February 2025 Resource Roundup

Each month we collect, curate, and collaborate to create this Community and Congregational Network (CCN) Resource Roundup. This Roundup includes jobs, grants, events, reports, articles, movies, toolkits, and more. Each of the items listed in some way contributes to our shared work of building a country where everyone is treated with dignity and respect including countering anti-Muslim discrimination and violence as just one of the things preventing us from realizing that better world.

Our Shoulder to Shoulder Community & Congregational Network is an opportunity to connect with interfaith and community organizations and leaders throughout the country who are, in some capacity, addressing anti-Muslim discrimination in the U.S. Members share resources, problem-solve, and reflect on this important work in our meetings. Our network includes volunteer-run organizations and organizations with 10+ staff members. Members include organizations in rural, urban, and suburban communities in red, blue, and purple states and beyond. Each of them recognizes anti-Muslim discrimination as a threat to our communities and country. Each is committed to addressing this issue alongside their Muslim neighbors, friends, and siblings in their community.

Know that our Shoulder to Shoulder team is here to support and encourage you in the work, however we’re able. The views expressed in linked resources do not necessarily reflect those of the Shoulder to Shoulder Campaign. If there is something specific you’re looking for but don’t find here or you’re looking for a thought partner, please reach out to us at info@s2scampaign.org. If you want to learn more about our Shoulder to Shoulder Community Network, contact us and/or check out our website. You can check out past resource roundups on our Medium Channel.

S2S Updates & Highlighted Resources

• Endorse the No Ban Act, which was introduced in Congress on Feb. 4th. While President Biden rescinded the Trump administration’s original bans, Trump has continued to suggest he would restore them and this legislation is necessary to ensure that such discriminatory actions never occur again. See more resources and take action at nomuslimbanever.com
• Ten years ago on February 10, Deah, Yusor, and Razan were murdered in an act of hate in Chapel Hill, NC. Let’s remember them today and every day as we commit to building a society in which everyone can feel safe–particularly in the recent environment. To learn more about these students and the documentary about them, 36 Seconds: Portrait of a Hate Crime, visit https://ourthreewinners.org/.
• Interfaith Letter on Refugee Resettlement (Deadline Feb. 13) | The Interfaith Immigration Coalition invites faith-based organizations and faith leaders to sign onto this letter urging the Trump Administration to resume refugee resettlement and restore humanitarian assistance to recently arrived refugees.
• Tell your Members of Congress: Support the “Protecting Sensitive Locations Act” | Interfaith Alliance | Tell Your Members of Congress: Vote YES on legislation to uphold religious freedom and keep Trump’s federal raids out of our houses of worship. AND ask your representatives to cosponsor (National Religious Campaign Against Torture).
• Community Defense Resource Hub | Muslims for Just Futures (MJF) | This is a collection of tools and guidance designed to empower grassroots organizers, mutual aid networks, and solidarity movements. These resources provide critical Know Your Rights (KYR) information and frameworks for navigating infrastructure development, managing risk, and building resilience against state targeting and repression.
• Narrative Interventions: A Guide to Rejecting Collective Responsibility and Embracing Our Right to Resist and Organize | Muslim Counterpublics Lab | While this resource was designed specifically for Muslims, it is insightful for us all. Why is this important? As we share often in our S2S trainings, one study looks at the NYT coverage of Islam and Muslims over the course of 25 years and found that Islam and Muslims was covered more negatively than cancer and cocaine. Another study shows that when Muslim or Muslim perceived individuals commit a violent act, they receive disproportionately negative media coverage (up to 770% more) than white individuals who commit a similar violent act. So how do we navigate this and not fall into the negative cycle of dehumanizing and fear-based narratives in our responses to troubling news reports? Explore this new resource, along with S2S’s Faith Over Fear Communicating for Change Messaging Guide (take the training to receive a link) designed specifically for clergy and lay leaders, as two among many resources.
• A Mayor’s Guide to Countering Islamophobia: Implementing the U.S. National Strategy to Counter Islamophobia and Anti-Arab Hate | America Indivisible and the U.S. Conference of Mayors | The U.S. National Strategy to Counter Islamophobia and Anti-Arab Hate has four priorities, each of which presents opportunities for mayors, who are often on the front lines of combating Islamophobia and anti-Arab hate, protecting impacted communities, and supporting American values. This guide suggests possible actions mayors could take to implement the four priorities.
• Feb 25 | Community Defender Training: Unmasking Expedited Removal: What You Need to Know to Fight Back | National Immigration Project | This is a free webinar for community defenders, organizers, and impacted community members to go over the process of expedited removal and how to best prepare for it.
• South Asian American Policy Working Group Learning Hub | On this page, you’ll find a list of resources compiled by participants of the South Asian American Policy Working Group and partner organizations, by subject area.
• Our Annual Ramadan Campaign is live! Help us build our 2025 nationwide listing of Iftars open to interfaith guests on this form (see below for links to more info and resources).
• Shoulder to Shoulder on release of U.S. Strategy to Counter Islamophobia — scroll down to read wide array of responses from the broader community
• Educator Resources — If you have seen this list in the past but haven’t looked recently, we recommend checking it out as new resources have been added in the past few months alone.
• Planting Seeds for Pluralism in America: The Syeed Family | S2S created this short documentary film to honor and highlight Dr. Sayyid and Rafia Syeed as two figures, among many, who have contributed to the American interfaith movement to build pluralism.
• Faith-Rooted Primer for Understanding & Addressing Bigotry in the U.S. Amid the Violence in Israel-Palestine. You’ll see a discussion guide and an additional list of resources for those interested.

