Communication scholars contend that human rights organizations have recently lost influence in the United States (Holtzhausen, 2007). Studies are needed to determine what factors influence the success of human rights groups. Exploratory case studies were conducted on Muslim American civil rights organizations that challenge perceptions of Muslims as extremists. Results collected through in-depth interviews and content analysis showed that organization members construct four identities: cultural/ethnic Muslim versus religious Muslim, civic, narrative, and coalitional. Members communicated Muslim identity primarily through dialogue and narrative. A major research question emerged: How do people define what it means to be a Muslim and how do those definitions interrupt or promote dialogue with non-Muslims?