There IS no “Muslims,” but there ARE Muslims

There is no such thing as “Muslims.” We see these silly phrases everywhere: “Muslims this” or “Muslims that.” It is an unfounded slogan as perverse as it is pervasive. Worst of all, it makes no sense.

As of 2010, the Pew Research Center reported that there were 1.62 billion Muslims in the world, comprising 23% of the global population, living in 223 separate countries and territories, and holding majorities in at least 49 of them.

Are we really suggesting that 1,620,000,000 people are uniformly categorizable? Granted, in Islam there is the concept of the umma, or a global brother/sisterhood of Muslims. But, other than the fact that Muslims all follow Islam, what other possible criterion could possibly be shared amongst 1,620,000,000 individual people that would merit a singular categorization?

Do you see where I’m going with this?

There is no “Muslims.” Just as there is no conceivable rationale for lumping all the adherents of the world’s 2nd most popular religion together. We’re talking about 1.62 billion people; unique, individual people, who come from every corner of the globe, who speak different languages, who have different histories, cultures, customs, and beliefs. But we speak about “Muslims” as if it is one collective group.

Are we seriously suggesting that a 16 year old girl who was born and raised in Los Angeles, California is identical to a 40 year old man from Samarqand, Uzbekistan, or that he is identical to an 12 year old boy from Paris, France, or that he is identical to a 75 year old woman from Xinjiang Province, China, or that she is identical to my wife who was born and raised in Saudi Arabia and moved to the U.S., because each of these individuals follows Islam?

Based on the collection of people I just listed, what if I say, “Muslims are friendly people.” Is it true? What if one of them is a misanthrope who never talks to anyone ever. What if I say, “Muslims need to keep their houses cleaner.” Is it true? What if one of them works as a house maid, and her house is never dirty? What if I say, “Muslims have big families.” Is it true? What if one of them was an only child, or isn’t married because he or she has a career and has no time for a family?

Is this a collection of unique, individual people who are Muslims? YES
Is this “Muslims”? NO

We wouldn’t say Christians don’t support gay-marriage. President Barack Obama does.
We wouldn’t say Jewish people are Israelis. Most Jewish people have never even been to Palestine.
We wouldn’t say Americans support democracy. Anyone remember George W. Bush?

So, if we understand that people are unique individuals that will always defy stereotypes and generic classifications, why is “Muslims” different. Just for an experiment, scan over the titles of the blogs here on Muslim-Academy. How many of us have written one that starts with “Muslims this” or “Muslims that.”

There IS no “Muslims.”

But there ARE Muslims, and every one is unique.

So, if for no other reason, at least be considerate to the 40 year old man in Uzbekistan by not lumping him together with the 16 year old girl from Los Angeles. He is probably a respected lawyer or doctor, while she probably rocks out to Justin Bieber. It doesn’t get anymore incomparable than that.

About the author

Ethan Lazuk

Born in Montana in 1989, I attended high school in Phoenix, Arizona, and college at The University of Montana, from which I recently earned a Bachelor's degree in Central and Southwest Asian Studies. I currently live in Washington D.C.
Although American English is my first language, I also have an intermediate/advanced knowledge of Modern Standard Arabic, with some Lebanese and Gulf vocabulary, as well as a basic knowledge of Farsi-Persian. My academic areas of interest include Cultural Anthropology, Islamic Studies, and Environmental and Human Geography. In 2010, I was a summer intern with the Department of Defense, working on Ft. McNair Army Base in the Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies. Additionally, I have traveled in Istanbul, Turkey, and lived in Tbilisi, Republic of Georgia.


I am a third-generation American of Polish descent. My great-grandparents fled Eastern Europe during the Bolshevik Revolution and entered the United States through Ellis Island. Today, my parents and sister live in Colorado, where they are surrounded by the beautiful Rocky Mountains. I am also happily married to the love of my life named Dania. Originally from al-Madinah, Saudi Arabia, she came to the United States two years ago as an exchange student. She is a practicing Muslim. But I am a searcher who finds beauty in all religions, and therefore I do not belong to any one religion in particular. But her and I having different religious beliefs has not negatively affected our marriage. In fact, it has brought us closer together. We respectfully embrace our differences, while cherishing our infinite similarities. If being in an inter-faith marriage has taught me one thing, it is that religious differences are not a cause for division, but for collaboration.

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