A list of notable Muslims, the followers of the religion of Islam, who live in the United States - are known as American Muslims. The list contains people from all types of careers such as sports or music; many of these people are converts to Islam, in particular African Americans, with also other ethnic origins. The list however does not include people who are members of the Nation of Islam (or any other similar groups), due to their controversial, racist beliefs which conflict mainstream Islamic beliefs.

Politicians and activists

• Nihad Awad - National Executive Director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations
• Dr. Robert D. Crane - former foreign policy advisor, author
• Keith Ellison - First Muslim congressman, Congress from Minnesota
• André Carson - Congress from Indiana
• Ibrahim Hooper - National Communications Director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)
• Zalmay Khalilzad - Former US Ambassador to the United Nations. Former US Ambassador to Afghanistan and to Iraq
• Malcolm X - civil rights activist, public speaker and Black Muslim minister.
• James Yee - former US Army chaplain with the rank of Captain
• Elias Zerhouni - Director, National Institutes of Health
• C. Jack Ellis - Former mayor of Macon, GA.

Religious leaders

• Warith Deen Mohammed - Former leader of the largest Muslim organization, the American Society of Muslims (son of Nation of Islam leader)
• Yusuf Estes - Muslim scholar
• Sherman Jackson - Muslim scholar
• Sadullah Khan - Muslim scholar
• Ingrid Mattson - Muslim scholar
• Hassan Al-Qazwini - Muslim scholar
• Louay M. Safi - Muslim scholar
• Zaid Shakir - Muslim scholar
• Shuaib Ud-Din - Muslim scholar & Alim
• Siraj Wahhaj - Muslim scholar
• Hamza Yusuf - Muslim scholar
• Naeem Abdul Wali - Muslim scholar

Journalists and authors

• Yahiya Emerick - Author
• Jeffrey Lang - author, professor
• Stephen Schwartz - journalist
• Michael Wolfe - journalist
• Fareed Zakaria - head of Newsweek International
• Ayman Mohyeldin - Al-Jazeera English Journalist
• Jerald F. Dirks - former methodist minister and author

Other

• Edina Lekovic - Communications Director of the Muslim Public Affairs Council
• Iman Mohamed Abdulmajid - Somali supermodel

Entertainment

Musicians

• Akon - Hip Hop singer-songwriter,and record producer
• B.G. Knocc Out - rapper from Compton, CA, (converted to Islam in 1999)
• Art Blakey - American jazz drummer and bandleader
• Brother Ali - rapper
• DJ Khaled - Rap artist and DJ
• E.D.I. Mean - Rapper of former group Outlawz
• Lupe Fiasco - Rapper
• Freeway - Rapper
• Ghostface Killah - rapper
• Ice Cube - Rapper, actor, writer, music producer, and director
• Jermaine Jackson - singer, bass guitarist
• Ahmad Jamal - Jazz pianist
• Yusef Lateef - Jazz musician and Grammy Award winner
• MC Ren - rapper
• Mos Def-rapper
• Napoleon - Former member of Tupac Shakur's rap group the Outlawz, now a motivational Muslim speaker
• Native Deen - Artist rap group
• Q-Tip - rapper
• Busta Rhymes - hip-hop Artist and rapper
• Beanie Sigel - Rapper
• Swizz Beatz - hip-hop producer and rapper.
• T-Pain - singer, rapper

Comedians

• Dave Chappelle - Comedian (converted in 1998)
• Maz Jobrani - comedian, actor
• Azhar Usman - Standup comedian (known as "America's Funniest Muslim")

Film

• Lewis Arquette - film actor, writer, and producer
• Nabil Abou-Harb - filmmaker, Writer/Director of "Arab in America".
• Shohreh Aghdashloo - Academy Award-nominated Iranian-born actress
• Moustapha Akkad - film director, producer

