AMERICAN MUSLIMS: A HISTORY REVEALED
About this project:
AMERICAN MUSLIMS: A History Revealed is a landmark PBS series of short documentary films that reveal and explore the untold histories of Muslims in the United States.
AMERICAN MUSLIMS is an ambitious transmedia project that highlights the little-known story of Muslims in America. Starting with the first Muslims to arrive in America in the 17th century as enslaved people from Africa, our films trace the waves of migration and conversion that have created the diverse Muslim communities that exist across the nation today.
The first six films are currently being released. Episodes can be seen on PBS’ App, website, and flagship YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzkQfVIJun2...
Produced by an experienced team of filmmakers and storytellers, these short films are intended for digital distribution before being combined into a single feature-length for broadcast and screenings. An accompanying podcast will create opportunities for a deeper discussion of the stories we tell and the issues they raise.
Project partners are supporting our distribution. These include a range of organizations committed to improving understanding between Muslim and non-Muslim communities and between different Muslim communities who may not know their shared histories.
Working with these organizations, we are producing educational materials for middle- and high school use, college students, and adult education, including anti-racism and diversity training programs. We are also developing an outreach campaign that can share content across multiple platforms.
AMERICAN MUSLIMS is designed to promote further inquiry. To round out the project, a dedicated website will house or link to our short films, use creative techniques to visualize history, and provide easy access to primary sources, academic work, and other pieces of journalism in this area. It will also allow members of the public to add their own stories. Social media links to the website will ensure the project lives beyond conventional distribution and continues to serve as an effective educational resource for anyone wanting to learn more about these rich histories.
Our Mission
For many people, the story of Muslims in America begins on 9/11. But Muslims have been part of the fabric of American life since before the nation was founded. Losing this vital history has helped create space for bitter narratives that position Muslims as permanent outsiders whose belief system threatens the American way of life.
By questioning these stereotypes, and the knowledge gap that helps sustain them, this series is intended to strengthen public understanding of the American Muslim experience at a critical moment in the political and cultural life of the country. With its intersecting themes of race, religion, and citizenship, this series couldn't be more timely or relevant.
In the next 20 years, Muslims are likely to become the second-largest faith group in the United States. Ignorance of who Muslims are, what Muslims believe, and how central Muslims are to the American story is no longer tenable.
This rigorously researched, nonpartisan series is intended to fill a dangerous knowledge vacuum that allows some people to claim that American and Muslim identities are antithetical. Looking at history, these films challenge that claim. They reveal how American Muslims have always been a part of the American experiment and offer what many young Americans are longing for — a more inclusive version of America's past.