21-Day Practice on Creating Inclusive Spaces and Combating Islamophobia

The ABA Section of Civil Rights and Social Justice is proud to launch the 21-Day Practice on Creating Inclusive Spaces and Combating Islamophobia. The current movement for equality in America provides an opportunity for us to consider how we — as individuals, as lawyers, and as a Section — are meeting this moment. Are we moving on with our daily lives, or are we willing to grow in our knowledge and understanding to help shape our profession? What responsibility do we bear? It is with these thoughts in mind that the Section is sharing some resources and an opportunity for members to participate in a 21-Day Practice on Creating Inclusive Spaces and Combating Islamophobia. The “21- Day Challenge©” was conceived several years ago by diversity expert Eddie Moore, Jr. to advance deeper understandings of the intersections of race, power, privilege, supremacy and oppression. Other ABA groups have undertaken similar 21-Day Challenges, including the  Diversity & Inclusion Advisory Council, the Labor & Employment Law Section, and the Judicial Division.

Thank you to our co-sponsors: the ABA Coalition on Racial and Ethnic Justice and the ABA Business Law Section's Young Lawyers Committee

The Goal of the Practice

The goal of the 21-Day Practice is for each of us to augment our awareness, empathy, compassion and determination to stand for religious freedom. It transcends our roles as lawyers. Non-lawyers are also welcome to participate.

How it Works

It is, of course, completely voluntary to do, and participation in the Practice shall not be construed as agreement with every word of every assignment nor a commitment by any person to a particular professional position or strategy. Further, participants are free to opt-out of participating along the way. There is no grade at the end of the Practice. While it is not the intention of the Practice to cause offense, some participants may be offended by some language or images used in the lessons.

The Practice invites participants to complete a syllabus of 21 daily, short assignments (typically taking 15-30 minutes), over 21 consecutive days, that includes readings, videos, or podcasts. The assignments seek to expose participants to perspectives on elements of the Muslim American experience, including perspectives on Muslim history, identity and culture, and the experience of anti-Muslim bias in America, there are assignments that focus on the unique experience of Muslim lawyers in America, as well as assignments that explore how lawyers of all races can and must share in the work of bringing greater racial equity to the legal profession. This syllabus is but an introduction to what we hope will be a rewarding journey that extends far beyond the limits of this project.

Access the Syllabus

See a day-by-day breakdown of the Syllabus below, or you can access the full syllabus, including reflection/discussion questions, additional links from ABA entities, and ABA entity-recommended resources at this link. 

Disclaimer

The opinions expressed in these resources are those of the authors. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of the American Bar Association or Section of Civil Rights and Social Justice. The resources listed in this syllabus and the presentation of material therein do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the American Bar Association or Section of Civil Rights and Social Justice. Content Warning: Videos and podcasts may include strong language and may not be suitable for some viewers. Viewer and listener discretion is advised.

21-Day Racial Equity Habit-Building Challenge is the registered copyright of America & Moore, LLC. 2014.  

Sign Up to Join the Practice!

• If you would like to pledge to join the Practice, click here. (ABA affiliation is not required to participate). 

Come back regularly to check new discussion questions and Additional Resources! 

USE NAVIGATION BAR TO GO DIRECTLY TO EACH CHALLENGE DAY. 

DAY 1 

• Yaqeen Institute, June 26, 2020, What is Islamophobia? [3:25 minute video]

1.  What can lawyers, law students and judges do to recognize and intervene when they encounter Islamophobia?
2. What are the negative repercussions of Islamophobia?

DAY 2

• TED, October 2016, Suzanne Barakat: Islamophobia killed my brother. Let's end the hate | TED Talk,  [14: 40 minute video] 

• Omar Suleiman,Washington Post, Islamophobia kills. I watched this with my own eyes when I helped bury New Zealand victims. [5 minute read]

1. How is Islamophobia similar to white supremacy?

2. How does Islamophobia impact the lived experience of American Muslims?

DAY 3

• Tazneen M. Ali, Berkley Center, May 24, 2021, Islamophobia, Anti-Blackness, and the Challenges of Healing Muslim-Christian Relations in the United States [6 minute read]

1. Why did the U.S. Founding Fathers advocate for Muslims’ religious freedoms, but actively ignore Muslim slaves in their presence?