Sports

NBA

• Kareem Abdul-Jabbar - Converted to Islam from Catholicism in 1971.
• Tariq Abdul-Wahad - Former French player, and formerly name was Olivier Saint-Jean (converted in 1997)
• Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf - Former player for Denver Nuggets (converted in 1991, formerly Chris Jackson)
• Shareef Abdur-Rahim - Retired player, named NBA All-Star in 2001-02 season
• Larry Johnson - Retired player, played for the Charlotte Hornets and New York Knicks
• Nazr Mohammed - Player for the Charlotte Bobcats, devout Muslim
• Mehmet Okur - Turkish player of the Utah Jazz
• Shaquille O'Neal - Player for the Phoenix Suns, also a rapper and actor
• Hakeem Olajuwon
• Rasheed Wallace - Center/power forward of the Detroit Pistons
• Hassan Adams - Player for the KK Vojvodina
• Hidayet Türkoğlu - Turkish player for the Toronto Raptors

NFL

• Ryan Harris
• Hamza Abdullah - Safety player for the Cleveland Browns
• Husain Abdullah - Safety player for the Minnesota Vikings
• Kareem Brown - Defensive end player for the New York Jets
• Ahmad Brooks - Linebacker player for the San Francisco 49ers
• Az-Zahir Hakim - Wide receiver player formerly for the St. Louis Rams
• Ahmard Hall - Fullback player for the Tennessee Titans
• Abdul Hodge - Linebacker player for the Cincinnati Bengals
• Ahmad Rashād - Former player for Minnesota Vikings, award winning sports-caster (converted in 1972)
• Ramzee Robinson - Cornerback for the Detroit Lions
• Ephraim Salaam - Offensive tackle player for the Detroit Lions
• Usama Young - Free safety player for the New Orleans Saints

Boxing

• Muhammad Ali - Became a member of the Nation of Islam in 1964, then converted to Sunni Islam in 1975.
• Bernard Hopkins - 10yr Middleweight world champion
• Hasim Rahman - Former Heavyweight champion
• Mike Tyson - Was the undisputed heavyweight champion, converted in 1994 (influenced from preacher in prison)

Wrestling

• Khosrow Daivari - Iranian American, former wrestler at the WWE
• Khosrow Vaziri (The Iron Sheik)

Business

• Samir N. Ghazal - President of WorldWide Mortgage & Financial, Inc.,also the founder and president of all Ghazal Organizations
• Abdul Malik Mujahid - President of Sound Vision and community activist

Science

• Fazlur Khan - structural engineer (designed the Sears Tower, John Hancock Center)

