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Recommended Reading: June

Highline College's librarians recommend materials from the library collection on a wide variety of topics.

Celebrating & In Solidarity with Our Muslim Communities

Photos top L-R, 1-5: (1) Praying at Ivanhoe basketball courts in Davie, Florida. Photo via Sana Ullah pulled from Splintern News article "Muslims Praying in Public Place" social experiment video project HERE; (2) Shah Faisal Mosque in Islamabad, Pakistan which accommodates all rituals of the different Muslim world denominations, photo by Shahid Khan, Alamy Stock Photo. (3) Photo of Highline College faculty and students from HC's "Commitment to Diversity" Policies/Statement webpage. (4) National Mosque of Malaysia, built in capital Kuala Lumpur, photo by Manan Vatsyayana, Getty Images; (5) video still from "Supreme Court Ratifies Trump's 'Muslim Ban' A Clear Violation of Rights'," June 2018, The Real News Network.

About This Guide

Highline College Library honors our on-campus Muslim scholars, faculty, and staff and wider Muslim community during the month of Ramadan. This libguide of media, video, articles, and library (for checkout!) books celebrate our Muslim communities. This libguide also shows solidarity with Muslims by centering Muslim voices and narratives, while collecting community resources for Muslims more locally in the wake of increasing Islamophobia. These recent books focusing on Muslim voices and experiences are featured here at the library for the month of June (on the 2nd floor library display for checkout!) feature many Muslim writers, students, artists and activists from around the world. This 2019, Ramadan started on May 4 and concluded with the 3-day celebration of Eid al-Fitr on June 4th, 2019.

Per Highline College's Commitment to Diversity Statement:

"Highline College is committed to the elimination of discrimination based on biological sex, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, race, ethnic background, national origin, class, economic status, age, military and veteran status, disability, language, culture, and religious beliefs."

Muslim Community Organizations and Resources in King County

PRAYER SPACE:

A potential place to pray on campus could be Highline's Quiet Reflection Room (click for web link), open to all. "It is located on the north side of Building 23, Room 114. This space is open to all members of the Highline College community, including students, faculty and staff. Verbal meetings, conversations, or dialogue are prohibited in this space. This space will not be reserved for campus programming" and is brought to you by Highline's Multicultural Affairs (link)

Includes Seattle, Tacoma, and Olympia (website link HERE)

Council on American-Islamic Relations "is a nonprofit 501(c)(3), grassroots civil rights and advocacy group. CAIR is America’s largest Islamic civil liberties group, with regional offices nationwide and in Canada. As a chapter, CAIR-WA works hard every day challenging anti-Muslim hate, defending the rights of American Muslims, empowering Muslim families, youth, children and elders to use their voice through mainstream media and lobbying, and building results-focused relationships with leaders in business, academia, labor, faith, and government" (website HERE)

"The Muslim Community Resource Center (MCRC) is a service organization led and managed by a group of community volunteers passionate about helping the less fortunate in our community. We are a volunteer based non-profit organization started in 2010 that provides a common platform for Muslim community service engagement. We partner with like minded faith based organizations (Muslim & non-Muslim), city & local services, assistance providers to serve community needs. Our focus is to connect those in need with relevant resources and service providers in our community" (website HERE)

Eatwithmuslims.org Builds Community Food and Fellowship by "connecting communities through food and storytelling" (South Seattle Emerald Newspaper article HERE). "Founded by Fathia Absie and Ilays Aden, two Muslim women based in Seattle, EatWithMuslims.org (website link) forwards a simple premise: sharing a meal with people from a different background than your own and listening to their stories can help build community in an increasingly divided world. After the negative rhetoric that emerged from the 2016 Presidential election, Absie and Aden were compelled to create a space where Muslims could rewrite the one-sided narratives being propagated in the media by interacting with non-Muslim neighbors in a friendly, welcoming environment..."

"IPIC is a non profit Muslim organization dedicated to providing Islamic information to Muslim and non Muslims alike. It was established by brother Khaled Jaber Al-thani Rahamaho Allah who passed away in 1998" (website HERE)

"Since 1999, Muslim Housing Services (MHS) has served low-income and homeless families in Seattle and throughout King County. We were founded due to the urgent need of culturally and linguistically competent programs and staff, after noticing that many families were not able to access mainstream services. Many of our clients are from refugee and immigrant families, especially those from East Africa and the Middle East. We happily serve anyone who qualifies for our programs regardless of background" (website HERE)

Muslim Experiences and Media

"When you look at Muslim scholar Dalia Mogahed, what do you see: A woman of faith? A scholar, a mom, a sister? Or an oppressed, brainwashed, potential terrorist? In this personal, powerful talk, Mogahed asks us, in this polarizing time, to fight negative perceptions of her faith in the media -- and to choose empathy over prejudice" (TED Talk video link HERE)

In "THE 99," Naif Al-Mutawa's new generation of comic book heroes fight more than crime -- they smash stereotypes and battle extremism. Named after the 99 attributes of Allah, his characters reinforce positive messages of Islam and cross cultures to create a new moral framework for confronting evil, even teaming up with the Justice League of America (Ted Talk video link HERE)

"Muslim Slam Poet: 'If You Need Me To Prove My Humanity, I'm Not the One Who's Not Human': (Seattle-based!) Suhaiymah Manzoor-Khan's powerful poem isn't about humanizing Muslims" (Huffington Post article and video HERE)

Library Books on Muslim Communities, Celebrations, & Activism

Media and Art

Peach background banner of celebrity Muslims in graphic design realistic portraiture smiling and clapping with multicolored jewel-toned shapes in the background! One figure is Tan, a cast member and part of the "fab five" Queer-Eye hit television queer male makeover show.

"Tell Them, I Am is a show about the small moments that define who we are and who we are not. The stories are universal; the voices are all Muslim. Tune in for one episode every weekday this Ramadan." Click above picture or HERE for the webpage.

"Prayer can be done almost anywhere. Where have you prayed? Tag, Direct Message (DM) or #PlacesYoullPray for a chance to be featured. Created & curated by @sanauphoto www.placesyoullpray.com "

The Life of Muhammad  video directed by Faris Kermani, fl. 2006; produced by Faris Kermani, fl. 2006, Crescent Films Ltd, in The Life of Muhammad, Episode 1 (Arlington, VA: Public Broadcasting Service, 2011), 59 mins. (click HERE to view in new window via Alexander Street Press)

"No More (Spoken Word) poem - Shahroz" (from Muslims Matter.org website HERE)