Guidebooks from Council on American-Islamic Relations
all guides created by CAIR (Council on American-Islamic Relations)
Unchallenged, Islamophobia will continue to increase. For this guide, CAIR is directing their recommendations to the Muslim community in the United States. While all of society should and must be involved in eradicating all forms of bigotry from our nation, Muslims must be willing to take the lead when it comes to pushing back against Islamophobia.
There are many recommendations in the guide, but the key point is this: Put your faith into action. Do something positive, however small, on a consistent basis.
“It should not be one percent of our attention or one percent of our time or one percent of our wealth,” said CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad. “We should be generous, as if we are giving to ourselves.”
Source: CAIR: http://www.islamophobia.org/anti-prejudice-tools.html
Know your rights pocket guide
This guide informs American Muslims of our legal rights. These are the same rights all Americans enjoy, but the guide focuses on issues Muslims commonly face. The guide gives information about:
- Your rights as an employee
- Your rights as a student
- Your rights if stopped by the police
- Your rights if federal law enforcement contacts you
- Your rights if the Department of Homeland Security contacts you
- Your rights as an airline passenger
- How to tell if you might be on the no-fly list or a selectee list
- What to do if faced with job discrimination
- How to react to anti-Muslim hate crimes
- Recommendations for activism including local involvement, contacting your elected representatives, and media advocacy
View the guide. (The content of this guide is available in non-PDF format here.)
Islamophobia pocket guide
This guide defines Islamophobia and explains its features, then offers steps we can all take to help challenge Islamophobia.
Community safety kit
This toolkit was developed to help Muslim communities protect against acts of discrimination or physical attacks and to secure their basic legal rights. It includes recommendations for safety and security measures and how to respond in the event of an incident.
Securing religious liberty handbook
This toolkit was developed to help Muslim communities protect against state-level efforts to legislate against Islam and to preserve religious liberty for all. It includes lessons learned from efforts in several states as well as suggestions on what to do before such legislation is introduced, once it has been introduced, and if it is passed.
