Photographer Plans 90-Day Street Journey Throughout US to Doc ‘Muslim America’

A photographer is getting down to painting what Muslim America seems like with a 90-day highway journey throughout the United States.

In 2021, coinciding with the twentieth anniversary of 9/11, artist photographer Mahtab Hussain started a significant collection of portraits of Muslims in America. He produced portraits, with video and interviews, in six cities that discover the range of Muslim communities.

Hussain has launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund a highway journey throughout the USA, aiming to finish his “collective self-portrait” of Muslim America. He is in search of help to develop this work by way of a 90-day journey touring east to west and north to south, as he builds towards a bigger physique of labor that displays the presence of Muslims throughout the American panorama.

“With 9/11, a long shadow fell. For years, many Muslims felt they needed to be invisible to survive. But two decades on, a new generation is not hiding, wanting to be seen and understood, and who are shaping their styles and identities in distinctly American ways,” Hussain says. “This project is about how that presence feels. It is about belonging. It is about being woven into the fabric of the country rather than positioned as a problem within it. It is about spirituality in our daily lives.”

He plans to {photograph} Muslim communities in South Paterson, New Jersey; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Islamville, South Carolina; Islamberg, Tompkins, New York; Dearborn, Michigan; Horn Lake, DeSoto County, Mississippi; Houston, Texas; and the Grand Canyon, Arizona, amongst others.

“Everywhere I go, I will make portraits, videos and gather stories. The sitters for the portraits are not subjects in the typical sense — they are co-authors of a shared experience. I hope the series makes visible the powerful idea of “Umma” that connects Muslims throughout geography and background,” Hussain says.

“Through my work, I strive to reflect the richness and resilience of Muslim communities, celebrating their individuality while challenging stereotypes. Each portrait and installation is a story, an invitation to connect, and a reminder of the beauty in our shared humanity.”

Hussain’s Kickstarter campaign runs by way of 18 May 2026.

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