May 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

• Public conversation June 15th 1–2 pm ET: I’m not a Muslim; why should I care about addressing anti-Muslim discrimination? Jordan Denari Duffner and Rabbi Burt Visotzky. Register Here
• Public Conversation July 7th 11am-12 pm ET : Responding to Racialized Religious Discrimination in our Schools with Dr. Amaarah DeCuir. Register here.

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

Events

• Tuesday June 7 The National American Muslim Policy Conference is a joint initiative by Muslim Community leaders and experts addressing Muslim Policy Priorities and challenges. This joint initiative by the American Muslim Health Professionals (AMHP), Emgage Action, Institute for Social Policy and Understanding (ISPU), IL Muslim Civic Coalition (the Coalition), and Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC), aims to bring together policymakers and community leaders to craft a comprehensive, realistic policy agenda. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/national-american-muslim-policy-conference-2022-tickets-317185689937
• Transformative Conversations will present on findings from a cutting edge public opinion and messaging study conducted in 2018, that utilized deep canvassing to identify what moves conflicted individuals towards favorable and supportive views of immigration. In collaboration with the Immigration Strategic Messaging Project, we surveyed voters to measure the effects deep canvassing has on both people’s opinion on immigration policy and implicit bias. The results showed overwhelmingly that deep canvassing not only moves voters at their door towards more supportive views of immigrants, but also that this movement is lasting. Wednesday, June 8 from Noon-1 PM CT. Tuesday, June 21 from 4–5 PM CT. Please register for the trainings here.
• On Being Muslim: An Online Event with Zeyneb Sayilgan. Islam is a religion that nourishes body, heart, mind and soul. The word Islam literally means peace, surrender, and submission. A Muslim is one who has made a conscious decision to freely surrender and submit to the one and only God, the creator of every thing and every being. ICJS Muslim Scholar Zeyneb Sayilgan will explain how Muslims try to embody these ideals in everyday life. Wednesday, June 8, 2022. Noon–1 PM EDT Via Zoom https://icjs.org/events/on-being-muslim/?eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=53931bde-d809-4412-a9cc-728f74cbfe43
• Tri-Faith Initiative and the University of Nebraska at Omaha’s Department of Religious Studies are pleased to announce the first annual “Race, Religion, and Social Justice” (RRSJ) conference, which will be held on Thursday, June 9, 2022 on the Tri-Faith Commons in Omaha, NE. This year’s theme is Harm, Healing, and Hope. The RRSJ conference objective is to advance interdisciplinary knowledge focused on the intersections of race, religion, and social justice by bringing a diverse group of interdisciplinary scholars; diversity, equity, access, and inclusion (DEAI) practitioners; community and civic leaders; and corporate executives together to spark cross-sector collaboration in the Midwest. https://www.trifaith.org/rrsj-2022/
• Rice University’s Boniuk Institute presents: Practicing Pluralism: Religion, Culture, and the Arts for Secondary Social Studies and ELAR Educators. June 27–30, 2022. Religious literacy, tolerance, and understanding depend on the study and practice of pluralism, from local to global levels, especially as multicultural democracies around the world are under stress. This online professional development course for secondary social studies and ELAR teachers will align to the Texas standards, and engage local and global topics in religion, explored through history, geography, culture, and the arts more broadly designed for inclusion of world religions. Learn more here.
• Unity March, the first large-scale, Asian American-led march bringing together 25,000+ Asian Americans, immigrants, and allies to Washington, DC on Saturday, June 25, 2022 to unite our voices for change. Recent attacks against Asian American women and elders, including members of our own sangat in Richmond Hill, New York, have created public outcry for solutions for community safety, cross-racial solidarity, and a more inclusive democracy. Today, we are inviting you to join the fight by attending the unity march. Led by SALDEF, Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC, APIAVote, Gold House, Indian American Impact Project, NCAPA, and OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates, the Unity March aims to bring advocates and allies to DC, with satellite actions across the country and a full program with speeches by impacted persons and community leaders to tell a story of pan-racial power, unity, and resilience. Sign Up Now to Join the Unity March
• August 5th will mark the ten-year anniversary of the 2012 Oak Creek gurdwara shooting that ultimately killed seven Sikhs + injured others. Read below to learn how you can engage your sangats + communities to #RememberOakCreek during the August 5th weekend. https://www.sikhcoalition.org/blog/2022/10-years-after-oak-creek-how-you-can-take-action-this-august/
• Interfaith America (formerly Interfaith Youth Core) annual Leadership Summit is the largest gathering of students and educators with a commitment to American religious pluralism. August 12–14th Chicago