Upcoming Important Dates

February is Black History Month

• Feb 1 — World Hijab Day
• Feb 05 Immigration Act of 1917 Bans Asians, Other Non-White People from Entering U.S.
• Feb 6/7: Isra and Mi’raj
• Feb 10: Ten-year commemoration for Deah, Yusor, and Razan — three Muslim students in Chapel Hill, North Carolina who were murdered in an act of hate. Visit Our Three Winners to learn more about them and the documentary about them, 36 Seconds: Portrait of a Hate Crime.
• Feb 14: Vasant Panchami — Beginning of Spring (Hindu & Sikh)
• Feb 19, 1923 U.S. Supreme Court Rules Indian Immigrants Ineligible for Citizenship
• Feb 20, 1956 Civil Rights Activists Arrested for Organizing Bus Boycott in Montgomery, Alabama “There were times when it would have been easy to fall apart or to go in the opposite direction, but somehow I felt that if I took one more step, someone would come along to join me.” — Rosa Parks
• Feb 21, 1965 Malcolm X Assassinated During Speech in Manhattan
• Feb 23, 2020 Ahmaud Arbury Killed

Ramadan Is Coming!

February 28 — March 29, 2025

The Shoulder to Shoulder Campaign’s Annual Ramadan Campaign is an effort to identify, uplift, and connect people to Iftars open to interfaith guests across the United States of America to support local relationship-building among Muslim communities and those of other faiths and cultural backgrounds.

• Help us build the 2025 Iftar listings around the country. Add your Interfaith Iftar to our national listing on this form.
• Explore our Ramadan Resources. Download one of our interfaith iftar dialogue guides, including one designed specifically for virtual iftars. Whether this is your first interfaith iftar or you feel like a pro, these guides include helpful tips for meaningful and engaging conversations and meals. We also have resources from partners and friends at the bottom of our Ramadan Resources page.
• Learn more about Ramadan
• What You Should Know Before Attending Your First Iftar
• Did you know Muslims have lived in the Americas for over 500 years?
• We’re looking for Volunteers for our 2025 Ramadan Campaign to help with identifying Iftars open to interfaith guests.

