INDIANAPOLIS — Original Muslim American poetry displayed at Indianapolis’ Monument Circle. Muslim and Christian youth documenting each other’s faith communities through a joint photography exhibit. A Holocaust museum conducting Islamophobia workshops for students. An original children’s play based on Muslim folklore. Muslim youth learning how to confront anti-Muslim bias. Those are five projects that could help prevent Islamophobia in greater Indianapolis, and they will all … Continue reading Millennium Chair’s Awards to Prevent Islamophobia Announced

The 2017 Pew Research Center’s poll of U.S. Muslims released today has one overarching message: even though half the country might disagree, Muslim and non-Muslim Americans really are more similar than different. Muslim Americans may have distinct religious cultures, but the fear stoked by the election of Donald Trump is not turning Muslim Americans into more alienated citizens. They strongly identify with their fellow Americans … Continue reading “Indy Star”: Muslims proudly embrace America

INDIANAPOLIS (WTHR) – Edward Curtis, a professor of religious studies, is hosting a contest aimed at tackling anti-Muslim prejudices in a new way.       Continue reading WTHR Channel 13 Story on My Competition to Prevent Islamophobia

“To combat Islamophobia, an IUPUI professor is turning to crowd-sourcing the arts and humanities.” Arts reporter Domenica Bongiovanni interviewed me about the competition, asking why I thought the arts and humanities could help to prevent anti-Muslim violence. A link to the story is here.   Continue reading “Indy Star”: IUPUI professor offers grants to creative types to battle Islamophobia

I am happy to announce ten awards of $1,000 each to prevent Islamophobia, or anti-Muslim prejudice, discrimination, and violence, in Greater Indianapolis. Highly original projects are sought from local writers, community activists, artists, religious congregations, public school teachers, dancers, community volunteers, philosophers, amateur historians, linguists, musicians, healers, social workers, poets, non-profit groups, and others. Projects can include performance, social media, debate, dialogue, the production of … Continue reading Community Competition to Prevent Islamophobia

Originally posted on Invisible Indianapolis:
This is the second of two posts on 20th-century Muslim heritage in Indianapolis that come to us from Millennium Chair of the Liberal Arts and Professor of Religious Studies at the Indiana University School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI, Edward E. Curtis IV. Click on Indianapolis’ Homegrown Islam: The Moorish Science Temple of America for the first post. Mirzā Ghulām Ahmad (1835-1908), the… Continue reading Indianapolis’ Ahmadi Muslims in the 1920s and 1930s