While almost anyone can spout off sensational views on what they think of Islam and its adherents, it’s rarer to find true in-depth and impartial analysis on exactly who represents Islam, i.e. the average Muslim, especially in the United States. However, the Muslim West Facts Project, a partnership between the Gallup Center for Muslim Studies and the Coexist Foundation, does exactly this in its recent report titled “Muslim Americans: A National Portrait”, which surveyed approximately 300,000 people and highlights Muslim American ethnic, economic, and political diversity, giving real insight on exactly what the modern Muslim-American, including the youth, is really like.

A week-long discussion of world religions ended up teaching me more than I had ever imagined.