Events

• Feb 2 | The Trump 2.0 Agenda: Key Concerns for Jews, Muslims, and Interfaith Allies | Jews and Muslims and Allies Acting Together (JAMAAT) | How will the Trump agenda affect immigration, civil liberties, and prospects for peace in Israel/Palestine? How can Muslims, Jews, and Allies effectively respond? This conversation features Haris Tarin from Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC), Dove Kent from Bend the Arc: Jewish Action, and Professor Michael Barnett from George Washington University.
• Feb 2 | Ramadan | Our Common Beliefs | Ramadan is the holiest month for Muslims. Please join us to learn about why Muslims treasure this month so much. This presentation will cover the significance of the month of Ramadan and the holiday at the end of Ramadan called Eid-El-Fitr, the Feast of Breaking of the fast. 10% of all ticket sales will be donated to PCRF, Palestine Children’s Relief Fund.
• Feb 3 | Truth, Religion, & Democracy Webinar | Interfaith America and the Princeton Religious Literacy Program at Princeton University | Join us for a conversation with three Vote is Sacred Fellows to consider how religious and political identities shape our understanding of truth and how we can dialogue across fundamental differences.
• Feb 3 | Know Your Rights: World Hijab Day Edition | CAIR-New Jersey | This event is open to all faiths and aims to empower you with the knowledge to stand up for your rights! Wondering about your rights as a Muslim woman who wears the hijab in public spaces or at work? Or how to handle discrimination for wearing your hijab? We’ve got you covered!
• Feb 3 — March 28 | Revolutionary Love for Young Children: Building Cultures of Belonging | Revolutionary Love Project | This 8-week online course is open to educators, caregivers, and parents/guardians who are ready to expand their children’s — and their own — capacity to learn while nurturing their ability to love deeply and inclusively.
• Feb 5 (final session) | Christian Theologies of Power and Resistance Mini Course | Institute for Islamic, Christian, Jewish Studies | With the 2024 election behind us, it is clear that Christian nationalism and the empowerment of conservative Christians will play prominent roles in American politics and policy. How does Christian theology intersect with Christian nationalism, and how can it also inform Christian resistance to it?
• Feb 6 in DC and virtual| Religions Nationalisms Summit: Countering Religious Nationalisms Multi-Faith Public Witness in Today’s Political Climate | The Religious Nationalisms Project, New York State Council of Churches | ‍This one-day conference features noted presenters from Christian, Hindu, Sikh, Muslim, Jewish and Buddhist traditions. Presenters and participants will identify how religious nationalisms operate within all faith traditions and identify inclusive approaches to counter religious nationalisms and our multi-faith public witness in today’s political climate. We will promote strategies to protect democracy and religious freedom, human dignity, and human rights regardless of faith and identity in the United States and worldwide.
• Feb 6 | UNITE Emergency Meeting | Muslim Anti-Racism Collaborative (MuslimARC) | Join us for this meeting, where we will: Understand strategies to destabilize our democracy and communities, Nurture resilience by building networks of and collective support. Inspire action through education, advocacy, and strategic organizing. Transform fear and uncertainty into focused community-led solutions. Empower ourselves with tools to sustain efforts for justice and equity. We need all hands on deck. Whether you’re an activist, educator, or community member looking to take action, your voice and presence matter. Let’s stand together and build power in the face of injustice.
• Feb 6, March 11, April 8, April 22 | Islamophobia Lecture Series | Center for Security, Race, and Rights | Explore our Islamophobia Lecture Series, where we dive into how Islamophobia shapes domestic and international politics, political discourse, and public policy.
• Feb 10 | Do Jews and Christians Love the Same Way? | Catholic Theological Union, Bernardin Center | For centuries, Christian anti-Judaic prejudice insisted that whereas Christianity is about love, Judaism is about … something else, like law, or justice, or obedience. Rabbi Shai Held’s new book argues that Judaism, no less than Christianity, is a religion of love. And yet Judaism is not just Christianity avant la lettre, and so there are some key differences in the ways Jews and Christians tend to think and talk about love. In this lecture, we’ll consider some of those crucial differences: divergent understandings of human nature, of the relationship between love and law, of the relative priority of the particular and the universal, and of the ideal of loving our enemies.
• Feb 10, Feb 25, March 18, April 23, April 29 | 2025 Gaza Lecture Series | This Spring, the Alwaleed Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding, in partnership with the Center for Contemporary Arab Studies, the African Studies Program, the Department of Theology and Religious Studies, and Georgetown University Qatar, proudly continue the vital Gaza Lecture Series with world-renowned experts.
• Feb 12 | Deepening Our Capacity for Interreligious Spiritual Care — Chaplain Event | Institute for Islamic, Christian, Jewish Studies | Are you a volunteer chaplain, CPE student, a solo chaplain, or a care provider new to the field of spiritual care provision? Consider joining ICJS for a special lunch and learn gathering where we will explore ways to expand one’s interreligious competency and capacity as a spiritual caregiver. Following the presentation, participants will have the opportunity to learn about ICJS’ capacity-building grants, designed to specifically address the interreligious needs of chaplains in small Maryland-based organizations with limited access to other resources.
• Feb 15 | Honoring the Legacy of Black Muslims 2025 Town Hall | Emgage | This town hall is a significant opportunity to celebrate and reflect on the remarkable contributions of Black Muslims to our shared history and culture. Together, we will explore the rich legacy of Black Muslims, honor their enduring impact on society, and discuss ways to continue building a more inclusive and equitable future. Don’t miss this chance to engage, learn, and celebrate with us!