Grants/Fellowships/Jobs

• 18 Million Rising is hiring an Organizing Director! The role of the Organizing Director is integral to the success of our national organizing and movement building for 18MR. They will lead 18MR’s Organizing team in our campaigns, programs, and special projects to ensure that we continue to build trust, collaboration, and deep movement building with our organizational partners, networks, and members. Our 18MR campaigns take on a range of issues facing Asian American communities and other communities of color, focused on racial, economic, and gender justice. This position will be open until filled, but we have a priority application deadline of June 6.
• The second Muslim Womxn’s Organizing Institute. This year’s theme is building our collective power for just futures. Fellows will receive a 1000 stipend upon completion of the organizing institute. Apply by June 15: bit.ly/MWOI2022
• What does seeking faith and learning justice look like in our troubled times? The Faith and Justice Fellowship is an opportunity to pursue this crucial question together in community. We invite you to join us for a nine-month journey to explore the spiritual and public dimensions of Christian faith. Each monthly module consists of webinars that frame our conversations with one another. Speakers include Kirsten Powers, Cole Arthur Riley, Mark Noll, and Lisa Sharon Harper. Participants also engage in curated readings, online discussions, and interactive spiritual practices throughout the month. Register by August 15.
• The Institute for Islamic, Christian, and Jewish Studies (ICJS), in partnership with the Washington Theological Consortium, is hosted a one-week intensive course in Muslim-Christian dialogue for emerging Muslim religious leaders from around the United States and Christian seminarians from the Mid-Atlantic. Learn more here
• The Building Interfaith America grants are an invitation to identify a need or opportunity in your community, propose a project to address it, and leverage the strength of interfaith cooperation to achieve your goal. https://www.interfaithamerica.org/grants/building-interfaith-america-campus-grants/

Resources

• Bibliography Covering Muslims in the U.S. Many of us receive inquiries on books about Muslims and Islam in America. For that reason, Sahar Aziz, Professor of Law and Chancellor’s Social Justice Scholar, Director, Center for Security, Race, and Rights at Rutgers University Law School and her librarian colleagues distribute an annually updated bibliography of books from various disciplines on this topic. The version covering books published between 1965 and 2021 is now available for download at: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2734400 If there are books missing that you believe should be in the bibliography, please contact Sahar Aziz.
• Muslim American Experience Bibliography Books Addressing Muslims or Islam in the United States (1966–2018) https://www.ispu.org/thought-leadership/muslim-american-experience-bibliography/
• Countering Anti-Muslim Opposition To Mosque And Islamic Center Construction And Expansion: Recommendations for mosque leaders, policymakers, interfaith and community allies, and more by Institute of Social Policy Understanding (ISPU) and OverZero

Read

• Check out a collection of pieces highlighting our Spring Messaging Campaign and a powerful statement to the Muslim community from one of our national denominational partners, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America.
• A newspaper in New Zealand published a 7-piece report on the lead up and aftermath of the Christchurch Massacre.

Watch

• Take a look at some of the local news coverage of our Chicago-based partners’ Interfaith Trolley Tour to help celebrate holy calendar coincidence; Easter, Passover, and Ramadan | CBS Chicago News by Lauren Victory
• The Pros and Cons of Welcoming the Stranger with Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker with TriFaith Omaha. If you didn’t get a chance to sign on during the session, or if you’d like to revisit it, you can find the recording here.
• If you missed the Children’s Ramadan Event watch a recording of select moments from the authors, Naaz Khan and Hena Khan here.

Listen

• Hear Shoulder to Shoulder’s Communications and Community Engagement Manager, Cassandra Lawrence, speak with Jack Gordon for the 100th episode of Interfaith-Ish, reflecting on the holiday season this April.

Closing

This video from Interfaith America (formerly Interfaith Youth Core) helps us imagine the country that builds our strength from and with our religious, racial, and cultural diversity. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FANHFDIbQl0