March 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.

Shoulder to Shoulder Programmatic Updates:

Faith Over Fear Update:

• In Grand Rapids, Michigan we trained 60 local leaders in addressing anti-Muslim discrimination and bias. This training was organized in partnership with the Kaufman Institute, Kuyper College, the Christian Reformed Church’s Office of Social Justice, the Reformed Church in America, Resonate Global Mission, Al Amana Centre, Calvin University, Institute of Social Policy Understanding.
• This week we fly to Orange City Iowa for the same training with more local leaders. Both Grand Rapids and Orange City trainings are the result of almost two years of conversations with local leaders and organizations. If you’re interested in bringing this training to your community please reach out. We have grants to host these trainings in person across the country.

Ramadan programming:

• Join Shoulder to Shoulder and Children’s Book Authors, Hena Khan and Naaz Khan for a special Virtual Multifaith Children’s Pre-Iftar Event on April 13th to connect with families and explore the themes of sharing & belonging this Ramadan. Register here: Virtual Multifaith Children’s Pre-Iftar Event
• Check out a selection of 2022 Virtual Community Iftars open to the public
• Explore our Ramadan Resources
• Take part in our Spring 2022 Messaging Campaign
• If your community or organization is hosting a virtual iftar or Ramadan event in the coming month please let us know so we can include it on our events listing.

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

Events

• Multi-Faith Movements: Fireside Chats with The Leaders Moving us Forward America today is the most diverse it’s ever been. And yet, old prejudices, stereotypes, and fears of the perceived “other” continue to abound. With rates of anti-Semitism and Islamophobia reaching record highs and religious literacy rates remaining low, we are already seeing what can happen when diversity is not accompanied by proper and robust engagement. But, this is not our only path forward. Join the Religion & Society Program to explore what the future of multi-faith engagement could be with leaders who are paving the way to pluralism: Islamic Cultural Center of Northern California: 1433 Madison St. Wednesday, March 23rd | 4:00–5:30 pm PST Register to join virtually.
• Interfaith Trolley Tour and Iftar — Chicago — Riding onboard a trolley, we will explore five sacred spaces in the Hyde Park/ Kenwood neighborhoods of Chicago, learning about the April holy days, as well as the collaborative interfaith work happening in the community. Trolley riders will hear from and visit many different faith-based organizations. Speakers will present from Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, Jain, Sikh and Baha’i traditions. The day will end with an interfaith Iftar dinner at sunset, hosted at Chicago Theological Seminary. Both the trolley and the Iftar are free, ticketed events. Covid protocols are in effect. Registration opens April 1 https://aicusa.edu/events/interfaith-trolley-tour-iftar
• Ecumenical Advocacy Days 2022 April 25–27 calls us into solidarity to restore, protect, and expand voting rights in the United States and to realize human rights around the world. As people of faith, we know each person to be created in God’s image, imbued with dignity and having a voice that demands to be heard, heeded, and treated justly. We arise in unity, holding up a mirror to leaders of nations, putting injustice on display and tearing down the veil of oppression that obscures the beautiful, God-born light shining from within us all. https://advocacydays.org/2022-fierce-urgency/

Grants/Fellowships/Jobs:

