July 2022 Resource Roundup

Our monthly Shoulder to Shoulder Community & Congregational Network Call is an opportunity to convene and connect with interfaith and community organizations and leaders throughout the country who are, in some capacity, addressing anti-Muslim discrimination in the U.S. In our meetings, members share resources, problem solve, and reflect on this important work. The notes below are a selection of public resources and events shared by network members and our various partners and friends. If you’re interested in learning more about our S2S Community Network, contact us and/or check out our website.

S2S Programmatic Updates:

• The Shoulder to Shoulder Campaign Endorses the Building Civic Bridges Act https://s2scampaign.medium.com/the-shoulder-to-shoulder-campaign-endorses-the-building-civic-bridges-act-2b03dbef6fc3
• Recording of our panel conversation at TriFaith Commons for Omaha’s first Race, Religion & Social Justice (RRSJ) Conference: Countering Islamophobia & Discrimination at the Intersection of Race, Religion, & Social Justice
• Shoulder to Shoulder is seeking an experienced candidate to work as a part-time Operations and Administrative Associate to manage the day-to-day administrative and operational functions of Shoulder to Shoulder and to assist in communications with members and external partners. This is a temporary, six-month contracted position with the potential for future renewal, extension, or employment. For more information, click here.

Resources & Upcoming Opportunities — Shared and copy/pasted from various partners and friends:

Events

• Exclusive fireside chat highlighting our upcoming American Muslim Poll 2022, just for Institute for Social Policy Understanding (ISPU) supporters and partners. On July 21 at 9PM EST/6PM PST, join Executive Director Meira Neggaz and Research Project Manager Erum Ikramullah for a forty-five minute conversation focused on our sixth American Muslim Poll, and any and all questions you have about the activities and impacts of ISPU’s work during our 20th anniversary year. Registration for this virtual event is still open — snag your spot today and join us on July 21 for this one-of-a-kind preview.
• Oak Creek Remembrance Events
• Sikh American Legal Defense Fund and Education: Help amplify the 10th Anniversary of Oak Creek through this toolkit. For updates and to take action, visit our website.
• On Tuesday, July 26, the Sikh Coalition will convene speakers from communities harmed by hate violence–the Sikh community of Oak Creek, WI; the Black community in Charleston, SC; and the Jewish community in Pittsburgh, PA–along with elected officials for a virtual congressional briefing. Register here to join Honoring Oak Creek, Charleston, and Pittsburgh Through Action: A Virtual Congressional Briefing at 1 PM ET on July 26, as our panelists discuss lessons learned from these previous tragedies and policy solutions to secure a safer future for marginalized communities.
• The Sikh Coalition has partnered with the Revolutionary Love Project on RememberOakCreek.org, a learning hub designed to help Americans from all communities understand what happened 10 years ago and how we can take action together to prevent further tragedies. The learning hub includes new video content, downloadable graphics, direct ways to contact your lawmakers, educational materials, as well as a wealth of other resources aimed at commemorating the anniversary while raising Sikh awareness. New content is being added, so check back frequently.
• In collaboration with the Revolutionary Love Project and SALDEF, join us and take two minutes to send a message in support of these bills to your representative in the House and your two Senators.
• Finally, sangats from coast to coast will be leading Day of Seva projects and Night of Vigil events in honor of the 10-year anniversary of the Oak Creek gurdwara shooting. So far, nearly 20 cities have confirmed projects during the August 5 to 7 weekend including Detroit, MI; Charlotte, NC; Fairfax, VA; Houston, TX; Los Angeles, CA; Bellingham, WA; Lawrenceville, NJ; Salt Lake City, UT; Indianapolis, IN; Salem, OR; Enola, PA; Albuquerque, NM; Olathe, KS; Dayton, OH; and more. To find a day of seva project, click here. It’s not too late to organize an event! For those details, click here.
• Illinois Muslim Report- Historic Release. Illinois is home to the largest per capita Muslim population in the nation. This means we are more likely to have a Muslim student, doctor, Uber driver, business owner, or neighbor in Illinois — than in any other state. For three years, researchers have been working on answering this question, and thousands of Illinois Muslims have completed surveys, joined focus groups, and shared input. It. Is. Time. Join us virtually for the historic release of the Illinois Muslims Report- with 100 leaders, philanthropists, public officials, business leaders, and other key stakeholders. Please RSVP today to reserve your virtual seat! Let’s change the game — for all of us! Thursday, July 28, 2022 @ 4:00 PM VIA ZOOM Register for this Historic Event IL Muslim Civic Coalition (Coalition); University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC IPCE); Institute of Social Policy and Understanding (ISPU)
• Bystander Intervention training to Stop Islamophobic and Xenophobic Harassment. In this training, Right To Be (formerly Hollaback!) will talk about the types of disrespect that Muslims and those who are perceived to be Muslim are facing right now — from microaggressions to violence — using a tool we call the “spectrum of disrespect.” You’ll learn what to look for and the positive impact that bystander intervention has on individuals and communities. We’ll talk through five strategies for intervention: distract, delegate, document, delay, and direct; and how to prioritize your own safety while intervening. There will be time at the end for practice, and you’ll leave feeling more confident intervening the next time you see Islamophobic and Xenophobic harassment online or in person. July 28, 2022 1:00 PM — 2:00 PM EST Register https://righttobe.org/events/bystander-intervention-to-stop-islamophobic-and-xenophobic-harassment/
• Service Never Sleeps Training for Allies. Calling all allies! We have opened our training on August 10 & 11 to all members of the community! Interested to learn ways to center BIPOC individuals, influence others, and drive your own self-work? Join us! Learn more and register here: https://bit.ly/3PzHn34

