muslim speaker^[82]
• Nas – Rapper and 5 percenter^[55][83]
• Native Deen – Artist rap group^[84]
• Professor A.L.I. – Rapper. ^[85]
• Q-Tip – Rapper. Formerly of A Tribe Called Quest. He is a Sunni Muslim.^[23][86]
• Rakim – 5 percenter, Rapper & former member of the hip-hop duo Eric B. & Rakim.^[83][87]
• Scarface – Rapper^[55][88]
• Raekwon – Rapper. Member of the hip-hip group the Wu-Tang Clan^{[89][90][91][92]}
• Rhymefest – Grammy award winning hip hop artist and co-writer of the single "Jesus Walks"^[93]
• Snoop Dogg – Rapper. ex member of the Nation Of Islam.^[23][94][95]
• T-Pain – singer, rapper^[96]
• Vinnie Paz – Rapper in the hip-hop group Jedi Mind Tricks.^[97]
• Yusef Lateef – Jazz musician and Grammy Award winner^[23][98]
• Zeeshan Zaidi - Lead singer and guitarist for The Commuters

Television

• Mara Brock Akil – screenwriter, producer^[99]
• Rizwan Manji – actor^[100]
• Isaiah Mustafa – actor^[101]
• Mehmet Oz – medical doctor, talk show host^[102]
• Kamran Pasha – screenwriter, producer^[103]
• Iqbal Theba – actor^[104]

Modeling and pageants

• Iman – Supermodel and wife of David Bowie^[105]
• Rima Fakih – Miss USA 2010

Religion

• Suhaib Webb – Muslim Lecturer & Activist – Imam of the Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center (ISBCC), the largest mosque in the New England area.^{[106][107][108]}
• Hassan Hathout – Muslim scholar^[109]
• Hassan Al-Qazwini – Muslim scholar^[110]
• Haitham Bundakji – President of the Islamic Society of Orange County, the largest Muslim organization in the western United States.
• Yusuf Estes – Muslim preacher^[111]
• Sherman Jackson – Muslim scholar^[112]
• Sadullah Khan – Muslim scholar^[113]
• Ingrid Mattson – Muslim scholar^[114]
• Warith Deen Mohammed – Former leader of the largest Muslim organization, the American Society of Muslims (son of Nation of Islam leader)^{[115][116][117]}
• Louay M. Safi – Muslim scholar^[118]
• Zaid Shakir – Muslim scholar^[119]
• Siraj Wahhaj – Muslim scholar^[120]
• Hamza Yusuf – Muslim scholar^[121]
• Omar Khalidi – Muslim Scholar^[122][123]
• Amir Hussain Muslim Scholar and Editor of the Journal of the American Academy of Religion

Science

• Fazlur Khan – structural engineer (designed the Sears Tower, John Hancock Center)^[124]
• Ayub K. Ommaya – neurosurgeon, inventor of the Ommaya reservoir^[125]
• Ahmed Zewail – Nobel Prize winner in Chemistry, 1999 for his work on femtochemistry.^[126]

Sports

Boxing

• Muhammad Ali – Became a member of the Nation of Islam in 1964,^[127] then converted to Sunni Islam in 1975.^[128][129]
• Bernard Hopkins – Former Middleweight and Light Heavyweight world champion^[130]
• Eddie Mustafa Muhammad – Former Light Heavyweight Champion
• Matthew Saad Muhammad – Former Light Heavyweight Champion.^[131]
• Dwight Muhammad Qawi – Former Light Heavyweight and Cruiserweight Champion.^[132]
• Hasim Rahman – Former Heavyweight champion^[133]
• Mike Tyson – Was the Undisputed Heavyweight Champion in 1987; converted in 1994 (influenced from preacher in prison)^[134]

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.^[23][135]
• Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf – Former player for Denver Nuggets (converted in 1991, formerly Chris Jackson)^[136]
• Shareef Abdur-Rahim – Retired player, named NBA All-Star in 2001–02 season^[137]
• Hassan Adams – Player for the KK Vojvodina^[138]
• Larry Johnson – Retired player, played for the Charlotte Hornets and New York Knicks^[139]
• Nazr Mohammed – Player for the Charlotte Bobcats^[140]
• Mehmet Okur – Turkish player of the Utah Jazz^[141]
• Shaquille O'Neal – Player for the Boston Celtics, also a rapper and actor^[142]
• Hakeem Olajuwon^[143]
• Rasheed Wallace of the Boston Celtics^[144][145]

NFL

• Hamza Abdullah – Safety for the Cleveland Browns^[146][147]
• Husain Abdullah – Safety for the Minnesota Vikings^[148]
• Az-Zahir Hakim – Wide receiver formerly for the St. Louis Rams^[149]
• Ryan Harris^[150]
• Abdul Hodge – Linebacker for the Carolina Panthers.^[23]
• Ahmad Rashād – Former Wide receiver for Minnesota Vikings, award winning sports-caster (converted in 1972)^[151][152]
• Ephraim Salaam – Offensive tackle for the Detroit Lions^[153]
• Muhammad Wilkerson – Defensive end for the New York Jets^[154]
• Usama Young – Free safety for the New Orleans Saints^[155]

Wrestling

• Dara Daivari – Iranian American, former wrestler at the WWE^[156]

Mixed martial arts

• Muhammed Lawal former Strikeforce Light Heavyweight World Champion

Writing

• Reza Aslan – Author, religious scholar^[157]
• Mona Eltahawy – Columnist^[158]
• Yahiya Emerick – Author^[159]
• Pai Hsien-yung – Chinese Muslim author and writer, born in China, immigrated to Taiwan then the United States, son of General Bai Chongxi
• Ayman Mohyeldin – Al-Jazeera English journalist^[160]
• Stephen Schwartz – Journalist^[161]
• Michael Wolfe – Journalist^[162]
• Fareed Zakaria – Author, commentator, and host of CNN's Fareed Zakaria GPS^[163]

See also

• 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

References

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.