• MuslimARC is Hiring an Operations Manager: Do you want to join a team of dedicated educators and organizers across the country that are tackling issues of racial justice within and across faith communities? They are in a growth phase right now and are seeking a passionate leader who shares the same values of MuslimARC of anti-racism and human rights, a leader who will work with and support the Executive Director and the MuslimARC team in management, HR, and operations. They are looking for a fast-paced and collaborative individual who has a deep understanding of the Muslim community and can work with MuslimARC to make this organization run like an even smoother machine! They are accepting applications on a rolling basis and will be conducting interviews soon: https://www.muslimarc.org/operations_manager?e=ec486768dc30df12470f876c549482ab&utm_source=muslimarc&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=march_newsletter_20222&n=3
• ReThink Media is hiring a Communications Associate to support our Rights & Inclusion team in elevating the voices of organizers, activists, and artists advocating for the rights of Black, Arab, Indigenous, Middle Eastern, Muslim, Sikh, and South Asian (BAIMEMSSA) people across the country. This associate will be working with arts and culture organizations to increase mutual understanding and build stronger, more inclusive communities. Here’s a link to the full job description.
• Apply now to receive up to $10,000 for your degree! Islamic Scholarship Fund’s Scholarship Program accepts applications until March 21st for the 2022–23 school year. Every year, ISF awards up to $10,000 in scholarships to up-and-coming change-makers in the fields of media, film, law, and policy. Learn more at www.IslamicScholarshipFund.org/Scholarship/
• Trinity Wall Street’s new Leadership Fellows program has launched and is accepting applications until March 31. Learn more about this two-year program for emerging leaders centering on faith-inspired, values-driven, and community-oriented learning and mentorship.
• Call for Proposals (CFP) deadline for our upcoming Race, Religion, and Social Justice (RRSJ) Conference at TriFaith has been extended to Thursday, March 31.We are accepting both in-person and virtual proposals related to: Resiliency and wellness; Diversity, equity, access, and inclusion (DEAI); Youth and education; Immigration and refugees; Institutional responses; Arts, theater, and creative initiatives. Details can be found at: https://www.trifaith.org/rrsj-cfp/
• Multifaith Leadership Training Applications accepted through May 1, 2022 The Minnesota Multifaith Network (MnMN) is partnering with the Jay Phillips Center for Interreligious Studies at the University of St. Thomas to conduct a joint student and community Interfaith Fellows program. MnMN is now accepting applications to be one of five non-student community Interfaith Fellows from Minnesota, who will join five student Interfaith Fellows from the University of St. Thomas, to co-learn Interfaith Leadership. This opportunity is for persons interested in strengthening interfaith relations and cooperation in the broader community. No prior experience is expected.
• Faculty Seminar: Faiths and Ferocity Research and Teaching Exchanges between Genocide Studies and Interreligious Studies July 11–14, 2022The ICJS inaugural Faculty Seminar will bring together scholars working in universities and seminaries who research and/or teach in Interreligious Studies or Genocide Studies. Seminar participants will examine encounters between these two areas of study and consider how methodological approaches in both fields can challenge and enrich one another in our teaching and scholarship. Application due April 8 https://icjs.org/faculty-seminar/

Resources

• Islamic Society of North America March/April Magazine with two articles on Islamophobia. https://issuu.com/isnacreative/docs/ih_march-april_22
• Interfaith Conversations on Racial Justice These videos from Augsburg University (Interfaith at Augsburg) invite practitioners from differing religious, spiritual, and secular perspectives to be in conversation about the issue of racial justice. Part 1 (featuring Pooja Bastodkar, a member of MnMN’s board of directors) Part 2
• Alliance for Peacebuilding new Interreligious Peacebuilding Networking LinkedIn Group
• As studies emerge revealing continued biases against people of color, Islamic Networks Group (ING) serves as an ally & resource to help anti-racism efforts by providing #culturalcompetency trainings on #Islam and #Muslims- designed for healthcare professionals: https://ing.org/schedule-a-speaker/schedule-a-diversity-seminar/healthcare-agencies/
• Justice for Muslims Collective will be officially sunsetting on March 24, 2022 and we welcome the birth of these two new organizations (Muslims for Just Futures and The Muslim Counterpublics Lab) that will carry on much-needed work and strengthen the broader collective field of Muslim organizations working towards collective liberation.
• Muslims for Just Futures (MJF) is a grassroots organization that builds power in Muslim communities through collective care, organizing, advocacy, and movement-building. MJF envisions a society where our communities live with dignity, power, and freedom. MJF will be directed by Darakshan Raja. Website: muslimsforjustfutures.org Facebook: MuslimsForJustFutures Twitter: @MuslimsForJF Instagram: @muslimsforjustfutures Donation: Building Today for Just Futures Tomorrow — Action Network
• The Muslim Counterpublics Lab (MCL), directed by Dr. Maha Hilal, will focus on narrative shifting, political education, research, and corporate accountability in service of dismantling institutionalized Islamophobia. Website: www.muslimcounterpublicslab.org Twitter: @MuslimCpLab Facebook: @MuslimCounterpublicsLab Instagram: @muslimcounterpublicslab Donate to MuslimCounterpublicsLab

Closing:

This is what was bequeathed us

by Gregory Orr

(Watch an animated reading of this poem here)

Listen

This is what was bequeathed us:

This earth the beloved left

And, leaving,

Left to us.

No other world

But this one:

Willows and the river

And the factory

With its black smokestacks.

No other shore, only this bank

On which the living gather.

No meaning but what we find here.

No purpose but what we make.

That, and the beloved’s clear instructions:

Turn me into song; sing me awake.