Grants/Fellowships/Jobs:

• Unite Cloud: Now booking for Central MN Green Card Voices exhibit for Fall 2022! We have openings in September and November. Learn more here: https://unitecloud.org/green-card-voices/
• TriFaith Omaha: new Communications Manager with strong written and verbal communication skills, a solid understanding of print and digital communications, a proven track record of managing large-scale, multi-phase projects, and an understanding of and respect for religious pluralism.
• RISE Together Fund team (RTF/RTAF) is actively seeking a Program Associate to join our dynamic team and help advance our work on behalf of BAMEMSA communities. This is a critical position offering operational, logistical and administrative support across all of our grantmaking, program development, capacity building and fundraising activities.
• Applications for the 2022–2023 Interfaith Civic Leadership Academy at the Interfaith Center of New York City are open now. If you or a member of your community would like to apply, please email ICNY Director of Community Partnerships Hanadi Doleh at hanadi@interfaithcenter.org.
• Pillars Call for Ideas is open to all Muslim-led and Muslim-serving nonprofit organizations. Our team is eager to learn more about the incredible work happening in our communities! To qualify for Pillars’ grants, organizations must meet the following criteria: Please direct all grant-related questions to grants@pillarsfund.org
• Pillars, is hiring for two positions on our Catalyze Fund team! Our grantmaking work is growing, and we’re expanding our team to continue supporting our current and prospective grantee partners. Program Manager and Program Associate.
• Islamic Relief USA, the nation’s leading Muslim American humanitarian and advocacy organization, is seeking to hire a Manager of Public Affairs, Research and Advocacy in our Department for Public Affairs, Advocacy & Research based in IRUSA’s National Office based in Washington, DC, region. The position will report directly to our Director of Public Affairs, Christina Tobias Nahi. The primary focus of the position will be developing IRUSA’s research & thought leadership capacity and programs promoting our humanitarian and anti-poverty priorities. Also, work activities might occasionally include working from our DC satellite office located on Capitol Hill (DC), and assisting our Government Affairs team’s lobbying activities.
• Family and Youth Institute (FYI) Do you want to make a difference in the Muslim community? Are you motivated to fight against stigma and improve Muslim mental health and wellbeing? Good news, we’re hiring 2 new positions! The FYI is seeking a highly motivated: Community Outreach Specialist; Grant Manager
• Richmond (Virginia) Peace Center is ready to Transition and Re-Organize! We are looking for a new Part-time Director, solid human aligned with our values and mission to help us navigate this next chapter. Is that person you? Or someone you know? If you feel there could be a fit, reach out to us at rpec@rpec.org. We are excited about what’s to come and know there is much work to do to Build For Peace in these turbulent times.
• Poligon Education Fund. We provide educational services through our policy resources and congressional advocacy trainings to Muslim and ally communities. Poligon is seeking to fill two new job openings! We are looking for a part-time Development Consultant and a Grassroots Advocacy Coordinator. For any questions or concerns, please email info@poligonnational.org To learn more and apply. visit our temporary website: http://poligonedu.weebly.com/join-our-team.html

