Taking Action against Anti-Muslim Bigotry Webinar and Resources

Click here to view the video recording of the webinar. Click here to download the PowerPoint presentation.

In our society, anti-Muslim bigotry is often used for political gain and can pave the way to compromised civil liberties. Anti-Muslim rhetoric has a negative impact on our communities and affects us all. Learn how to counter anti-Muslim bigotry in your own community in our “Taking Action Against Anti-Muslim Bigotry” webinar.

This webinar, presented by Christina Warner, Former Director of the Shoulder-to-Shoulder Campaign, answered the questions “what is anti-Muslim bigotry?” and “how can we counter it?”

Discrimination should never be permitted for any reason. It may take time, but we can overcome anti-Muslim bigotry in our communities. This webinar will help you learn how to effectively tell stories, recognize related policy concerns, and make a difference one action at a time.

Shoulder-to-Shoulder is an interfaith organization dedicated to ending anti-Muslim sentiment by strengthening the voice of freedom and peace. Founded in November 2010 by over 20 national religious groups, Shoulder-to-Shoulder works not only on a national level, but offers strategies and support to local and regional efforts to address anti-Muslim sentiment and seeks to spread the word abroad.

Resources

• Facilitating dialogue and overcoming a lack of personal knowledge:
• My Fellow American: providing a space for non-Muslim Americans to talk about the impact that their American Muslim friends/colleagues/family members have had on them.
• RavelUnravel: online multimedia project for individuals to address common misperceptions they encounter about their own faith.
• 20,000 Dialogues: rich resources for facilitated dialogue and movie discussions based on Unity Productions Foundations films.
• Children of Abraham: a Jewish-Muslim dialogue guide.
• Weekend of Twinning: an annual weekend of paired synagogues and mosques to discuss issues of importance. Organized by the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding.
• Islamic Networks Group: a network of American Muslims trained and prepared to represent Islam to non-Muslims in multiple settings. The Network includes multiple local Islamic Speakers Bureaus, for requests for Muslim speakers.

Providing an alternative narrative to hateful rhetoric in public spaces:

• Anti-Jihad ads: An Interfaith Response to Hatred
• Anti-Defamation League: Responding to Hate Online
• Tolerance.org: Speak Up!

Responding to anti-Shari’ah legislation:

• Gavel to Gavel: a website dedicated to following legislation issues in state legislatures. It provides an ongoing summary of anti-Shari’ah legislation.
• State chapters of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).
• Fear, Inc.: a report from the Center for American Progress that details funding of anti-Muslim efforts and how those efforts are amplified in public space.

Addressing mosque opposition:

• Not in Our Neighborhood: Managing Opposition to Mosque Construction
• Building Mosques in America: Strategies for Securing Municipal Approvals

Advocating for an Office of Inspector General for the New York Police Department:

• Associated Press Investigative Series on NYPD surveillance and targeting of area Muslim communities.
• The Brennan Center: A Proposal for an NYPD Inspector General.
• The Community Safety Act: a piece of legislation in the New York City Council that would create an office of Inspector General with the NYPD while also addressing concerns about stop-and-frisk activities that disproportionately affect African American and Hispanic New Yorkers.

Additional resources:

• Unitarian Universalist Service Committee: Building Bridges for Civil Liberties
• The Truth About American Muslims: FAQ Guide from the First Amendment Center and Interfaith Alliance
• Institute for Social Policy and Understanding
• Islamic Networks Group
• The American Muslim: Muslim Voices Against Terrorism and Extremism
• Muslims for Progressive Values: “an inclusive community rooted in the traditional Qur’anic ideals of human dignity and social justice. We welcome all who are interested in discussing, promoting and working for the implementation of progressive values – human rights, freedom of expression, and separation of church and state.”
• Altmuslimah.com: a blog site dedicated to the discussion of gender issues within the Muslim community.
• Peace and Unity Bridge: an organization dedicated to cultivating friendship and understanding among Muslims and non-Muslims. PUB is funded in part by a grant from the Fund for UU Social Responsibility and is a a project of the Washington UU Church in Washington, VT. The program was initially funded to do work in New England and they are gradually expanding their service area.
• Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) Program: a project funded by the U.S. Department of State that provides scholarships for secondary school students from countries with significant Muslim populations to spend up to one academic year in the United States.