• Feb 18 | Protecting Our Organizations: 501(c)(3) Nonprofit Compliance Virtual Training | Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, New York Lawyers for the Public Interest, and Patterson Belknap | The training will discuss important steps that 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organizations can take regarding tax-exempt compliance and other practices to better protect themselves from audits or investigations that interfere with their ability to defend vulnerable communities.
• Feb 18 | How to Talk Bridgey: Connecting Across Divides | In a time when connecting with those who are different from us feels both more urgent and more challenging than ever, how do we communicate our messages of hope, compassion, and belonging in a way that connects with a wide range of audience members, even with those who may not be ‘likely’ partners? Join S2S in this virtual workshop with Amy McIsaac, Managing Director for Learning and Experimentation at PACE (Philanthropy for Active Civic Engagement), based on PACE’s guide How to Talk Bridgey.
• Feb 19 at Tufts University | Africana Spirituality Series | Tufts University Interfaith Center, Featuring Dr. Kai Horn El-Amin | Hearty Snacks and Dialogue: Islam, Christianity, and Black Identity in America & African Traditional Religion: The Making of a Black Christian
• Feb 19 | Growing Young Peacemakers: The Why and How of Youth Peace Education | Peace Catalyst International | Join PCI’s Peter Digitale Anderson for a conversation with U.S. peace & justice educator and author, Julie Lillie and Nigerian peacebuilding consultant, Amb Moses Abolade about training teachers and young peacebuilders across the world.
• Feb 20 in Richmond, VA | God & Country: The Rise of Christian Nationalism Film Screening & Discussion | Richmond Peace Education Center | God & Country is a 2024 American documentary film directed by Dan Partland and produced by Rob Reiner. The film explores the emergence of Christian nationalism and its and takeover of both Evangelical Christianity and the Republican Party. Free and open to the public. Discussion following, led by Dr. Jennifer Garvin-Sanchez, RPEC board member and Professor at VCU in Religious Studies.
• Feb 22 in Orange, CA| 18th Annual Faith Forum — Faith Frames and Interfaith Lenses | Interfaith Youth Alliance invites all high school students (grades 9–12) to join the 18th Annual Faith Forum and Festival. This event will bring together over 150 students from diverse faiths and backgrounds to engage in meaningful dialogue. The Faith Forum fosters conversations on shared topics among individuals with differing perspectives and experiences. Through this dialogue, we aim to build constructive relationships that positively impact our communities and places of worship.
• Feb 24 | Shoulder to Shoulder: Building Coalitions to Challenge Islamophobia | Institute for Islamic, Christian, Jewish Studies (ICJS) | Islamophobia — the irrational fear or discrimination against Islam and Muslims — is a widespread problem that leads to hate crimes, bullying, violence, and anti-Muslim legislation undermining civil rights. The Shoulder to Shoulder Campaign, a national multifaith coalition, is at the forefront of efforts to combat this hate and promote justice. In this online event, Nina M. Fernando, Executive Director of Shoulder to Shoulder, will engage in conversation with Zeyneb Sayilgan about the work of her organization and the commitment it shares with ICJS of challenging Islamophobia and fostering greater interreligious understanding.
• Feb 24 | The Palestine Exception: Film Screening & Discussion | Center for Security, Race and Rights at Rutgers Law School | The Palestine Exception tells the story of the largest anti-war movement since the 1970s as students, faculty, and staff demand divestment from companies doing business with Israel and an end to the war in Gaza. The documentary unfolds as a story of college campuses as sites of both rebellion and repression, places where personal and collective histories converge in unexpected ways.
• Feb 25 | Latino Attitudes Towards Muslims and Islam Training 1 (Latinos and Latino Leaders) | ISPU is hosting a training conducted by LatinoDecisions to equip you as community leaders in strategies to build bridges and collaboration opportunities between the Latino and Muslim communities. The training is based on ISPU and IslamInSpanish’s research on Latino views of Muslims and Islam.
• Feb 25 | Community Defender Training: Unmasking Expedited Removal: What You Need to Know to Fight Back | National Immigration Project | This is a free webinar for community defenders, organizers, and impacted community members to go over the process of expedited removal and how to best prepare for it. Expedited removal is a fast-track process used by U.S. immigration authorities to quickly deport people. There have been recent changes to expedited removal that community members should be aware of. Attorneys or legal representatives looking for training, please consider signing up for attorney-facing events here.
• Feb 27 | Religion and Politics: Talking Together About Issues that Drive Us Apart with Reza Aslan and Katherine Stewart | Chicago Theological Seminary
• March 7–8 in New Orleans | Solidarity and Action Gathering with The Telos Group | Join us for a special opportunity to learn from and alongside Palestinian Christian theologians, Christian leaders from across the country, and fellow peacemakers. We will strategize how to get active in our contexts, forging a path together out of our binary imaginations of competition and conflict into the expansive imagination of mutuality, nonviolence, and justice.
• May 7–10 in New Orleans | Narrative Power Summit ’25 | ReFrame and RadComms | The summit provides a critical space for communicators, creatives, and organizers to cohere around powerful narrative power-building strategies, take stock of the conditions of our field and social movements, and develop clear next steps to strengthen narrative infrastructure and build power for liberation.

