Esposito then turned to Salman Ahmad, the Sufi rock star from Pakistan who grew up in New York City. Ahmad also has a medical degree.

How does pop culture define Islam?

Ahmad said that he moved to America when he was 11 and he immediately noticed the diversity of the culture and the freedom of expression that played out in the culture.

He said he thinks music is one way people of different cultures can come together to learn about each other and appreciate each other.

"When you see with the heart, all walls fall down," Ahmad said.

Esposito then asked Imam Hendi, who U.S. citizen who grew up in Palestine, if Muslims in America can be a bridge to other Muslims around the world.

Hendi said it's important to refer to him and others on the panel as American Muslims or Muslim Americans.

"Calling us Muslims in America may suggest Muslims are in America temporarily and they are going to go home," Hendi said.

"Muslims are here in America to stay and we're going to be here forever...The majority of American Muslims are here to stay. This is our country, too."

Hendi said "American Muslims" are using their knowledge of America and their experiences here to build a bridge between Islam and other faiths.

"(Muslim Americans) care about both worlds because they know both worlds," he said.

Esposito's next question went to Lisa Miller, Newsweek's Society Editor and former religion reporter for the Wall Street Journal.

Does the media do justice to Muslims?

"I think we do better than we used to," she said.

Miller said few American journalists (or Americans for that matter) knew anything about Islam before 9/11. But now more mainstream journalists are paying attention to Islam and learning more about it and other faiths.

After 9/11, "we have learned a lot about Islam .. .The Muslim community is as diverse as Catholics, as concerned about assimilation as Jews ... We're paying more attention to nuance and complexity."