All around the country, colleges and universities are taking steps to promote interfaith dialogue and awareness among their students and to teach religious literacy, leading to a “revival of religion” in higher education. Not only does this knowledge enrich students’ college experiences and honor the values and beliefs of students, religious literacy and the ability to work with people despite differences are crucial skills for success in a diverse global world.
A Look Inside Philadelphia’s Thriving Muslim Culture
Learn more about the Muslim community in Philadelphia, a city with a long Muslim history and numerous Muslim-owned businesses, an Islamic history museum, Muslim community organizations and charities, as well as Muslim political leaders.
Proud Muslims and Proud Americans!
Read this op-ed in The Detroit News titled “Muslims Are No Less American,” describing the crucial role Muslims play in American life.
Apple Reveals New Hijab Emoji!
In honor of World Emoji Day on July 17, Apple revealed a new set of forthcoming emojis, including a new hijab emoji. The idea for a hijab emoji came last year, when a 16-year-old Muslim girl named Rayouf Alhumedhi proposed the idea to The Unicode Consortium, the nonprofit corporation that reviews and develops new emojis. According to Alhumedhi, she and her friends were surprised that a hijab emoji did not already exist, saying: “The fact that there wasn’t an emoji to represent me and the millions of other hijabi women across the world was baffling to me.” She is happy with Apple’s design for the character and is looking forward to its release later this year.
Testament to the Diversity of the American Muslim Community
In a testament to the diversity—and openness—of the American Muslim community, Latino Muslims in Santa Ana, California have found a home at a mosque run by Cambodian refugees. As a small group with unique cultural and linguistic background, many members of the Latino Muslim community had concerns about whether they could fit into the larger Muslim community in the area. But, after years of struggling to find religious texts, classes, and services in Spanish, Latino Muslims collaborated with a small mosque in Orange County run by Cambodian refugees to provide these services and resources. As one mosque leader said, working with the area’s Latino Muslims was important for the mosque community, saying that it was “an opportunity to serve the community that you’re located in… About 78 percent of those who live in Santa Ana are Latino, and if word spread out to that 78 percent of the population that there’s an Islamic Center here, maybe more of them will gravitate here.”
