Lesson Learned in Engaging Five Culturally and Linguistically Unique, Hard‐to‐Reach U.S. Muslim Populations

Background: Engaging diverse populations including Muslims in research activities is important to support patient-centered research and improve health equity. Objectives: To describe the community engagement steps that informed conducting research with five distinctively diverse U.S. Muslim communities. Methods: Researchers engaged with leaders, advisory members, and people from five diverse communities. Strategies to support sampling, recruitment, multi-language interpretation methods, and how to support closed communities and address their concerns are discussed. Lessons Learned: Researchers interested in working with Muslim communities should be aware of principles of seclusion when interacting with sex-discordant participants. Including language concordant researchers demonstrated effectiveness and efficiency in the process. Researchers should be open to rejections from communities and accept stepping back to give community members the space needed to decide whether to participate in research. Conclusion: Flexibility and adaptability are integral in recruitment and data collection as diverse communities may respond differently to methods successfully used elsewhere.