Mapping Legislation in the US
Since 2010, over 230 anti-Muslim bills have been introduced or enacted in US state legislatures by elected officials. These bills serve to institutionalize the othering of Muslims in the United States, to strengthen an unfounded fear of Islam and Muslims, and to foment a climate of intolerance toward Muslims and those perceived to be Muslim. Dangerously, efforts to enact anti-Sharia legislation undermine the civil and constitutional rights of Muslims, and the US Constitution itself. The map identifies and tracks all anti-Muslim legislation introduced in the US at the state level, as well as provides insight into the divisiveness of the bills, and the role state lawmakers have in institutionalizing Islamophobia. The map and research findings are updated annually at the beginning of each year.
Breakdown of Bills and their Sponsors
Alongside the Islamophobia Legislative Database, the following interactive visuals further illustrate the proliferation of anti-Sharia legislation over time and geographically by state, as well as spotlight legislators that have been the biggest proponents of anti-Muslim legislation. The visuals illuminate critical insights and patterns we've observed concerning the nature of anti-Muslim bills. For instance, the visuals show how anti-Sharia legislation was not a direct result or outcome of 9/11 as one might assume, that the majority of anti-Sharia bills are disguised as anti-foreign law bills, and that there is a significant increase in anti-Muslim legislation introduced in the years preceding midterm and presidential elections.
Timeline of Federal Measures
In addition to monitoring anti-Muslim legislation at the state level, we also document US federal measures that disproportionately impact Muslims, and we created a timeline to track these measures and their impact. These measures have been introduced by the United States federal government and span from the Bush Administration to the Biden Administration, and have fundamentally shaped US policies ranging from immigration to military expansion. Notably, a third of the federal measures that are still in effect today were introduced during Bush’s presidency over two decades ago.