Resources

• NEW BOOK by Simran Jeet Singh! The Light We Give: How Sikh Wisdom Can Transform Your Life https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59575929-the-light-we-give
• Houston Coalition Against Hate in collaboration with the University of Houston Graduate School of Social Work, announces the release of our Phase 2 Report, “Building Hate Crime Capacity in Community Based Organizations (CBOs).” This research study, led by Assistant Professor Aabha Brown and team, ascertains the current capacity of community-based organizations (CBOs) in Houston to respond to hate crimes.
• A series of articles in the Michigan Journal of Race and the Law that address the myriad harmful impacts of the “War on Terror” and its aftermath on Muslims in the United States. Articles available for download at this link: https://repository.law.umich.edu/mjrl/vol27/iss1/
• Dialogue That Enlarges: Bridging Ideological Divides Through a Faith Lens — Religion & Society Program — Aspen Institute — The key to addressing division and building a more pluralistic, vibrant, and just American society is to engage more constructively across differences. This workbook equips faith communities and leaders to support conversations about differences. https://bit.ly/3yFwOD9
• 2022 National American Muslim Policy Conference: Notes, Resources, Links, etc. bit.ly/2022NAMPC-TakeAction
• The Wonders We Seek: Thirty Incredible Muslims Who Helped Shape the World by Saadia Faruqi (Goodreads Author), Aneesa Mumtaz, Saffa Khan (Illustrations)
• BJC’s Amanda Tyler (Baptist Joint Committee on Religious Liberty) and others, discuss ‘structural aspects of bigotry’ — including religious intolerance — in new report https://bjconline.org/bjcs-tyler-others-discuss-structural-aspects-of-bigotry-070122/
• Creating positive work environments includes listening and knowing about the religious diversity in the workplace. These suggestions also apply to organizing community events and interfaith collaboration. https://hbr.org/2022/07/how-leaders-can-better-support-muslim-women-at-work
• Why Does Dialogue Often Fail? People Just Don’t Care By Kent Chitwood. Creating authentic interreligious dialogue can be difficult to do, especially when many people just aren’t motivated to participate no matter how much incentive is used. Chitwood calls this the “apathy gap” and explores what faith leaders must do to address it so people will want to engage in interreligious dialogue. “In fact, it’s the apathy that can prove more frustrating, and heartbreaking, than any antagonism.” https://www.whatwentwrong.us/why-does-dialogue-often-fail-people-just-dont-care
• Dialogue is Disruptive (Institute for Islamic Jewish Christian Studies) “One of the most disruptive things we can do in this moment is dialogue — to talk with someone who disagrees with us. We need dialogue instead of debate. As a staff, we collected our own hard-won ideas on how best to do this. Here are six ideas (plus some links to news stories or articles we’ve found compelling) to get you started”: https://icjs.org/resource/dialogue-is-disruptive/?eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=12457f76-239d-44d2-8ca0-46707624f973
• Why do Muslim-Christian bridge-building efforts often fail? In this piece for Neigborly Faith, Jordan Denari Duffner digs into social psychology to help answer this question: “For years, my colleagues and I have not fully appreciated human beings’ psychological need for reciprocity. And because we’ve overlooked this need, our bridge-building efforts have suffered.” https://www.whatwentwrong.us/speaking-up-for-the-good-others-have-done?fbclid=IwAR01v8_AkYvRi9RLw53s3vNZ0r4ugVTYUlBH5X3xJC7MoKfJa5FjmOfXMqE
• 10 facts about religion and government in the United States | Pew Research By Rebecca Leppert And Dalia Fahmy https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2022/07/05/10-facts-about-religion-and-government-in-the-united-states/
• The Virgin Mary: Bridging Muslims and Catholics. By Fr. Carl Chudy, D.Min.
• Including the Nonreligious in Interfaith Dialogue a panel discussion with Fr. Carl Chudy, D.Min.; Tom Krattenmaker, contributing columnist to USA Today and author of Confessions of a Secular Jesus Follower; Kathleen Green, Executive Director of the Yale Humanist Community; Bilal Ansari, Assistant Director, Davis Center, Williams College; Allyson Zacharoff, International Peacemaking Fellow, Hartford Seminary
• In the Footsteps of Hajar — 3 Ways to Respond to Life with Resilience — Family and Youth Institute

Closing Reflections:

Simran Jeet Singh, called the Light We Give: How Sikh Wisdom Can Transform Your Life. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59575929-the-light-we-give

Over the past few years, I’ve developed a practice for when I feel ready to throw up my arms in exasperation and give up on people. I shut off my devices, step onto the sidewalks of NYC, and notice the small acts of kindness. A man in a suit notices a baby lose a shoe and chases the woman pushing the stroller to return it. The handle breaks from a teenager’s shopping bag, and the fruit vendor offers his own bags to help her. A construction worker realizes she is a dollar short at the bagel coffee cart, and the seller replies: “Don’t worry about it. Get me back another time.”

Like many people, I used to describe these as random acts of kindness. But once you start noticing, you’ll see that there’s nothing random about them. They’re happening all around us, all the time. While our world is filled with pain and suffering, and while our culture focuses on the negative, there’s beauty all around us too. Noticing it can restore our faith in one another and in life itself.