The process of publishing the book takes about 80 days from start to finish. Students begin by speaking to members of that specific faith or group and ask them what kinds of questions they feel should be answered. Communications senior Sarah King took the course and said she feels this process is a “great experience for students to practice interviewing and writing skills.”

The questions gathered by all students are then reduced to a list of about 100 and categorized. Students perform research and attempt to answer the questions through interviews, research, and looking at statistics. Because of this, Grimm said “The heart of it all are the students. They do most of the work.”

Students then send the questions and answers to experts in the specific field, varying from professors to community leaders who live the religion or culture, where suggestions on where to improve in the guide are made.

At a time when recent events have painted the Muslim faith in an unfairly bad light, it is important now more than ever to clarify some ideas and beliefs of Islam and what Muslims are actually like.

Grimm’s interest in creating a guide about Muslim Americans began when Iraq and Syria were being torn apart over the past Summer in the name of Islam. “That’s not what Muslims stand for” said Crimm. “Most of the people they are killing are Muslim themselves.”

America has been called a melting pot for years and has become increasingly diverse. King said “With these changes come a lot of stereotypes and misunderstanding and I think it’s important to address these to create a more tolerant and peaceful society.”

Students are encouraged to join the course in the Fall, when the topic for the guide will be African Americans. The guides published are available on Amazon.com and can be purchased as paperback or a digital copy.