WXYZ television station, owned by The E.W. Scripps Company, produced a series exploring the lives of Muslims in metro Detroit. Over several weeks and through a number of short videos, the station profiled Muslim Americans and helped to explain their religion. This is the first piece of that series.

Watch the series unfold here:

Muslim AMERICAN: Inside a growing Michigan community

Our intent here is to build bridges in the community by exploring the fear that exists among some non-Muslims. In the video clips we produced, you'll meet metro Detroit neighbors who are nurses, lawyers and community leaders. There are parents and grandparents who believe they have been the target of hatred and violence because of their religious beliefs.

We went to Dearborn and visited the Islamic Center of America, one of this nation's largest mosques. We're succinctly explaining the pillars of the Muslim faith.

These videos were created in a style that allows the subjects to share their personal experiences and tell their own stories. You can expect them to be quick and informative. We expect to generate a conversation around these videos and some of the statistics that accompany them. We also invite you to join that conversation as we share each piece on our Facebook page.