What Struggling Faith Groups Can Learn from American Muslims

Unlike European Muslims dealing with postcolonial dynamics and integration into more homogeneous societies, American Muslims come from an extraordinary diversity of ethnic, cultural and linguistic backgrounds. This diversity demands that they forge a shared identity that transcends cultural differences, and this requires constant cross-cultural dialogue and adaptation. Muslims in the United States are not merely navigating their internal diversity but doing so within a broader American context where religious expression is highly individualized, while often cut off from communal ethnic identities.