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NOMINEE, BEST VIDEO DOCUMENTARY - Webby Award | PBS Digital Channels - 3M views | "Highly watchable" - Hyperallergic Magazine
Race, Religion, and Nationality • Religious Pluralism • Religious Freedom • Slavery and Freedom • Civil War • Ethnicity, Race, and Migration • Great Migration • Civil Rights • Gender • Colonialism
Date of Completion: 2024 | Run Time: 120 minutes (20 minutes per episode) | Language: English | Captions: Yes | Includes: Transcript & Discussion Guide | Executive Producers: Maytha Alhassen & Zaheer Ali | Executive Producer & Project Lead: Graham Judd | Senior Producer & Lead Writer: Mafaz Al-Suwaidan | Editor & Writer: Beyza Boyacioglu | Co-Producer & Lead Researcher: Zehra Rehman
AMERICAN MUSLIMS: A History Revealed is a six-part documentary series that reexamines well-known chapters of U.S. history through stories often overlooked in textbooks. Spanning from the mid-1700s to the early 1900s, the films uncover how Muslims shaped—and were shaped by—key moments in America’s past, including slavery, the Civil War, immigration, and the Great Migration.
Hosted by journalists Asma Khalid (BBC), Malika Bilal (Al Jazeera English), and Aymann Ismail (Slate), the series introduces viewers to characters such as Yarrow Mamout, an enslaved African Muslim who sought freedom; Muhammad Khan, an immigrant from Afghanistan who served in the Union Army; and Mary Juma, who built a new life—and one of America's first purpose-built mosques—on the North Dakota plains after immigrating from present-day Lebanon.
Filmed on location across the country, the series combines archival research, expert commentary, and dramatic performances by acclaimed actors to vividly bring history to life. For classrooms, the films offer a powerful entry point for discussions about freedom, justice, and equality, enabling students to gain new perspectives on America’s past and their own identities.
Hyperallergic Magazine | Best Films of 2024
"These six short documentary films tell unlikely stories about being Muslim in the United States … This series may shift some of your thinking about the history of diversity in this country — it’s longer, for instance, than you might think — and new revelations finally allow a fuller story to be told. Highly watchable.”
Indiana University, Indianapolis | Edward E. Curtis IV, Professor, William M. and Gail M. Plater Chair of the Liberal Arts; Director, Arabic and Islamic Studies
"An unprecedented effort to understand the meaning of Muslim Americans for our shared history, informed by meticulous and pioneering research, this beautifully rendered documentary series is an invaluable resource for educators and for all Americans devoted to a more truthful account of our collective past."
Temple University | Zain Abdullah, Associate Professor Emeritus, Religion & Society and Islamic Studies
“Few documentaries connect scholarship and storytelling as effectively as American Muslims: A History Revealed. Its cinematic approach and historical rigor make it an invaluable classroom tool for sparking critical conversations about freedom, faith, and identity in America.”
Johns Hopkins University | Naveeda Khan, Professor, Anthropology with affiliation to Islamic Studies
“What a joy it is to watch a show of such high production value that puts Muslims front and center in U.S. history from its early days to our present, with well-researched stories told so engagingly. I was gripped by “American Muslims.”
David Ludden, Professor of History Emeritus, New York University, and University of Pennsylvania
“The hardest thing for any teacher of world history is to bring the wider world of cultural diversity into American History. "American Muslims" does that with a poignant, detailed personal intimacy that makes my heart sing.”
Rutgers University-Newark | Alex Dika Seggerman, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Art History, Department of Arts, Culture and Media
“This groundbreaking series visualizes the little-known but vitally important history of Islam in the United States in the accessible and engaging format of documentary television. It will be an indispensable resource for educators worldwide.”
Mohammed VI Polytechnique University | Wendell Marsh, Associate Professor of African Literature and Philosophy
"Even before the founding of the United States, Muslims have been present, but their presence has gone overlooked, ignored, and hidden. “American Muslims” reveals this history through moving stories, inviting images, and stunning production quality. It is a must for the classroom."
AWARDS
Nominee, Video & Film - Documentary | Webby Award
Nominee, Video & Film - Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging | Webby Award
FESTIVALS
Tasveer Film Festival