The Washington Post: Asking U.S. Muslims to choose between faith, nation pushes them away from public life

UC political scientist Brian Calfano says simply asking Muslim Americans about their national identity can lower their political engagement in this op-ed

Surveys that ask Muslims to choose to identify as Muslim or American often serves to make them less politically engaged, writes Brian Calfano, an assistant professor of political science and journalism at the University of Cincinnati, in an op-ed published in the Washington Post.

Calfano, co-author of “Understanding Muslim Political Life in America: Contested Citizenship in the Twenty-First Century,” explains in the story how, while Muslim Americans express a strong commitment to the U.S., surveys that frame identity in terms of faith or nation may unintentionally discourage Muslims from engaging in politics.  

Read the story here.

 

 

Featured image at top: Members of the American Muslim community shelter from the sun under a U.S. stars and stripes flag umbrella at a demonstration to protest what they say is the Indian government's occupation of Jammu and Kashmir, a Muslim-majority state within India, outside the Federal Building in Los Angeles on Aug. 10. (Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images)

Related Stories

1

Investing in the minds that shape our skyline

April 6, 2026

In 2002, the City of Cincinnati began the demolition of the 32-year-old Riverfront Stadium. This created a slew of memories for Cincinnati residents who knew the stadium as the home of the “Big Red Machine” baseball dynasty and the place where Cincinnati hosted three World Series Championships. Riverfront Stadium was especially meaningful to its former construction manager, Donald E. Wehmeyer, Eve ’61.

2

What is the 'cicada' COVID variant?

April 6, 2026

A formerly rare strain of COVID, BA.3.2, now is showing up in Ohio and 24 other states. Experts say so far it hasn't caused illness any more severe than other strains, but it might be somewhat more resistant to vaccines, as 91.7 WVXU News recently reported. Scientists have nicknamed the variant "cicada" due to its former low profile and current resurgence.

3

UC opens zebrafish research facility to study infertility

April 6, 2026

The University of Cincinnati is launching a state-of-the-art zebrafish research facility that scientists say could help explain how environmental toxins affect fertility, as WKRC-TV/Local 12 and WLWT-TV/Ch. 5 recently reported.