Islam and Muslims in America

At a community forum in Newbury Park, a Loyola Marymount University professor will address perceptions of Muslims in America amid an atmosphere of revulsion toward acts of global terrorism committed by Islamic extremists.

Amir Hussain, a professor of theological studies at LMU, will discuss the beliefs and practices of American Muslims at the Conejo Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship. He will describe how the religious beliefs of the vast majority of U.S. Muslims differ from those of followers of Islamic State and other terrorist organizations.

Professor Hussain holds master's and doctoral degrees in the study of religion from the University of Toronto. He teaches about world religions and has an academic specialty in contemporary Muslim societies in North America. After his presentation, he will answer questions and lead a discussion.

In the current presidential campaign, one presidential candidate has called for a temporary ban on Muslims entering the country, and another has urged police to patrol and secure U.S. neighborhoods with large Muslim populations.

Hussain has said that in his work, he seeks to counter the association of Islam with extremism, violence and misogyny since 9/11. In an interview with LMU, the magazine of Loyola Marymount University, he said, "The majority of American Muslims are an American success story. Do we know that story — that they are successful precisely because they embrace and value the things that America represents?"

Hussain is co-editor of "World Religions: Western Traditions" and "World Religions: Eastern Traditions," textbooks published in 2014 by Oxford University Press. He recently completed a five-year term as the first Muslim editor of The Journal of the American Academy of Religion. The community forum is open to the public and free; donations will be accepted.