Calls to Action

• Endorse the No Ban Act, which will be introduced in Congress this week! The NO BAN Act would: Provide that the INA’s nondiscrimination provisions apply to religion, as well as to the issuance of nonimmigrant visas and benefits; Require that any travel restriction imposed under INA 212(f) be based on specific and credible facts, and in a way narrowly tailored to address a compelling government interest; and Establish procedural requirements including notice to Congress within 48 hours and periodic reporting. See more resources and take action at nomuslimbanever.com
• Interfaith Letter on Refugee Resettlement (Deadline Feb. 13) | The Interfaith Immigration Coalition invites faith-based organizations and faith leaders to sign onto this letter urging the Trump Administration to resume refugee resettlement and restore humanitarian assistance to recently arrived refugees.
• Protect Civil Society: Vote “NO” to H.R. 9495 and any corresponding Senate bill | “Despite strong opposition from over 300 civil society organizations, H.R. 9495 (the Stop Terror-Financing and Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act) passed the House on November 21st. This bill includes a dangerous provision that threatens the tax-exempt status of nonprofit organizations for engaging in freedom of speech activities. Its passage endangers the vital work of nonprofits and sets a troubling precedent for future political exploitation.” | For additional information, see resources provided by the Charity and Security Network, and an ACLU joint letter signed by over 300 advocacy organizations. In addition, see this Muslims for Just Futures letter sent to the Senate Finance Committee on S.4136/H.R. 6408.
• Tell your Members of Congress: Support the “Protecting Sensitive Locations Act” | Interfaith Alliance | Tell Your Members of Congress: Vote YES on legislation to uphold religious freedom and keep Trump’s federal raids out of our houses of worship.
• Contact Your U.S. Senators & Representative: Cosponsor the Protecting Sensitive Locations Act | National Religious Campaign Against Torture (NRCAT)
• Interfaith Sign-On re: DOGE attacks on faith organizations | Grand View Strategies | Sign and share this sign-on letter for individuals, clergy, and faith-based organizations.
• Take Action: Tell Your Elected Leaders to Welcome Refugees and Safeguard Humanitarian Protection | Church World Service
• Nominate a Leader for the Women’s Community Catalyst Award | We Are All America | In a time of increasing challenges for immigrant and refugee communities, it is more important than ever to recognize the women leading change. Many immigrant and refugee women — especially those working within Ethnic Community-Based Organizations (ECBOs) and grassroots initiatives — are at the forefront of advocacy and community support, yet their contributions often go unrecognized. We will accept nominations until February 24, announce winners on International Women’s Day, and hold the virtual award ceremony on March 14.
• Statement About Executive Orders from South Asian Groups (January 2025) | South Asian Coalition | The South Asian American Working Group is an emergent network of local and national South Asian organizations that address policy issues affecting South Asian communities, with a commitment to collective liberation, human dignity, and collaboration. To endorse this Statement as a supporting organization, please complete the form here.
• United in Welcome — Tell Your Elected Officials: We Value Welcoming | Refugee Advocacy Lab, International Refugee Assistance Project | Our representatives at all levels need to hear from us! Let’s let them know we believe in welcoming, we reject fear, and we want solutions that support us all. Also see the social media toolkit.
• Standing Against Threats to Birthright Citizenship — Wong Kim Ark’s Legacy Lives On With Us | We know the truth: No politician gets to decide if our kids and grandchildren can live freely and with every opportunity. Wong Kim Ark’s legacy lives on in countless families, students, community leaders, business owners, and neighborhoods who have joined together to put down unshakeable roots. We all benefit from the guarantee that all U.S.-born children are unquestionably citizens.
• The Ali Compassion Pledge | Muhammad Ali Index, The Muhammad Ali Center | “Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth.” — Muhammad Ali. Greatness is about uplifting others. The Ali Compassion Pledge, inspired by the Muhammad Ali Index, is your call to act with kindness, justice, and compassion. Every signature matters. By adding your name, you are helping us grow compassion research, empowering us to reach out to local leaders, and expanding the Muhammad Ali Index into communities across America and around the world. Together, we can inspire action and build a more compassionate world.
• Call for Proposals: Race, Religion, and Social Justice Conference 2025 | Tri-Faith Initiative | The Tri-Faith Initiative and UNO’s Religious Studies department invites submissions for the fourth annual Race, Religion, and Social Justice Conference that will be held on June 5th, 2025 on the Tri-Faith Commons in Omaha, NE. Our theme this year is Fueling the Work. How do we nourish minds, bodies and spirits to do the work of social justice? We are seeking papers and presentations that address topics associated with the intersections between race, religion, and social justice across different sectors of society. We invite multi-sector approaches — nonprofit and civic leaders, diversity, equity, access, and inclusion (DEAI) practitioners, community members, educators, health and mental health practitioners, artists, religious communities, and scholars.
• Participate in the 2nd Annual Better Together Film Festival | As part of the 8th Annual National Week of Conversation, the #ListenFirst Coalition is excited to host the 2nd Annual Better Together Film Festival. Running April 21–27, 2025, the mission of this national film festival is to leverage the power of value-based storytelling through film and mobilize bridge-building efforts in communities from coast to coast. National in scale, but local in practice, the Better Together Film Festival creates a scalable “onramp” for people of all backgrounds — across a myriad of sectors and local communities — to begin their journeys toward reducing polarization and building unity in their communities.
• Essay Submissions — Faithful Resistance: Understanding and Opposing Christian Fascism | Earth & Altar | If you are interested in writing on these or any other topics related to understanding and opposing Christian Fascism from an inclusive orthodox perspective, please submit a proposal of approximately 250 words outlining your topic and argument approach to submissions@earthandaltarmag.com with the subject line Faithful Resistance. Submissions will be accepted on a rolling basis with the goal of publishing ASAP.

