Resource equips educators nationwide, highlighting Muslim contributions across U.S. history, civics, science, and culture
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today announced the release of its Muslim Heritage Month Educators’ Guide, a comprehensive guide that provides grade-appropriate lesson ideas, primary sources, biographies, book lists, and classroom activities across Social Studies, English Language Arts, STEM, and Civics. The guide empowers educators to naturally weave Muslim-American experiences into core subjects, reflecting the reality that Muslims have always been part of the American story.
Over the past decade, more than a dozen states and hundreds of cities, counties, and school districts have adopted resolutions or proclamations recognizing Muslim Heritage Month. While some states observe the month at different times, the majority now recognize January as Muslim Heritage Month, making it the most widely observed period nationwide.
The Muslim Heritage Month Educators’ Guide includes:
- Biographies of prominent Muslim Americans in public service, civil rights, science, sports, and the arts
- Curated book lists for elementary, middle, and high school classrooms
- Guidance on addressing bias and fostering respectful discussion
- Tools for integrating Muslim history without requiring additional planning time
The Muslim Heritage Month Educators’ Guide is designed to work hand-in-hand with CAIR’s Toolkit on Promoting Muslim Civic Engagement in State and Local Governments, which equips advocates, parents, and community leaders with the tools to advance resolutions and proclamations at the local and state level.
Together, the two resources provide a full pathway from securing official recognition of Muslim Heritage Month to ensuring that recognition results in substantive, high-quality education for students.
In a statement, CAIR’s Government Affairs Department Director Robert McCaw said,
“Muslim Americans have shaped this nation at every level—as civil rights leaders, members of Congress, educators, scientists, athletes, entrepreneurs, service members, and neighbors. Their stories are not footnotes in American history; they are essential chapters. When students learn about Fazlur Rahman Khan’s engineering that built our skylines, Muhammad Ali’s moral courage that challenged injustice, or the Muslim members of Congress shaping our democracy today, they see that American identity is expansive, dynamic, and inclusive. This guide ensures that young people understand a simple truth: Muslims are not outsiders to the American story, we are part of its foundation, its progress, and its future.”
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CONTACT: CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-Mitchell@cair.com; CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-742-6448, rmccaw@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, iallison@cair.com