iBelong
Increasing belonging of Muslim American adolescents in mosques
The Issue
Every decade brings new challenges for American Muslim youth. Addressing these challenges requires listening deeply to their experiences and taking intentional steps to strengthen their sense of belonging, voice, and ownership within our mosques and communities.
The Impact
iBelong began as a three-year national pilot to increase belonging for American Muslim youth in their mosques. Through partnership, research, and on-the-ground implementation, we’ve gathered powerful insights, tested practical strategies, and supported communities in creating more inclusive spaces.
We invite you to explore what we’ve learned, the outcomes we’ve achieved, and how communities across the country can build on this work.
Research in Action
Phase 1
Needs Assessment
Phase 2
Skill Building & Community Engagement
Phase 3
Dissemination
Assessed opportunities and barriers to belonging in participating masjids, engaging youth and key stakeholders in dialogue, and collecting data from 400 active participants to guide action.
Equipped adolescents and adults with youth empowerment skills to strengthen positive intergenerational relationships. We delivered three community workshops and shared key findings from our national survey with partner communities.
Translated our findings into accessible insights for youth, families, mosque leaders, and the wider Muslim academic and scientific communities to strengthen belonging nationwide.
Results that Matter
Meet the Team
Hanan Hashem
Licensed psychologist and educator
Minha Ghani
Researcher
Wafaa Ateyah
Graduate Student Researcher, Project Manager for iBelong
Madiha Tahseen
Research Director and Community Educator