Resources

Toolkits & Trainings

• Community Defense Resource Hub | Muslims for Just Futures (MJF) | This is a collection of tools and guidance designed to empower grassroots organizers, mutual aid networks, and solidarity movements. These resources provide critical Know Your Rights (KYR) information and frameworks for navigating infrastructure development, managing risk, and building resilience against state targeting and repression. Highlight: Defend Sanctuary Policies and Spaces | Muslims for Just Futures in collaboration with our MJF Legal Network and partners will be utilizing this page to provide updates on attacks on sanctuary cities and spaces. Immigration Know Your Rights Resources | Everyone has rights under the U.S. constitution regardless of immigration status. This includes resources for you to know your rights in case of a raid or other encounter with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
• Messaging Guide: Winning the Narrative on Safety, Accountability, and Justice | We Make the Future Action | This messaging guide — which builds upon research conducted by Vera Action — has been compiled to help organizing groups tell a comprehensive, solutions-oriented story that rejects racialized “tough-on-crime” rhetoric and drives us toward the vision of safety, accountability, and justice our families need.
• Community Fact Sheet on Executive Orders: Impact on Palestine Dissent and Student Organizing | Muslims for Just Futures | The new executive order expands federal measures to investigate and prosecute students and staff at educational institutions that engage in speech and dissent calling for an end to the genocide of Palestinians.
• What to Do if ICE Comes to Your Church | Sojourners | The resources gathered include information about warrants, questioning, harboring people, and more.
• Know Your Rights Videos | We Have Rights | An empowerment campaign to prepare for and safely defend our rights during encounters with Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE).
• Know Your Rights Phone Wallpaper | South Dakota Voices for Peace | Everyone has rights, no matter what your immigration status is! Download our know your rights phone wallpaper so you can always have a reminder of what your rights are.
• South Asian American Policy Working Group Learning Hub | On this page, you’ll find a list of resources compiled by participants of the South Asian American Policy Working Group and partner organizations, by subject area.
• South Asian Coalition Rapid Response Resources
• Community Resources for Sikh Americans | SALDEF (Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund) | Over the past few years the number of biased incidents and hate crimes targeting religious and minority communities has risen significantly. If you are a victim of a bias incident or a hate crime, you are not alone. We are here to help you. We hope the information provided here will help you take a step towards justice and healing.
• Know Your Rights: Immigration Guidance for Gurdwarae | The Sikh Coalition | This ‘Know Your Rights’ resource is meant to help gurdwarae and gurdwara committee members or leadership understand potential immigration enforcement at our houses of worship. It will be updated regularly as new immigration policies continue to emerge from the Trump Administration. It was compiled by the Sikh Coalition with assistance from immigration attorneys and immigration policy experts within the sangat and from allied organizations.
• Immigrant Legal Resource Center: 1) Red Cards/ Tarjetas Rojas | The ILRC’s Red Cards help people assert their rights and defend themselves in many situations, such as when ICE agents go to a home. 2) Family Preparedness Plan | This packet will help everyone create a Family Preparedness Plan, regardless of immigration status. However, because of the additional challenges immigrant and mixed status families face, we also have additional advice for immigrants.
• Decoding Trump’s Authoritarian Orders: Guide for Frontline Responders and Advocates | Muslims for Just Futures (MJF) | MJF’s latest guide was developed with support from the Building Movement Project. The first section of this document provides guidance for community organizers and frontline responders, with a focus on the potential impact for Black, Arab, Muslim, Middle Easter, and South Asian (BAMEMSA) and broader immigrant communities. The second section is designed for policy advocates, offering a detailed analysis of the provisions and mechanisms, such as extreme vetting lists and the expanded FTO list.
• 2025 Travel Ban Center | National Iranian American Council | This is a comprehensive resource hub designed to inform, support, and mobilize the Iranian-American community against the looming threat of a renewed Travel Ban.
• National Immigration Project: 1) Community Explainer: Week 1 under Donald Trump 2.0 | This explainer gives an overview of what’s happened in week 1 and what we can expect next. 2) Community Explainer: Laken Riley Act | This explainer breaks down what the Laken Riley Act means for our communities and how we can protect each other. 3) Community Defender Training slides, “Understanding Your Rights and Protecting Your Community Under the New Administration” (January 29, 2025)
• New Refugee Advocacy Toolkit | Refugee Council USA | Right now is a critical time to join us in advocating for refugees, humanitarian protection, and everyone seeking a safe place to call home. Also see this Quick Reference Guide.
• Rapid Response toolkit | Building Movement Project & Solidarity Is
• Immigration Policy Tracking Project (IPTP) | The IPTP catalogues every known Trump administration immigration policy, attaches the source documents, and highlights all new 2.0 policies. Entries are organized by date and subject, searchable by key terms, updated to report on current status, and filtered by 1.0 and 2.0 terms. IPTP is a project of Professor Lucas Guttentag working with Stanford and Yale law students and supported by a team of leading national immigration experts.
• Narrative Interventions: A Guide to Rejecting Collective Responsibility and Embracing Our Right to Resist and Organize | Muslim Counterpublics Lab | While this resource was designed specifically for Muslims, it is insightful for us all. Why is this important? As we share often in our S2S trainings, one study looks at the NYT coverage of Islam and Muslims over the course of 25 years and found that Islam and Muslims was covered more negatively than cancer and cocaine. Another study shows that when Muslim or Muslim perceived individuals commit a violent act, they receive disproportionately negative media coverage (up to 770% more) than white individuals who commit a similar violent act. So how do we navigate this and not fall into the negative cycle of dehumanizing and fear-based narratives in our responses to troubling news reports? Explore this new resource, along with S2S’s Faith Over Fear Communicating for Change Messaging Guide (take the training to receive a link) designed specifically for clergy and lay leaders, as two among many resources.
• A Mayor’s Guide to Countering Islamophobia: Implementing the U.S. National Strategy to Counter Islamophobia and Anti-Arab Hate | America Indivisible and the U.S. Conference of Mayors | The U.S. National Strategy to Counter Islamophobia and Anti-Arab Hate has four priorities, each of which presents opportunities for mayors, who are often on the front lines of combating Islamophobia and anti-Arab hate, protecting impacted communities, and supporting American values. This guide suggests possible actions mayors could take to implement the four priorities.
• Immigration Communications Training and Resources | Masa Group and Mountain Gem Advocacy | Training recording, slide decks, and resources. The training covered best practices in strategic communications on immigration, including rapid response, effective messaging, and media relations.
• For your convenience, the training recording, accompanying slide deck, and resources
• Resources for Dismantling Bias and Bigotry | Israel and Gaza: ICJS Resources | Recognize the power of your voice in combating antisemitism and anti-Muslim bias. Your words are powerful; they still create worlds.
• Bridging Divides Badging & Microcredential Program | Listen First Coalition | You can bring people together across differences. We created a pathway for you to acquire the basic skills you need to be an effective bridge builder in your home, workplace, and community spaces: Listening, Dialogue, Collaboration.

Reports

• Combating Bias, Bigotry, and Backlash: Sikh American Civil Rights Policy Priorities (Fourth Edition) | The Sikh Coalition | “Articulated within this guide are the federal policy priorities undertaken by the Sikh Coalition as an organization, selected with an eye to the specific civil rights issues that we see affecting our community and other marginalized groups. It is critical to remember, however, that no community is a monolith. Sikhs in the United States care about non-civil rights issues — from economic policy to social issues to foreign affairs — just like other Americans, and views on all of these issues vary widely within the community.”
• Investigating Immigration-Related Retaliation: Best Practices for State and Local Labor Standards Enforcement Agencies | Workplace Justice Lab, Rutgers School of Management and Labor Relations | “The next administration brings with it the promise of mass deportations, detentions, and workplace raids…State and local labor enforcement agencies must be prepared to vigorously enforce anti-retaliation protections, particularly retaliation related to a worker’s immigration status.”
• Together Against Hate Report | Interfaith Alliance | Hate and violence have always existed as a disturbing feature of American society. However, in recent years, we have witnessed a documented escalation in political and hate-based violence that threatens our democracy and puts all of our communities at risk. Interfaith Alliance has developed Together Against Hate to offer a counter force to this rise in hate-based extremism.
• Accomplishments, and Opportunities | Rutgers Law Center for Security, Race, and Rights (CSRR) | This newly released executive report from CSRR ‘demonstrates the significant accomplishments of the first and only academic civil rights center focused on Muslim, Arab, and South Asian communities. Among the most impactful are the Race and Rights Podcast, annual lecture series by renowned experts, and Humanizing Palestine Program that centers the lived experiences to combat anti-Palestinian racism in U.S. society.’
• The 2025 Compassion Report | Muhammad Ali Index, The Muhammad Ali Center | “The 2025 Compassion Report” aims to develop innovative solutions for measuring, predicting and cultivating compassionate action, enabling leaders to address both immediate and emerging community challenges.
• 2024 In Review: Top 10 Most Islamophobic Moments | Islamophobia Research & Documentation Project, Islamophobia Studies Center in Berkeley, CA
• 2021–2024 Civil Rights Division Highlights Report | U.S. Justice Department | The report reflects upon a portion of the critical civil rights work across the division’s 11 sections where the career staff and leadership worked to bring to justice those who harmed, threatened and/or intimidated people because of their race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, English proficiency or disability status.
• 2024 The Freedom of Thought Report | Humanists International | The map above shows a summary score for each country (this is the average severity of the worst assessment criterion applied across each of four thematic strands)