Military

• Kareem Rashad Sultan Khan - United States Army Soldier killed in Iraq

Footnotes

1. Farrakhan attacks 'unjust' UK ban BBC News (BBC). 2002-12-22. Retrieved on 2009-06-19.
2. Anna Clark (2009-06-09) The Nation of Islam at the End of the Apocalyptic Age? ReligionDispatches. Retrieved on 2009-06-19.
3. John L. Esposito (2002). What Everyone Needs to Know about Islam. Oxford University Press US. pp.52-54. ISBN 0195157133, 9780195157130.
4. Nihad Awad DiscoverTheNetworks.org. Retrieved on 2009-06-16
5. IslamonLine.net
6. First Muslim congressman elected BBC News. Retrieved on 2009-06-16.
7. Second Muslim elected to Congress Reuters. 2008-03-11. Retrieved on 2009-06-16.
8. Ibrahim Hooper DiscoverTheNetworks.org. Retrieved on 2009-06-16.
9. BBC NEWS | Middle East | Zalmay Khalilzad: US power broker
10. The Last Speeches. Bruce Perry, ed. New York: Pathfinder Press (1989). pp. 261.
11. USATODAY.com - The ordeal of Chaplain Yee
12. Susan R. Morrissey (2006-07-03) Cover Story - Elias A. Zerhouni Chemical & Engineering News. Retrieved on 2009-06-16.
13. Macon Mayor C. Jack Ellis Sponsors Ramadan Observance At City Hall Georgia Informer (Clarence Thomas). Retrieved on 2009-06-16.
14. Warith Deen Mohammed This Far by faith - PBS. Retrieved on 2009-06-20.
15. W. DEEN MOHAMMED: A leap of faith Hartford Courant. Retrieved on 2009-06-20.
16. Douglas Martin (2008-09-09) W. Deen Mohammed, 74, Top U.S. Imam, Dies The New York Times. Retrieved on 2009-06-20.
17. Yusuf Estes, Former Christian Minister
18. Oxford University Press: Islam and the Blackamerican: Sherman A. Jackson
19. Wise Living
20. AlimProgram.com
21. Official Website
22. The page cannot be found
23. Zaytuna Institute & Academy :: Teachers
24. [1]
25. [2]
26. 'If you hate the west, emigrate to a Muslim country' | The Guardian | Guardian Unlimited
27. [3]
28. Yahiya Emerick - Penguin Group (USA) Authors - Penguin Group (USA)
29. Mushfiqur Rahman (January 2001) Dr. Jeffrey Lang welcome-back.org. Retrieved on 2009-06-16.
30. Stephen Schwartz on Wahhabism & Islam in the U.S. on National Review Online
31. Amazon.com: Taking Back Islam: American Muslims Reclaim Their Faith: Books: Producers of Beliefnet,Michael Wolfe
32. Seema Sirohi (2003-04-28) Will Fareed Zakaria be the first Muslim US secretary of state? Daily Times. Retrieved on 2009-06-16.
33. PRWeek (2007-07-02) Interview: Ayman Mohyeldin Brand Republic. Retrieved on 2009-06-16.
34. Letters to My Elders in Islam. (2008). Jerald Dirks.
35. National Review Online Retrieved on 2009-0618.
36. Talk About English BBC. Retrieved on 2009-06-18.
37. Q&A: Akon - How Akon went from car thief to inmate to hip-hop's top R&B singer Rolling Stone. Publisher: RealNetworks. Date/Time: Nov 02, 2006 12:27 PM. Author: Peter Relic
38. BG KNOCC OUT & DRESTA Publisher: DUB CNN. Date: September 2006. Interviewer: Yash
39. The African diaspora: a musical perspective. Ingrid Tolia Monson (2000). pp. 330.
40. CHRIS RiemenschneiderI (28 December 2007) Brother Ali: Even for a Muslim albino rapper, he stood out StarTribune. Retrieved on 2009-04-11.
41. DJ Khaled DJ Khaled wearing a a sign of Allah chain. Retrieved on 2009-06-16.
42. Outlawz - Profiles, HitEmUp.com
43. Lupe Fiasco Announces Album Release Date
44. Jake Bronstein (2003-03-26) Freeway of Love RollingStone. Retrieved on 2009-06-16.
45. Cityfile: Ghostface Killah Citylife: New York. Retrieved on 2009-06-16.
46. Brother wants Michael Jackson to be a Muslim MSNBC (Reuters). 2007-29-01. Retrieved on 2009-06-16.
47. Jermaine Jackson DesParades.com. Retrieved on 2009-06-16.
48. On the Side of My People: A Religious Life of Malcolm X. Louis A. DeCaro, Jr. (1997). pp. 147
49. Yusef Lateef BBC Music (BBC). Retrieved on 2009-06-16.
50. MC Ren NNDB. Retrieved on 2009-06-16.
51. RapReviews.com Medina Green Interview
52. Former US rapper Napoleon warns Oldham youth about gang culture 10 May 2009. Retrieved on 2009-05-09.
53. Native Deen's Muslim Rap, by Phyllis McIntosh, at usinfo.state.gov
