In the minds of many, there are widely held but oversimplified ideas of American Muslims. To correct the myopia created by media sound bites and humanize our people, I decided to introduce diverse American Muslims who made news in 2014:

1. Keith Ellison

Coming from a family with a history of involvement in the civil rights movement, he is the first Muslim to be elected to Congress. He is also the first African American elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Minnesota.

Ellison has won recognition for an established career of advocacy focused on promoting civil and human rights, peace, and prosperity for working families. He has championed the cause of banning use of the endocrine disrupting herbicides used widely in central Illinois with serious health impacts especially for children.

In summer 2014, Ellison published an editorial in The Washington Post calling for an end to the blockade in Gaza. Citing his three trips to Gaza since 2009, Ellison suggested that empowering Gazans by ending the blockade would weaken extremists and help move towards final status peace.

“My Country ‘Tis of Thee,” Ellison’s first book, was published in January 2014.

2. Ibtihaj Muhammad

    Ibtihaj is a hijab wearing Muslim member of the U.S. fencing team of African American descent.

She is the first Muslim woman to compete for the U.S. in an international competition in her sport. Three-time U.S. National Champion, she won her first international fencing gold for America in team sabre at the 2014 World Fencing Championship.

3. Husain Abdullah

Who is he? Husain is an American football safety for the Kansas City Chiefs of the NFL.

Abdullah, a practicing Muslim, observes the Ramadan fasts even during the football season.

He was fined for prostrating, a common act of humble gratitude to God, during his second career touchdown, which began a discussion on double standards of religious expression. The NFL later acknowledged that Abdullah should not have been penalized.

4. Noor Inayat Khan

Daughter of a spiritual teacher from India, the brave Muslim woman became a female code breaker and undercover agent for the Allies in World War II. She was awarded the highest civilian decoration by the UK a few years after her execution at a German concentration camp in 1944.

In 2014, PBS aired “Enemy of the Reich: The Noor Inayat Khan Story,” a documentary retelling the story of the Muslim woman who defied the Nazis, a positive step towards Muslim-Jewish relations.

5. Muslims for Ferguson

Co-founded by four Muslim activists, Linda Sarsour from New York, Dawud Walid from Detroit, Muhammad Malik from Miami, and Mustafa Abdullah from St. Louis, “Muslims for Ferguson” is committed to standing up against police brutality. Each one of them is active in their local communities against state violence. They came together after the Brown shooting to provide a Muslim perspective and have been active on the streets and on social media.

6. Muslim Writers Collective

Through storytelling, creativity, and culture, Muslim Writers Collective provides a space for a vibrant literary tradition among youth in the American Muslim community.

The Collective started holding open mic events in New York in 2014, thereby providing public space for young aspiring American Muslim poets and authors to share their work with the community.

7. Aasif Mandvi & Hasan Minhaj

They are two Muslims on The Daily Show. Mandvi is a correspondent for the show and released his memoir, “No Man’s Land,” in 2014. Minhaj is a comedian and new correspondent for The Daily Show.

8. Kamala Khan, G. Willow Wilson, and Sana Amanat

Who are they? An author and editor, Wilson and Amanat collaborated to create Kamala Khan, Marvel Comics’ first Muslim, shape-shifting super-heroine!

Muaaz Khan of The Guardian compared Kamala Khan to Malala Yousafzai and suggested that the entertainment industry follow Marvel’s example. I know many Muslim children will be anxiously waiting.