Artwork stating 'Education Destroys Barriers', 'We Demand Treatment', and 'I Need A Chance'

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  • In Conflict-prone Jos, Group Uses Football Tournaments To Build Peace Between Muslims And Christians

    The "music + football = peace" initiative is an annual football tournament where Muslim and Christian youths between the ages of 18 and 25 play matches together to promote a culture of peace and religious tolerance. Since launching in 2020, the initiative has six teams of 16 people, with plans to expand and reach more areas.

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  • A Faith-based Network Equips Youths For Peace In Violence Prone-Jos

    The Africa Faith and Justice Network trains young people on de-radicalization and collaboration efforts to end violent religious conflicts in the area. The Network teaches youth how to use dialogue and be more tolerant of different groups in an effort to avoid violence.

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  • The Group Turning Religious Leaders into LGBTQ Rights Crusaders

    Persons Marginalized and Aggrieved in Kenya works with religious leaders over the course of many years to build empathy and understanding towards the LGBTQ community. Faith leaders are often not immediately aware of the goal, but PEMA’s continuous and carefully orchestrated engagement allows them to gradually build relationships, hear personal stories from real people, and learn to preach tolerance. PEMA has worked with 619 religious leaders, 246 of which are currently active, and runs a Training of Trainers program where “converted” religious leaders train their colleagues to increase LGBTQ acceptance.

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  • Getting Vaccinated in the Holy Month

    The Neighbourhood Organization has helped organized pop-up clinics to administer the COVID-19 vaccine, including a culturally inclusive pop-up clinic in Thorncliffe Park, which has a large Muslim population. The vaccine rollout occurred during Ramadan and some had concerns over whether the vaccine was halal or if it would break one’s fast. As a workaround, organizers decided to extend the clinic until midnight so that people could come after they completed their fasting. Community ambassadors helped spread the word and the well-attended clinic ended up running until after 1:00 am.

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  • How A U.K. Imam Countered Vaccine Hesitancy And Helped Thousands Get The 'Jab'

    Sheikh Nuru Mohammed uses weekly sermons as imam at Al-Abbas mosque to dispel false information about the COVID-19 vaccine, inspiring hundreds of skeptical congregants to get vaccinated. He also turned the mosque into a vaccination center and 50 mosques have since done the same. Mohammed’s public vaccination and his sermons, which emphasize getting information from experts not social media posts, make an impact because it is coming from a trusted source rather than government officials. The mosque also delivered over 15,000 doses to people in the area, making an important connection with the local community.

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  • N.Y.P.D. Will No Longer Force Women to Remove Hijabs for Mug Shots

    Two Muslim women arrested on minor charges and forced to remove their hijabs for mugshots sued the New York Police Department and won a settlement that changes the department's policy. The women said they were humiliated and shamed by having to bare their heads in front of male strangers, which is against their religious teachings. The NYPD agreed to allow religious head coverings in booking photographs under most circumstances. The NYPD had attempted to modify its photo practices in the past, but had not officially changed its main policy manual, which it will do now.

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  • Ismaili, Ahmadi Muslims push national voter registration efforts

    Muslim civic advocacy groups Emgage and Ismailis Rise Up have partnered to engage a more diverse Muslim population in the 2020 election. They added thousands of contacts among new Muslim voters in six states, trained volunteers in electoral organizing and countering voter suppression, use personal connections to encourage people to vote, and will staff the Election Protection Hotline, where voters can get help in their native language. They also published videos about voter registration and mail-in voting in languages commonly spoken by Ismaili families and held virtual events aimed at mobilizing seniors.

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  • In San Diego, Black Muslims are working to expand voting access in jails

    Pillars of the Community hires people incarcerated in local California jails to register new incarcerated voters and conduct civic engagement education behind bars. Pillars, a faith-based criminal justice advocacy group led by Black Muslims, registers hundreds every year, many of whom did not know they were eligible to vote and did not know how to register on their own. Those voting in 2020 will be able to vote on state referenda concerning expanding voting rights for people with felony convictions and on ending cash bail.

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  • The Forgotten Stones That Still Inspire Turks to Help Their Neighbors

    Building on a history of anonymous charity, a mosque in northern Istanbul started a pop-up communal food bank to help those most impacted by the pandemic. The initiative is one of several mutual aid efforts underway in the municipality, with each paying homage to the nation's historical use of a charity stone - a place where "people who had money would leave some on top of the stone, and those who didn’t would take some, according to their need."

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  • How a quarantine matchmaking project for Muslims found itself navigating anti-Blackness

    Covid-19 has closed the places young Muslims go to meet potential spouses so two Muslim women created Eye Meets Soul, a virtual matchmaking service for US Muslim millennials where pairs first chat online without seeing each other. Initially, 10 potential couples led to 3 matches, with one continuing to thrive. However racial biases quickly surfaced, with many participants unwilling to date outside of their ethnic background. Muslims of African heritage report this as a common occurrence with Muslim dating services. Moving forward the co-founders will prescreen people for openness to all racial backgrounds.

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