2. What were the long term impacts of how white slave owners racialized prominent enslaved Black African Muslims as Arab/Moorish on account of their literacy and class background disrupt notions of American Blackness?

3. How do race and religious identity today impact who is eligible for constitutional protections such as religious freedom?

DAY 4

• CAIR, Examining Islamophobia in California Schools 2021 Bullying Report [30 minute read]

1. How does Islamophobic bullying Muslim students in schools?

2. How are Muslim students, who wear hijab, impacted when their hijab is tugged, pulled, or offensively touched?

3. How can schools and workplaces improve their responses to Islamophobia monitoring?

DAY 5

• Riz Ahmed, March 6, 2020, Riz Ahmed - The Long Goodbye [11:41 minute video]

• Hershal Pandya, Vulture, May 23, 2017, Hasan Minhaj's 'Homecoming King' Is an American Story, Whether You Get the References or Not [11 minute read]

1. How can employers and co-workers encourage Muslim collegaues and students to be more of their authentic selves?

2. In what ways does the increased visibility of Muslims in Hollywood encourage more representation of Muslims on screen? And how does that impact public perceptions of Muslims to be considered more mainstream members of society?

3. What are fears of Islamophobia that impact Muslims in the United States and across the world?

DAY 6

• United Nations, March 17, 2021, UN leaders speak out against Islamophobia and anti-Muslim hatred | UN News [4 minute read]

1. What are some of the distressing trends related to Islamphobia that impact discriminiation, racism and xenophobia?

2. How can workplaces, law firms, law schools, and corporations work to create more inclusive spaces for Muslims?

DAY 7

• Boston Review, January 16, 2013, Islamophobia is Bad for Business [7 minute read]

• Forbes, May 4, 2019, How To Overcome Islamophobia In Your Workplace [5 minute read]

1. What are some of the negative impacts of Islamophobia on economic activity and commercial enterprises?

2. What are ways to increase the sense of belongings for Muslims?

DAY 8  

• Sanya Mansoor, TIME, December 13, 2021, The Troubling Consequences of Seeing Muslims as a Racial Group [7 minute read]

1. How do media perceptions of Muslims contribute to Islamophobia?

2. In what ways are depictions of Islamophobia rooted in historical constructions of racism and xenophobia?

DAY 9

• John R. Graham, Cathryn Bradshaw & Jennifer L. Trew, 2009, Addressing Cultural Barriers with Muslim Clients: An Agency Perspective [30 minute read]

1. What tactics can be deployed to prevent racially motivated attacks on Muslims?

2. How can social exclusion and social alienation experienced by Muslims impact others in the law firm, law school, and workplace settings?

DAY 10

• Cyra Choudhury, 2009, Empowerment or Estrangement: Liberal Feminism’s Visions of the “Progress” of Muslim Women [25 minute read]

• TRT World, July 24, 2019, The impacts of gendered anti-Muslim discrimination [2:36 minute video]

1. In what ways to perceptions of victimhood stigmatize Muslim women?

2. What strategies can be deployed to eliminate bias to empower Muslim women?

DAY 11

• Anayat Durrani, Plantiff Magazine, April 2012, Working while Muslim: Religious discrimination in the workplace [14 minute read]

1. How can public perceptions impact how Muslim practice their faith in public?

2. What are examples of workplace and school harassment that Muslim face based on nationality, race, religion, gender, etc?