54. People: Muslim rapper claims he’s ‘signed’ Obama The First Post. Retrieved on 2009-06-16.
55. Busta Rhymes ft. Ron Browz, Diddy, Swizz Beatz, T-Pain, Akon & Lil Wayne - Arab Money (Remix) Muslim Entertainment. 29 November 2008. Retrieved on 2009-05-09.
56. Off On A Tangent W/Beanie Sigel | Featurette | SOHH.com /
57. Swiss Beatz Muslim Entertainment. Retrieved on 2009-06-16.
58. iranian.com (2006-02-01) Axis of evil comedy show Retrieved on 2009-06-18.
59. Azhar Usman BBC - Religion and Ethics (BBC). Retrieved on 2009-06-18.
60. America's Funniest Muslim America Abroad Media. Retrieved on 2009-06-18.
61. Patricia Arquette: The not-so-dippy hippie - Features, Film & TV - Independent.co.uk
62. The South Magazine:Arab in America, 2007-03-18
63. Moustapha Akkad IMBD.com. Retrieved on 2009-06-18.
64. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar National Basketball League (NBA). Retrieved on 2009-04-23.
65. Transcript: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 02/25/99
66. Tariq Abdul-Wahad bio NBA.com. Retrieved on 2009-06-16.
67. Playing By The Rules PBS. (1996-03-14). Retrieved on 2009-06-16.
68. Shareef Abdur-Rahim bio NBA.com. Retrieved on 2009-06-16.
69. Selena Roberts (1999-01-24) PRO BASKETBALL; A Diet of Discipline The New York Times. Retrieved on 2009-06-16.
70. NY Times News Service, New York (2005-01-01) Knicks' Nazr Mohammed among East's best centers Taipei Times. Retrieved on 2009-06-16.
71. Barack Obama Tells the Muslim World: "The United States Is Not, and Will Never Be, at War With Islam" Al-Jazeerah. Retrieved on 2009-06-16.
72. NBA star Hakeem Olajuwon talks about the gift of Ramadan and finding peace in Islam - Beliefnet.com
73. Malcolm, and others like him Alan Grant. Retrieved on 2009-06-18.
74. Hassan Adams NBA.com. Retrieved on 2009-06-18.
75. Muhammad Ali Hasan (2009-05-31) Allah's NBA Finals Arabisto. Retrieved on 2009-06-18.
76. Cleveland Browns
77. Neil MacFarquhar (2007-10-13) Muslim Player Thrives With Nourished Spirit The New York Times. Retrieved on 2009-06-18.
78. The Broncos interviews: Hamza Abdullah The Denver Post (2007-11-25). Retrieved on 2009-06-18.
79. Abdullah works to make Cougars better The Seattle Times (2007-08-08). Retrieved on 2009-06-18.
80. Kareem Brown NFL.com. Retrieved on 2009-06-18.
81. Ahmad Brooks NFL.com. Retrieved on 2009-06-18.
82. Az-Zahir Karim Detroit Lions. Retrieved on 2009-06-18.
83. Ahmard Hall NFL.com. Retrieved on 2009-06-18.
84. Abdul Hodge Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved on 2009-06-18.
85. Ahmad Rashad NNDB. Retrieved on 2009-06-18.
86. Ahmad Rashad Has Gone From All-Pro Receiver to All-Network Announcer Ken Shouler. Cigar Aficionado. Retrieved on 2009-06-18.
87. Tom Kowalski (2008-07-12) Scouting Report: Ramzee Robinson MLive.com. Retrieved on 2009-06-18.
88. Texans Live: Ephraim Salaam Houston Texas (2007-11-29). Retrieved on 2009-06-18.
89. Usama Young NFL.com. Retrieved on 2009-06-18.
90. Nation of Islam The New York Times. Retrieved on 2009-04-23.
91. Gale - Free Resources - Black History - Biographies - Muhammad Ali
92. Steve Bunce (2001-11-11) The forgotten prince The Guardian. Retrieved on 2009-06-18.
93. Ike Enwereuzor (2001-10-30) Interview: Hasim Rahman: "Lewis is underestimating me again, I'll knock him out again." East Side Boxing. Retrieved on 2009-06-18.
94. Dave Anderson (1994-11-13) Sports of The Times; The Tyson, Olajuwon Connection The New York Times. Retrieved on 2009-06-18.
95. Shawn Daivari IMBD.com. Retrieved on 2009-06-18.
96. Iron Sheikh Retrieved on 2009-06-18.
97. WorldWide Mortgage & Financial, Inc.,
98. Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago (CIOGC)
99. Fazlur Rahman Khan
100. Lara Lor-Van (2008-09-14) Kareem Rashad Sultan Khan Flickr. Retrieve on 2009-06-18.

See also

• Glossary of Islamic terms in Arabic
• List of converts to Islam
• List of Islamic and Muslim related topics
• Lists of Muslims
• List of African American Muslims
• Lists of people by belief
• List of Western Muslims