Jobs

• Do you want to join the S2S Team? We are looking for creative and collaborative people to build our capacities, starting with project-based contracted work. If you’re interested, please send us a cover letter, resume, and 2 references to info@s2scampaign.org (thanks to all those who have already reached out!)
• The International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP) is excited to hire a senior policy counsel. Interested candidates should apply as soon as possible. IRAP has U.S. offices in New York and Washington, D.C., but remote applicants will be considered. You can read more here about IRAP’s work that integrates legal aid, strategic litigation, policy advocacy, media advocacy, and legal information to uphold and advance the rights of people seeking safety around the world. Click here to learn more about the position and how to apply.
• CAIR-NY is looking to hire an experienced and passionate litigator based in New York to join our team. Details are in the posting: https://www.cair-ny.org/staff-positions. The deadline to apply is March 4.
• Grassroots Asians Rising is hiring a Membership Director or Membership Manager. We are looking for someone who is excited to build the ecosystem for grassroots organizing of working-class Asians. Please share the job descriptions amongst your organizations. I’m happy to speak with anyone interested in learning more about the position.
• Visionary Edge is seeking Consultant opportunities. “If you or anyone in your network is looking for consulting support or would like to learn more about how Visionary Edge can assist with upcoming projects, please feel free to reach out directly to me or email us at info@thevisionaryedge.com. We are open to discussing both short-term and long-term engagements and can tailor our services to meet specific needs.”
• Interfaith Alliance has a job opening for the new role of Director of Digital Mobilization and Marketing | The Director of Digital Mobilization and Marketing is set to start on March 1, 2025, and is based in Washington, DC. Applications are due by February 15, 2025 and will be considered on a rolling basis. To apply: Please send a resume with references and cover letter to jobs@interfaithalliance.org.
• The Arab Resource & Organizing Center (AROC) in San Francisco, CA is hiring for attorney, paralegal and legal coordinator positions. Learn more here and contact info@araborganizing.org for more information.
• Franciscan Action Network has a full time staff opening for someone to help with climate/environment advocacy and organizing local affinity groups. Learn more and apply here.

Scholarships

• Islamic Scholarship Fund | ISF Scholarship Program is an incredible opportunity for students to pursue higher education in one of four supported fields: Film, Law, Media, and Policy. In the past 15 years, ISF has awarded over $3.5 million to over 600 emerging leaders. Apply before March 21st, 2025. Learn more and apply here.

Fellowships

• Islamic Scholarship Fund | The ISF Congressional Policy Fellowship is a highly selective and advanced program devoted to increasing American Muslim representation in public policy. Through a 9-month paid fellowship, young professionals gain real-world experience working on legislative and public policy issues in Congress. Apply before February 11th, 2025. Learn more and apply here.
• Don’t miss the chance to be a BJC Fellow: Apply now for the class of 2025! BJC is now accepting applications for the next class of BJC Fellows, a program for young professionals who want to deepen their historical, theological and legal understanding of religious liberty and develop skills to advocate for the cause throughout their careers.
• 2025–2026 Eisendrath Legislative Assistant Program | Religious Action Center for Reform Judaism (RAC)| Open to college seniors or recent graduates looking for a job in Judaism, social justice, and public policy. RAC is hosting several virtual information sessions in the coming weeks (RSVP at www.RAC.org/LA). The application deadline is March 7, 2025.
• Emerging Leaders Program | Auburn Theological Seminary | The Auburn Emerging Leaders Program is a year-long experience with a multifaith, cross-cultural, and diverse cohort of emerging faith-rooted leaders between the ages of 18 and 35. The Emerging Leaders program begins with a five-day in-person, immersive residential intensive and continues with monthly virtual cohort gatherings. Each cohort of 16–20 members is selected through an application process and receives Auburn Emerging Leader fellowships covering program curriculum, travel, and meals. Applications are due by February 15, 2025 and participants will be notified by March 21, 2025.

Grants

• Inaya Care Fund from HEART: a grassroots fund for US-based Muslims in need of financial assistance as they navigate grief, organizing, and transitions. (Please share and support this beautiful care fund)
• Rise Together Fund — Rapid Response Fund: Please note, the Rapid Response Fund to Support Palestinian, Arab, BAMEMSA Communities Amid Rising Hate, Intimidation, and Government Suppression is now closed. However, we recognize that this is an unprecedented time for our communities, families, and organizations and that there is an ongoing need for support and action. If you would like to speak with a member of our team about any of these issues, please contact webcontact.ks@proteusfund.org.
• Community Mediation Mini-Grant Application is now Open. The upcoming JAMS Foundation / NAFCM mini-grant focus is community leadership. Cultivating leaders who can listen and learn and hold potentially transformative conversations regarding issues of public interest and concern is essential for good governance. The need to embed Conflict Resolution Skills within the modus operandi of elected officials and other community leaders is key to productive engagement and community safety. This grant opportunity is for two years and will award $15,000 per year. Bridging organizations working in place-based communities are encouraged to apply. A full list of criteria can be found in this document.
• PC(USA) grant program designed to launch student activists: Wayfinders: Launching Spiritual Activists. The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is launching a program for students who want to pursue anti-racism, anti-poverty, or a spiritual practice with others on their campus. This program is open to undergraduate and graduate students that have a connection to a PC(USA) ministry (a church, new worshiping community or campus ministry) who are excited to create a new on-campus initiative related to anti-racism, anti-poverty, or spiritual practice. Learn more and apply here by March 10.

