There are many American Muslims who are courageous and brave enough to stand up for what they believe in. They are influencing the world today with their bravery, hard work and everything they do. Five of these American Muslims who are influencing the world today are M. Hasna Maznavi, Hind Makki, Farhana Khera, Sheikh Hamza Yusuf, and Keith Ellison.

M. Hasna Maznavi is a filmmaker and comedy writer . Her main goal was to change the way that Muslims were represented in mainstream American media. She and her co-founder influenced America by opening The Women’s Mosque of America in 2015. T his was the country’s first mosque for women . She wanted a place where women could be free and feel empowered. Her hope is that this mosque will spark the pathway towards a worldwide Islamic Renaissance where women can be empowered by their voices, participating, leadership and scholarship.

Another influential American Muslim is Hind Makki. Hind Makki is an interfaith educator who develops and delivers trainings on civic integration through interfaith action, anti-racism education and youth empowerment. Hind Makki influenced America by posting a photo of the women’s section of a local mosque in Chicago and this lead to conversations about gender and inclusivity. She influenced America by opening the door for conversations about inclusivity and this led to other women sending in photos of their own mosques.

With Trump’s Travel Ban, Farhana Khera has expressed her interest in fighting it . She is the president and executive director of Muslim Advocates, which is a national legal advocacy and educational organization. She’s focused on making sure things get done while being a voice for other American Muslims. She is influencing America by speaking out about racial profiling and hate groups. She refuses to stand down and continues to speak up for the Muslim community to ensure that they are safe and not attacked.

Sheikh Hamza Yusuf has spent two decades studying with scholars in the Middle East and Africa. He found that young Muslims were interested in his lectures. Because of this, in 2009, he co-founded Zaytuna College, which was America’s first accredited Muslim liberal arts college in Berkeley , California.

With American Muslims changing the world as we know, Keith Ellison contributes to it. In 2006, he became the first American Muslim to be elected in Congress where he represented Minnesota’s 5th District. He continuously fights for families and is a voice for the Muslim community. He recently voiced his concerns when hate groups made money off of Amazon’s platform regarding hateful, racist and violent agendas against the Muslim community. He continues to use his platform to speak up for Muslims and to ensure that they are safe and welcomed.

These five American Muslims have done amazing things to influence America and their Muslim community. There are plenty more of influential American Muslims helping to change the world and playing a huge part in it. Hopefully, these five American Muslims influence you to want to make a change.