The New Muslim Left: Islamic Theology and Contemporary Political Organizing in New York City

This paper documents the formation of a new Muslim Left in New York City, exploring how members of this movement incorporate Islamic theology and ethics into their political practice. On the heels of electing the city’s first Muslim socialist mayor, Muslim organizers are turning to Islam as a language of resistance against the crises of affordability, capitalist accumulation, and imperialist war. Combining participant observation with in-depth interviews, this project documents how the new Muslim Left is challenging the secular Left’s suspicion of theology through its novel articulation of a progressive political Islam. Across Muslim electoral organizations, cultural institutions, informal study circles, places of worship, and performance spaces, I document how Muslim community leaders, political organizers, and creatives in New York City are forging a contemporary Islamic critique of American capitalism and imperialism.