Event Recordings

• Mobilizing to Take on the Crisis of Hate | Interfaith Alliance | This conversation between Executive Director of the Shoulder to Shoulder Campaign Nina Fernando, Interim Director of the SPLC’s Intelligence Project Rachel Carroll Rivas, the Sikh Coalition’s Managing Director of Policy and Communications Graham West, and Interfaith Alliance’s National Programs Associate Zev Mishell is about how civil society can address this issue in the new political climate. In this pressing moment, it’s important to work across our differences to push back against hate and continue advocating for a more inclusive society.
• Christian Theologies of Power and Resistance | Institute for Islamic, Christian, Jewish Studies | With the 2024 election behind us, it is clear that Christian nationalism and the empowerment of conservative Christians will play prominent roles in American politics and policy. How does Christian theology intersect with Christian nationalism, and how can it also inform Christian resistance to it? View the recordings, slide decks, and resources here.

Films

• American Muslims: A History Revealed | PBS Digital Studios | American Muslims: A History Revealed is a series of six short documentary films that reveal and explore the early history of Muslims in America. The series is hosted by three leading American Muslim journalists: Malika Bilal, Aymann Ismail, and Asma Khalid. Over the course of the series, they travel the country to piece together stories spanning over 200 years.
• 36 Seconds: Portrait of a Hate Crime | In 2015, three Muslim-American students were executed while eating dinner in their home in Chapel Hill, NC. In 36 Seconds: Portrait of a Hate Crime, filmmaker Tarek Albaba makes an impassioned case for justice for these innocents and for his community. The documentary film charts the victims’ families’ agonizing overnight pivot from trauma to advocacy as they struggle to prevent their loved ones’ deaths from being dismissed as the result of a random parking dispute. February 10, 2025 marks ten years since Deah, Yusor, and Razan were murdered in an act of hate. Learn more from Our Three Winners.
• Planting Seeds for Pluralism in America: The Syeed Family | This short film highlights Dr. Sayyid and Rafia Syeed as two figures, among many, who have contributed to the American interfaith movement for equitable pluralism. As American Muslims, The Syeeds (specifically Rafia and Dr. Sayyid) built a tight web of trusted multifaith relationships locally in Bloomington, Indiana, and nationwide. This short documentary-style narrative shares their journey of principled pluralism through the perspective of their eldest daughter, Afeefa.

Books

• How We Learn to be Brave: Decisive Moments in Life and Faith by Mariann Edgar Budde, Episcopal Bishop of Washington | With Bishop Budde’s wisdom, readers will learn to live and to respond according to their true beliefs and in ways that align with their best selves. How We Learn to Be Brave will provide much-needed fortitude and insight to anyone searching for answers in uncertain times.

Articles

• EXCLUSIVE: Congress Is Finally Reintroducing a Bill to Fight Islamophobia in 2025, Muslim Girl
• Trump Leans on WWII Japanese Incarceration Law to Deport Immigrants by Nick Turse, The Intercept
• Why should I love a neighbor who betrayed me? by Jeanné Lewis, Religion News Service
• Dozens of Faith Groups Sue Trump Administration Over Immigration Arrests by Mitchell Atencio, Sojourners
• After Week One: “The Sermon Heard Round the World” and Resources for the Long Journey Ahead by Robert P. Jones, White Too Long
• American is a potluck, not a battlefield where we defeat our fellow citizens by Eboo Patel, USA Today
• Perspective: Building Bridges After a Divided Election by Adam Nicholas Philipps, Deseret News
• A few (among many) statements on the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas:
• Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) Welcomes Positive Steps Toward a Negotiated Settlement, Permanent Ceasefire in Gaza, and Calls for Accountability
• JCPA Welcomes Gaza Ceasefire Agreement to Free Hostages, Halt Fighting — Jewish Council for Public Affairs
• MPAC Cautiously Welcomes Provisional Ceasefire Between Israel and Hamas — Muslim Public Affairs Council

Podcasts

• Moses’s Lessons in Interfaith Dialogue | Jewish Theological Seminary | In the first week of 2025, the Washington Theological Consortium hosted a weeklong interfaith dialogue program at the United Lutheran Seminary in Philadelphia. Third-year JTS rabbinical student and Milstein Center for Interreligious Dialogue program manager Claire Davidson Bruder participated in this program, alongside other Jewish, Christian, and Muslim seminary students. The following d’var Torah is a collaboration between Claire and Sherouk Ahmed, a chaplaincy student at Bayan, an Islamic graduate school in partnership with the Chicago Theological Seminary.

Closing:

“In a time of hate

Love is an act of resistance

In a time of fear

Faith is an act of resistance

In a time of poor leadership

Community is an act of resistance

In a time like this

Joy is an act of resistance.

Resist. Resist. Resist.”

-Loryn Brantz