DAY 12

• Attakrit Leckcivilize, April 16, 2019, Job recruiters discriminate against Muslims, and it doesn't end at the interview stage [5 minute read]

1. How can employers encourage recruiters to be intentional about avoiding bias in hiring?

2. How are Muslims negatively impacted on the job market because of their Muslim indentity? How do other groups experience this same or similar type of workplace hiring discriminiation?

DAY 13

• Gallup, Islamophobia: Understanding Anti-Muslim Sentiment in the West [22 minute read]

1. In what ways is the discrimination that Muslims face same or similar to those of other religious groups or protected classes?

2. How is discriminiation that Muslims face different from other groups?

DAY 14

• Leah Shafer, Harvard Graduate School of Education, February 21, 2017 Anti-Muslim Bias | Harvard Graduate School of Education [3 minute read]

1. How can educators, lawyers, law students, and legal practitioners understand Islamophobia as both a type of bullying and a consequence of bias and of misinformation?

2. What are ways to speak up and stand up for Muslim peers?

DAY 15

• Linda Sarsour, The Washington Post, July 9, 2017, Islamophobes are attacking me because I'm their worst nightmare - The Washington Post [5 minute read]

• Stephanie Abraham, Los Angeles Review of Books, April 9, 2020, In the World to Change It [7 minute read]

1. How does the Islamophobia industry contribute to misleading narratives, propaganda, and local policies that vilify Muslims?

2. What are ways to correct misinformation and disinformation about Islam and Muslims?

DAY 16

• Rashida James-Saadiya, John Hope Franklin Center at Duke University, Betraying the Spectacle: Black Muslim Women in the American South [10:03 minute video]

• PBS NewsHour, Teaching ‘different is okay’ to combat Islamophobia in U.S. schools [7:54 minute video]

1. How has racial and religious resentment contributed to the ostracization of Muslims?

2. How does the marginalization of Muslim women impact other women and identity politics?

DAY 17  

• Altaf Husain, Institute for Social Policy and Understanding, September 4, 2012, American History Incomplete without Muslims [3 minute video]

1. How did enslavement and heavily restricted mobility impact the early Muslims in the Americas?

2. How have immigration reforms impacted American Muslims?

DAY 18

• Kameelah Mu’Min Rashad, muslimmatters.org, January 13, 2015, American Muslims and the Trauma of Anti Muslim Bigotry [8 minute read]

1. What are the long term impacts of police surveillance and mass policing on American Muslim communities?

2. How do concepts of radical self-care and self-compassion work to overcome the psychological wear and tear on Muslims as result of daily Islamophobic macro and microaggressions?

DAY 19

• Dalia Mogahed, TED, What it's like to be Muslim in America [16:08 minute video]

1. What can be done to combat hate speech and hate crimes targeting Muslims by lawyers, law firms, law schools, and judges?

2. What are steps that can be taken to reverse anti-Muslim bias incidents?

DAY 20 

• Harvard Divinity School, Islam Case Study – Minority in America 2018 African American Muslims [6 minute read]

1. How does the Black Muslim experience in the United States show internal diversity within Islam?

2. In what ways has slavery shaped Islam among African American Muslims?

DAY 21

• Mariya Muhammad, The Lantern, Excluded: Islamophobia prevents some students from finding community in sports culture [18 minute read]

• Michael Weinreb, The Guardian, May 15, 2019, Fasts and late-night protein shakes: how Muslim athletes compete during Ramadan [8 minute read]

• Hafsa Lodi, Lifestyle, March 1, 2022, Meet Asma Elbadawi: the athlete who made basketball accessible to hijab-wearing women [4 minute read]

1. What workplace practices can be used to accommodate Muslims during the month of Ramadan?

2. What ways can lawyers, law students, and other legal practitioners work to honor and respect Muslim faith traditions?

Additional reading 

• Vanita Saleema Snow, Berkeley Journal of Gender, Law & Justice, Veiling and Inverted Masking [30 minute read]

• CAIR, July 2021, Anti-Muslim Bias Incidents [30 minute read]

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