Read this engaging piece by Hiba Siddiqi for Religion News, in which she talks about how her high school's Muslim prayer room was an expression of the religious freedoms Americans value, respect, and fight for, and how the presence of the prayer room in her school served to normalize the Muslim members of the school community. As she explains: "I used to tell people that exposure to a thing results in the normalization of that thing, but I now realize that the only way to transcend lines of ...
American Muslims: Running for Local Office
Recent studies and surveys have shown that the American Muslim community is a very civically engaged demographic, particularly concerned with issues of social justice. Now, an emerging group of American Muslims has decided to run for office in their local communities. At the link below, read more about some aspiring—and inspiring—American Muslims who ran in local elections in the Chicago area. Read more (The Atlantic) ...
A Simple Act and a New Interfaith Friendship
When Kate Murphy, pastor of Grove Presbyterian Church in Charlotte, North Carolina saw anti-Muslim slurs written on a car in her community, she knew her church had to do something to combat growing Islamophobia. So, one morning, she and a few church-members put up a sign that simply read: "We Love Our Muslim Neighbors." Although the gesture was done without any fanfare, without any intention to make a political statement, and without any expectations, it prompted the start of a new interfaith ...
Interfaith Play Dates in NYC Bring Children Together
A new series of play dates is bringing neighborhood kids of all faiths together in the East Village. The children sing, play, learn, and build friendships with one another. The initiative was begun by Local Faith Communities of the East Village, an interfaith coalition that has been uniting faith groups around interfaith activities for 10 years, in response to post-election anxieties expressed by some of its Muslim members. According to Rabbi Larry Sebert of the Town and Village Synagogue, "We ...
How Can We Build more Inclusive Faith-Based Institutions?
Michael A. Helfand, an Orthodox Jew, describes how his experience at Pepperdine University, a Christian institution, has given him insight into how faith-based institutions can successfully promote religious diversity. According to Helfand, one of the primary ways to build more inclusive faith-based institutions is to send the message that diverse members of the community are valued "because of and not despite" their religious difference. Read more about this important topic at the link ...
